Zach Libby - Chippewa Country Contributor
In the two losses suffered by Central Michigan at the Lone Star Showcase earlier this week, both times have they faced a deficit heading into the second half.
Poor shooting and little support from scorers not named Marcus Keene were the prevailing reasons behind the Chippewas’ third place finish. And after the 12-point loss to Little Rock Wednesday, coach Keno Davis wanted to see more shots go down, as he watched his team shoot 35 percent from the field.
Central Michigan (5-2) wrapped up its four-game road trip Saturday, yet again, on the wrong side of the score before the final 20 minutes.
Keene was the lone player for CMU to score double-digit points in the opening half, but not until the emergence of guard Braylon Rayson, who scored 13 second half points to collect an important road win over the Green Bay Phoenix, 89-77.
Green Bay (3-3), who are the defending Horizon League Tournament champions, had a lead a much as eight points following four straight scored by starter Turner Botz. But a 16-3 run by CMU started the eventual 12-point victory, beginning with Rayson’s back-to-back 3-pointers and a pair of free throws.
Rayson shot 27 percent (5-of-18) from the field and 37 percent (3-of-8) at the 3-point line, finishing with 16 points.
The first lead for the Chippewas in the second half began at the 11:38 mark from a 3-pointer scored by freshman David DiLeo, who had nine points, the most of any bench player for CMU. The team had a five point lead with 3:13remaining, but widened the cap after a layup and seven straight made free throws to close out the contest.
DiLeo and Rayson tied for second among Central Michigan players with seven rebounds, behind DaRohn Scott’s 11, a game-high. CMU barely outrebounded Green Bay, 50-49, scoring 19 second chance points off 15 offensive rebounds.
The Chippewas took advantage of the Phoenix’s 15 committed turnovers, scoring 17. The team also recorded 24 points in the paint.
And for the first time in three games, no CMU players fouled out, but both Cecil Williams and Luke Meyer did commit four. Meyer only saw 12 minutes of action, finishing with just two points.
The closest the Phoenix came to jumping ahead was when a Trevor Anderson 3-pointer tied the score at 69 with seven minutes left. Green Bay shot 16.7 percent (2-of-12) from beyond the arc in the second half, while CMU finished at 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from that area.
Keene notched a game-high 31 points, the fifth time this season in which he has scored at least 30 points or more. He added five assists and four rebounds to his stat line. Cooper Charles led Green Bay with 20 points and nine rebounds.
Both teams will have a rematch on Dec. 6 at McGuirk Arena for the final of the three game home stretch for Central Michigan, who return to action Tuesday against William & Mary (2-2).
In the two losses suffered by Central Michigan at the Lone Star Showcase earlier this week, both times have they faced a deficit heading into the second half.
Poor shooting and little support from scorers not named Marcus Keene were the prevailing reasons behind the Chippewas’ third place finish. And after the 12-point loss to Little Rock Wednesday, coach Keno Davis wanted to see more shots go down, as he watched his team shoot 35 percent from the field.
Central Michigan (5-2) wrapped up its four-game road trip Saturday, yet again, on the wrong side of the score before the final 20 minutes.
Keene was the lone player for CMU to score double-digit points in the opening half, but not until the emergence of guard Braylon Rayson, who scored 13 second half points to collect an important road win over the Green Bay Phoenix, 89-77.
Green Bay (3-3), who are the defending Horizon League Tournament champions, had a lead a much as eight points following four straight scored by starter Turner Botz. But a 16-3 run by CMU started the eventual 12-point victory, beginning with Rayson’s back-to-back 3-pointers and a pair of free throws.
Rayson shot 27 percent (5-of-18) from the field and 37 percent (3-of-8) at the 3-point line, finishing with 16 points.
The first lead for the Chippewas in the second half began at the 11:38 mark from a 3-pointer scored by freshman David DiLeo, who had nine points, the most of any bench player for CMU. The team had a five point lead with 3:13remaining, but widened the cap after a layup and seven straight made free throws to close out the contest.
DiLeo and Rayson tied for second among Central Michigan players with seven rebounds, behind DaRohn Scott’s 11, a game-high. CMU barely outrebounded Green Bay, 50-49, scoring 19 second chance points off 15 offensive rebounds.
The Chippewas took advantage of the Phoenix’s 15 committed turnovers, scoring 17. The team also recorded 24 points in the paint.
And for the first time in three games, no CMU players fouled out, but both Cecil Williams and Luke Meyer did commit four. Meyer only saw 12 minutes of action, finishing with just two points.
The closest the Phoenix came to jumping ahead was when a Trevor Anderson 3-pointer tied the score at 69 with seven minutes left. Green Bay shot 16.7 percent (2-of-12) from beyond the arc in the second half, while CMU finished at 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from that area.
Keene notched a game-high 31 points, the fifth time this season in which he has scored at least 30 points or more. He added five assists and four rebounds to his stat line. Cooper Charles led Green Bay with 20 points and nine rebounds.
Both teams will have a rematch on Dec. 6 at McGuirk Arena for the final of the three game home stretch for Central Michigan, who return to action Tuesday against William & Mary (2-2).
