Men’s Basketball Recap: IU-Kokomo Cougars vs. Central Michigan Chippewas

In the season opener for Central Michigan, Marcus Keene made a statement, scoring 32 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, to lead the Chippewas to a strong 117-53 victory over the IU-Kokomo Cougars.

Four separate Chippewas had double doubles, as Braylon Rayson had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Cecil Williams had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Kevin McKay added 11 points and 15 rebounds. The Chippewas seem to have a much deeper bench then the last few years, which gives the starters more rest for later in the games.

The Chips were also able to knock down their free throws, as they made 41 out of 50 from the charity stripe, which is good for 82 percent. A big thing to note was the Chippewas were able to rebound, which has been a struggle for them in the past years. With size being a major factor in a game like this, the Chips were able to out-rebound the Cougars, 72-32.

Known as 3MU for there many 3-pointers attempted, CMU made 10 out of 34 attempts from beyond the arc which is good for 29.4 percent. The Cougars also made 10 three pointers out of 31 attempts, as they hung around early in the game, but the Chips were able to overpower the smaller team with strong rebounding and converting at the free throw line.

Trent Elliot lead the way for the Cougars, as he scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds. Eric Miller added 12 points on four three pointers for the Cougar cause. The Cougars couldn’t keep up with the Chippewas speed and strength all around.

Central Michigan moves to 1-0 after their opening day win, and will travel to Cookeville, Tennessee to take on the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles on Monday, November 14th. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m.