Saturday, December 3
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
4:30 p.m.
Central Michigan University
4-4,0-0MAC
89
vs
50
Alma
3-3,0-0Michigan Intercol. Ath. Assn.
1
2
F
Alma
25
25
50
Central Mich.
39
50
89
Photo by: Sydney Kline '26 - @sydney.kline.photography
Men's Basketball Downs Alma 89-50
12/3/2022 7:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Nicolas Pavrette scores a career-high 25 points, sets school-record and ties Mid-American Conference record with a perfect 12-12 shooting performance (1.000), Central Michigan holds Alma to 26.2 percent field goal shooting and outrebounds the Scots 57-30.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich.—Sophomore Nicolas Pavrette set a school-record and tied a Mid-American Conference record for highest field goal percentage in a game (1.000) with a perfect 12-12 shooting performance en route to a career-high 25 points in leading Central Michigan to an 89-50 win over Alma Saturday evening at McGuirk Arena. The win improved Central Michigan to 4-4 on the season, while Alma dropped to 3-4 overall.
The contest was part of a Saturday Central Michigan basketball doubleheader as the Chippewa women's team defeated North Dakota State, 66-65, on three free throws by Sydney Harris.
Pavrette surpassed his previous career-high of nine points with his 25-point performance. His perfect 12-12 (1.000) shooting performance ties the MAC record set by Kent State's John Whorton vs. Akron Feb. 28, 1998. The NCAA record is a 15-15 performance by Louisville's Clifford Rozier vs. Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 11, 1993. The 6-foot-11 center also finished the game with five dunks and the only shot he missed was a free throw.
Senior Brian Taylor notched his fifth consecutive double figure scoring game with 15 points and seven rebounds, while freshman Reggie Bass added 13 points with six rebounds and a career-high tying six assists. In his second career game, senior Marc Garland III came off the bench to score a career-high 11 points with five rebounds and freshman Ola Ajiboye grabbed a game and career-high 11 rebounds, scored six points and dished out four assists.
From the opening tipoff, Central Michigan led the entire 40 minutes. CMU held Alma to 26.2 percent shooting (17-65) and outrebounded the Scots 57-30.
Despite missing several players, Central Michigan Head Coach Tony Barbee was pleased with his transition game.
"Our goal in transition is to create offense off of our defense and I thought we did that tonight." Barbee said. "We held Alma to a low shooting percentage. They are a pressing team. We knew that they were going to press. Anytime a team presses you, if you handle it properly in the backcourt, you are able to attack it properly in the frontcourt. For the most part, we did a good job, even though we had 19 turnovers."
The Chippewas took the lead off the opening tipoff and began the game on a 10-0 run. Layups by Pavrette and Ajiboye, a dunk by Taylor, two Bass free throws, and a Miroslav Stafl layup gave the host Chippewas a commanding 10-0 lead.
Two consecutive field goals by Carrington McCaskill gave CMU an 18-5 lead with 13:45 to go in the first half. A coast-to-coast steal and layup by Bass put CMU up 24-8 with 10:07 to play in the first half.
Using full-court pressure, Alma outscored CMU 10-2 over a two-minute span before the half to cut CMU's lead down to 10 points at 35-25 with two minutes to play in the first half but a Pavrette dunk off a fast break ended the rally.
The Chippewas held a 39-25 halftime lead after the two teams combined for 24 turnovers and 21 personal fouls.
Central Michigan opened the second half on a 12-3 run to lead 51-28 with 16 minutes to play. Pavrette scored on a jumper and dunk, Bass converted a layup, Taylor hit a stepback jumper and Drummond stole the ball in the backcourt and drove in for a layup. Pavrette scored his 10th point of the evening on a alley-oop dunk off a pass from Taylor.
Freshmen Ola Ajiboye and Amani Drummond both earned their first career starts in the game.
"This was a game for other guys to get an opportunity to show me what they're capable of in different live action against another team," Barbee said. "Some guys took advantage of that opportunity, Marc Garland, Amani Drummond, some guys didn't."
