Rapid Reaction: Central Michigan 90, Aquinas College 51
Central Michigan basketball players huddle prior to Monday's game against Aquinas College.
Central Michigan men’s basketball returned home to McGuirk Arena with a 90-51 win Monday night against Aquinas College.
CMU’s record improves to 4-4 with the victory after suffering a close 75-72 loss on the road to Grand Canyon University last Thursday evening.
The Chippewas will remain at home for their next contest against Texas Southern scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12.
The return of a star
After missing the first seven games of the season due to injury, senior guard Chris Fowler made his return to the lineup Monday night.
Taking over and facilitating the Chippewa offense, Fowler made his presence felt by the Mount Pleasant crowd.
In his season debut, Fowler scored 14 points and dished out four assists. Seeing 25 minutes of playing time, he also shot 55 percent from the field in the winning effort.
Leading the way
Junior guard Braylon Rayson led the Chippewas in scoring and was accurate with his shooting throughout the game, especially from long range.
Scoring 19 points, the Dallas-native went 5-for-8 from beyond the arc, while shooting 77 percent from the field. Rayson also grabbed four rebounds.
Converting their chances
Going into halftime, CMU was making close to half of the shots it attempted. The high shooting percentage continued into the second half as well.
As a team, they were also accurate from the free throw line, converting the handful of opportunities given to them by Aquinas, going 9-for-13 overall from the stripe.
Home sweet home
So far this season, the Chippewas have not played their best brand of basketball away from McGuirk Arena but, while a road victory has eluded them, CMU continues to play quality basketball in front of the home supporters.
With Monday’s home win, CMU’s record at home in 2015 improves to 4-0.
In front of the home crowd, the Chippewas are outscoring their opponents by a margin of 333-271.
