CMU men's basketball closes 2024 with win over Cleary
Central Michigan freshman forward Bryan Ndjonga looks for an open teammate to pass to on Thursday, Nov. 7 at McGuirk Arena. Ndjonga ended his night with six points and seven rebounds. (CM-Life | Mary Nowosacki)
With 13:42 remaining in the first half, CMU guard Damarion Bonds ripped the ball away from Cleary guard Nick Moore and went coast-to-coast. He found a wide open mid-range jumper to extend Central Michigan's scoring streak to 15-0 to start the game.
The momentum continued as forward Quentin Heady recorded another steal before passing the ball to guard Kyler VanderJagt for an easy layup to give the Chippewas a 17-0 lead. Cleary could not recover, allowing CMU to get the 85-39 win.
The win elevates Central Michigan to 6-6 on the season, snapping a three game drought just ahead of Mid-American Conference play.
The Chippewas got off to a hot start with a 17-0 run that was finally broken with 12 minutes to play in the first half, as Cleary forward Austin Santure found a layup to gift the Cougars their first points.
CMU continued to dominate the half, building a 24-point lead by halftime and going into the locker room with 40-16 scoreboard.
Coming out of halftime the squad from Mount Pleasant continued to excite with their dominant interior performance on both sides of the ball. Forward Ugnius Jarusevicius was the spearhead for the Chippewas in the paint, recording a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds, leading the night in both categories.
CMU never let the Cougars within 24 points and closed out the 85-39 win with unforgiving defense that turned 18 turnovers into points in transition.
Cleary was held to 3-26 from three, going 0-11 from beyond the arc in the first half. However, the offensive struggle didn't stop at the three-point shooting as the Cougars went 14-53 from the field with guard Levi Mckenzie leading the team with 10 points.
Central Michigan's gritty defense continued to impress, forcing 25 turnovers off of 15 steals.
Forward Bryan Ndjonga secured 14 points, 4 blocks and 2 steals, notably shooting a perfect 6-6 from the field in his 25 minutes of playtime.
CMU has a chance to build off of this momentum as MAC play starts with the Chippewas hosting the Ohio Bobcats at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
