Chippewas Register 93-69 Road Win at Aquinas

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.—Grand Rapids native Kyler VanderJagt and point guard Anthony Pritchard led six double figure scorers as they both registered a game-high 18 points in leading Central Michigan to a 93-69 men's basketball win at Aquinas Thursday evening at the Sturrus Recreation Center.

With the win, Central Michigan improved to 5-3 overall. The Chippewas have won two in a row and four of their last five games.

Central Michigan hit a season-high 13 3-pointers, outrebounded Aquinas 47-24, and dished out 18 assists on 34 field goals. The Chippewas shot 50 percent (13-26) from 3-point range and 54 percent from the field (34-63). On defense, the Chippewas held the Saints to 69 points and 37.5 percent (27-72) shooting.

VanderJagt, a Northview High School graduate and playing in front of 40 friends and family members hit 7-10 field goals and 3-5 3-pointers for 18 points. Pritchard nearly notched a triple double as he scored 18 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out eight assists. Cayden Vasko hit a career-high 5-6 3-pointers and grabbed 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. It was his second straight game of finishing with 10 or more rebounds. Damarion Bonds added 12 points off the bench, Ugnius Jarusevicius contributed 12 points, and Jakobi Heady reached double figures for the eighth time in eight games with 10 points.

Central Michigan converted eight 3-pointers and outrebounded Aquinas 25-8 in building a 52-32 halftime lead. But the scrappy Saints made it difficult on the visiting Chippewas.

Aquinas hit 10 of its first 16 shots in the game's first 10 minutes. Trailing 10-7, Cayden Vasko hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give Central Michigan a 13-10 lead, But Aquinas went on a 7-0 run fueled by back-to-back layups by Menalito McGree and Jadakiss Lewis, followed by a Tommy Gregwer 3-pointer, which gave Aquinas a 17-13 lead with 13:13 to play in the first half.

Minutes later, Aquinas took a 24-20 advantage at the 11:15 mark on two baskets by Terrance Jones.

"Give Aquinas credit for the way they started, this is their Super Bowl," Central Michigan head coach Tony Barbee said. "They were in to start the game, our guys were lethargic and behind the action. I didn't say much. We have to find ways throughout the season for themselves to problem solve. The coaches are there to help them solve problems, but the best teams, no matter what happens, the players find a way to solve these problems. That's how they make it their team."

"We did a lot of good things tonight. We hit 13 3-pointers. The way we defended after the first few minutes. They were on pace to score 120 points through the first seven minutes, then be buckled down and guarded."

But Central Michigan answered by outscoring Aquinas 19-2 to take a 38-26 lead at the 7:29 mark. Anthony Pritchard hit a 3-pointer, followed with two free throws, Bryan Ndjonga hit a layup, Jarusevicius scored on a layup, and Pritchard hit another layup for an 11-0 run. After an Aquinas basket, Jarusevicius hit two free throws, VanderJagt hit a shot from the corner and then Bonds followed with another for the 38-26 lead.

CMU won the second half 41-37.

Aquinas remained in the game with 10 3-pointers. Three Saints reached double figures including McGee with 12 points, Jones with 11, and Howard with 10.

Thursday evening's matchup marked the first of four consecutive road games for Central Michigan. The Chippewas take a nine-day hiatas for finals before getting back to action on Saturday, Dec. 14 at Valparaiso (3 p.m. ET tipoff). It was the first time the two schools played in men's college basketball.

CMU men's basketball season tickets and single game tickets are on sale. Fans can order season tickets by calling Ticket Central at (989) 774-3045, by ordering on this link, or by stopping by Ticket Central located in the John G. Kulhavi Events Center between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Single-game tickets are also on sale. For more information, click here.

—CMU—

Next Event

Team Stats

Kyler VanderJagt

Anthony Pritchard

Cayden Vasko

Damarion Bonds

Players Mentioned

Damarion Bonds

Jakobi Heady

Ugnius Jarusevicius

Bryan Ndjonga

Anthony Pritchard

Kyler VanderJagt

Cayden Vasko

Related News

Next Event

Team Stats

Game Leaders

Kyler VanderJagt

Anthony Pritchard

Cayden Vasko

Damarion Bonds

Players Mentioned

Damarion Bonds

Jakobi Heady

Ugnius Jarusevicius

Bryan Ndjonga

Anthony Pritchard

Kyler VanderJagt

Cayden Vasko

Chippewas Register 93-69 Road Win at Aquinas

Related News

Related Videos