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I know what you're saying, "but they haven't played anybody." I get that the competition has been weak, but this is just so much fun! Chippewa basketball fans haven't had much to cheer about the last decade, so when you start out 4-0 for the first time since 2000, who cares if your best win is against Youngstown State?! They're undefeated!
The Golden Lions jumped out to a 4-0 lead a minute into the game due to a couple of mental mistakes by the Chippewas. UAPB would hold that lead for about two minutes. Central took a stranglehold of the game by going on a 24-2 run and by the ten minute mark of the first half, the game was basically over.
Freshman DaRohn Scott could sense during the 2nd half that the fans were getting bored watching a blowout, so he decided to liven up the scene. Scott was being harassed by a pair of UAPB players for the ball after coming down with a rebound. During the excitement Scott flailed around with his elbows a bit too high for the liking of said Golden Lions players. The result was a short skirmish with a lot of yelling, and Keno Davis setting a land speed record running down the court to keep any of his players from doing something stupid. For all of us in attendance, thank you DaRohn Scott for waking us up, but let's keep the elbow flailing to a minimum from now on.
The keys to this win for the Chips were 3-point shooting, free throws, and rebounding. Of CMU's twenty made field goals, fifteen were from beyond the arc. For the fourth time in as many games, the Chippewas outrebounded their opponents.
Perhaps most important stat of the game was that the Chips went 20-23 from the charity stripe. UAPB plays an aggressive defense and the Chips were always going to get opportunities from the line. If CMU doesn't execute as well as they did today though, maybe this game isn't such a blowout.
Yes, it's true. CMU has yet to face a team capable of putting up a decent fight, and the competition they will see in the MAC will be vastly superior to these non-conference opponents. But for the first time in a while the spark of optimism is bright for this program.
Who knows, perhaps Luke Meyer is the next Chris Kaman and Chris Fowler is the next Dan Majerle? Speaking of CMU legend Dan Majerle, the former NBA All-Star will be back in Mt. Pleasant this Saturday as his Grand Canyon Antelopes take on the Chippewas.