CMU played NCAA Division III Alma College for the first time since Nov. 17, 2015. Separated by 15 miles on US-127, the two schools met for the 123rd time in men's basketball as the Chippewas now hold an 81-42 advantage. Alma was led by Landen Moore-Pierce's 12 points.
The game marked the second of three consecutive home games for Central Michigan as the Chippewas host Northeast Conference foe Robert Morris on Wednesday, Dec. 7 (7 p.m.).
—CMU—
The contest was part of a Saturday Central Michigan basketball doubleheader as the Chippewa women's team defeated North Dakota State, 66-65, on three free throws by Sydney Harris.
Pavrette surpassed his previous career-high of nine points with his 25-point performance. His perfect 12-12 (1.000) shooting performance ties the MAC record set by Kent State's John Whorton vs. Akron Feb. 28, 1998. The NCAA record is a 15-15 performance by Louisville's Clifford Rozier vs. Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 11, 1993. The 6-foot-11 center also finished the game with five dunks and the only shot he missed was a free throw.
Senior Brian Taylor notched his fifth consecutive double figure scoring game with 15 points and seven rebounds, while freshman Reggie Bass added 13 points with six rebounds and a career-high tying six assists. In his second career game, senior Marc Garland III came off the bench to score a career-high 11 points with five rebounds and freshman Ola Ajiboye grabbed a game and career-high 11 rebounds, scored six points and dished out four assists.
From the opening tipoff, Central Michigan led the entire 40 minutes. CMU held Alma to 26.2 percent shooting (17-65) and outrebounded the Scots 57-30.
Despite missing several players, Central Michigan Head Coach Tony Barbee was pleased with his transition game.
"Our goal in transition is to create offense off of our defense and I thought we did that tonight." Barbee said. "We held Alma to a low shooting percentage. They are a pressing team. We knew that they were going to press. Anytime a team presses you, if you handle it properly in the backcourt, you are able to attack it properly in the frontcourt. For the most part, we did a good job, even though we had 19 turnovers."
The Chippewas took the lead off the opening tipoff and began the game on a 10-0 run. Layups by Pavrette and Ajiboye, a dunk by Taylor, two Bass free throws, and a Miroslav Stafl layup gave the host Chippewas a commanding 10-0 lead.
Two consecutive field goals by Carrington McCaskill gave CMU an 18-5 lead with 13:45 to go in the first half. A coast-to-coast steal and layup by Bass put CMU up 24-8 with 10:07 to play in the first half.
Using full-court pressure, Alma outscored CMU 10-2 over a two-minute span before the half to cut CMU's lead down to 10 points at 35-25 with two minutes to play in the first half but a Pavrette dunk off a fast break ended the rally.
The Chippewas held a 39-25 halftime lead after the two teams combined for 24 turnovers and 21 personal fouls.
Central Michigan opened the second half on a 12-3 run to lead 51-28 with 16 minutes to play. Pavrette scored on a jumper and dunk, Bass converted a layup, Taylor hit a stepback jumper and Drummond stole the ball in the backcourt and drove in for a layup. Pavrette scored his 10th point of the evening on a alley-oop dunk off a pass from Taylor.
Freshmen Ola Ajiboye and Amani Drummond both earned their first career starts in the game.
"This was a game for other guys to get an opportunity to show me what they're capable of in different live action against another team," Barbee said. "Some guys took advantage of that opportunity, Marc Garland, Amani Drummond, some guys didn't."
CMU played NCAA Division III Alma College for the first time since Nov. 17, 2015. Separated by 15 miles on US-127, the two schools met for the 123rd time in men's basketball as the Chippewas now hold an 81-42 advantage. Alma was led by Landen Moore-Pierce's 12 points.
The game marked the second of three consecutive home games for Central Michigan as the Chippewas host Northeast Conference foe Robert Morris on Wednesday, Dec. 7 (7 p.m.).
—CMU—
Team Stats
ALMA
CMU
FG%
.262
.565
3FG%
.244
.133
FT%
.545
.515
RB
30
57
TO
22
21
STL
16
13
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
25
FGM
12
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
F
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