Keene scores McGuirk-record 50 points to lead men's basketball to 101-92 win over Miami (Oh)
MVP chants echoed through McGuirk Arena Saturday afternoon as the 2,708 fans in attendance watched the top-scoring performance of the basketball season.
Junior guard Marcus Keene — who leads the nation in scoring (29.8) — out-did himself with a McGuirk-record 50 points to lead the Central Michigan men’s basketball team (12-7, 2-4 Mid-American Conference) to a 101-92 victory over Miami (Oh).
It was the most by any Division I player since 2013, according to ESPN. It was also the second-highest scoring performance in school history.
“This was big for us and the team. To score 50 points in a college basketball game, that’s any players dream,” Keene said. “I accomplished that (dream) and it feels good. I was just hot today and my teammates found me.”
Keene only had 11 points in the first half, but took over after the break. He finished 15-of-23 from the floor and 10-of-15 behind the 3-point line. He had 26 straight points for the Chippewas over a seven-minute span late in the game.
The Chippewas trailed by 10 points at halftime, but cut the lead down to two before the game’s most controversial call.
Keene picked up his third foul early in the second half after boxing out his man — who hit the floor— and standing next to him to receive the pass. Keene had to go to the bench despite him starting to get in a rhythm.
“I told coach Gamble I was feeling it and feeling good, but he said to sit down and ‘we’ll get you back in’. I just stayed composed and confident and when I got back in I just kept going,” Keene said.
Head coach Keno Davis exploded after the call and picked up his second technical foul — ejecting him from the game.
“It looked like that there was a trip involved and I wanted them to review it. I was afraid they weren’t going to review and got too far out on the court,” Davis said. “Although I did not feel I deserved it, I can understand when they make that call and try and learn from it to not let it happen again.”
It was only the second time Davis has been injected since his arrival at CMU in 2012.
After that, Keene and the Chippewas outscored the RedHawks 48-36 down the stretch to pull away. Senior Braylon Rayson said players who normally don’t speak up in the huddle did after Davis was ejected and the team came together.
“That last call, if you were watching you could see it was really nothing. (Coach) got worked up and was fighting for us,” he said. “As a veteran, I had to just bring the team together and let them know we’re doing it not just for ourselves but for him.”
Rayson scored 21 points on 7-of-18 shooting and carried the Chippewas in the first half after making four straight 3-pointers.
Freshman David DiLeo and junior Luke Meyer each added eight points, while junior DaRohn Scott chipped in four blocks.
The RedHawks were paced by Michael Weathers who had 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting.
What’s Next
The Chippewas return to McGuirk on Tuesday to face Bowling Green. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
