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Kevin McKay led all scorers with 22 points and nine rebounds as the Central Michigan Chippewas rolled over NAIA opponent Sienna Heights by a final score of 108-48.
Central Michigan moves to 1-0 in their first game of the season.
CMU was able to dominate throughout the game, playing a strong defense and forcing many turnovers from the Saints. The Chippewa defense looks much stronger, and will look to build on this strong opening game.
Cecil Williams earned a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while transfers Shawn Roundtree (Mineral Area (MO) Community College) and Gavin Peppers (Cleveland State) scored 12 and 11 points, respectively. David DiLeo also recorded double-digits in points for the Chippewas with 10. The Chippewas used their height to their advantage, out-rebounding the Saints 45-30.
Trevor Holston led the way for Sienna, as he scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds, with teammate PJ Austin scoring 11 points.
The Chippewas shot 54% from the field, connecting on 39 of their 72 shot attempts. CMU made an uncharacteristic six of their 26 shots from beyond the arc, but managed to connect on their free throws, making 24 of 27 from the charity stripe, an 88.9% clip.
The Saints struggled from the field, only connecting on 16 of their 56 shot attempts (28%). The bright side for the Saints was at the charity stripe, as they converted on 11 of their 12 attempts from the free throw line.
Central Michigan will look to keep the hot shooting going, as they face the Michigan Wolverines on Monday, November 13th in Ann Arbor. Tip is set for 7 p.m. and will be aired on the Big Ten Network.
Sienna Heights will face another MAC team, as they travel to Kalamazoo to face the Western Michigan Broncos on Saturday, November 11th. Tip is set for 2 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN3.