Men's basketball rebounds to defeat Green Bay, improve to 5-2
A Thanksgiving feast awaited the Central Michigan men's basketball team on Thursday in Green Bay. On Saturday, the Chippewas feasted on Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Three days after losing back-to-back games, CMU used a second-half rally to dominate Wisconsin-Green Bay 89-77 on Saturday at the Resch Center in Green Bay.
Following a 1-2 record at the Lone Star Showcase in Cedar Park, Texas from Nov. 21-23, CMU closed its road swing with a victory to improve to 5-2.
“Being able to get the victory after a couple tough outings It was good for the morale of our team," said Head Coach Keno Davis. "We know we have worked to become a better team and to be able to challenge each and every night. I think to get the victory, it allows us to know not only are we improving as a team but we also have some wins to show for us.”
The Chippewas trailed 45-41 at halftime. Green Bay led 54-46 in the second half before CMU went on an 8-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer from senior guard Braylon Rayson to tie the game at 54-54 with 13:41 remaining.
CMU grabbed its first lead of the half when freshman forward David DiLeo sank a 3-pointer to make it 58-57.
Green Bay tied the game at 69-69 following a three from Trevor Anderson, but senior guard Marcus Keene responded with a 3-pointer for the Chippewas to give them a 72-69 lead. After a Phoenix bucket, junior guard Josh Kozinski and DiLeo nailed back-to-back threes to extend the lead to six, 78-72, and helped seal the win.
The Chippewas shot 39 percent (14-of-36) from 3-point range in the game, but Davis said it was not their identity.
“We were able to take 14 (3-pointers), but I think us shooting 39 percent from three – that’s about right for the types of shooters that we have," Davis said. "I think guys came up (big) in a lot of different areas."
Keene led the way with 31 points, while Rayson added 19. Junior forward Cecil Williams scored 13 points and Kozinski was 4-of-9 from 3-point range for 12 points.
CMU outrebounded the Phoenix 50-49, with 11 rebounds coming from junior forward DaRohn Scott off of the bench. Wiliams, Scott and junior forward Luke Meyer combined for 25 rebounds on Saturday, playing the "five," or center, position.
“We need that," Davis said. "We may not need 20 rebounds from that spot, but we need them to impact the game both defensively and rebounding. It’s nice to see those guys continue to develop and continue to improve.”
After logging over 3,000 miles in the course of six days, CMU finished 2-2 in an early season road trip. The Chippewas will return to their home confines of McGuirk Arena for a battle with William & Mary at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 29.
Featuring seven new faces, Davis said he was proud of his team's ability to amass a .500 record on the road trip against some tough, mid-major competition. He said he was happy it ended with a victory.
“After four games in seven days, you’re on the road for over a week – if you came out flat or didn’t play your best, there’d be many built-in excuses and some with some credibility," he said. "To be able to not only win but I think even more importantly, play extremely hard, says a lot about the character of these guys on the team and how much they’re pushing to become better.”
