CMU continues its home dominance with a win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff

What impresses Central Michigan coach Keno Davis about junior Cecil Williams is that almost averaging a double-double in a game is considered to be an average performance for the forward.

“I think that’s exciting to see,” Davis said.

Williams, the former junior college transfer, coming off his 13 rebound outing this past Tuesday against William & Mary, brought a spark Saturday when CMU (7-2) needed it most.

Williams finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, including three offensively, in the 82-59 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-7) at McGuirk Arena. CMU extends its winning streak to three games since losing to Little Rock at the Lone Star Showcase on Nov. 23.

The Golden Lions, who nearly defeated UT Martin Thursday, the team that ousted CMU in the first round of last season’s CollegeInsider.com Tournament, showcased an aggressive 2-3 zone defense that has allowed them to force an average of 18.7 turnovers a contest this year.

The Chippewas, who rank sixth in the nation in turnovers committed, reached their season average of 10, with junior guard Marcus Keene responsible for four.

Keene explained not being able to come off ball screens or playing his preferred style of 1-on-1 matchups as the reasons behind his sloppiness with the ball.

“My teammates still found me though,” Keene said. “I was still able to get shots up and I was just hitting again today.”

Keene scored a game-high 31 points on 8-of-15 shooting, surpassing his season average of 30.4, which puts him first among NCAA players. His eight three-pointers were the most the Texas native has recorded in a game this season, good for fourth all-time in Central Michigan history.

“We’re a fast-paced team that has been running since the preseason and even throughout the offseason,” Keene said. “We’re the type of team that if we play two full-speed halves, we’ll wear teams down.”

Keene began the second half hitting back-to-back three-pointers, lending a hand in the Chippewas’ 24-10 run in the opening minutes. A layup from Luke Meyer gave CMU its first lead of the game, 41-39, at the 19:21 mark.

Pine Bluff was limited to 38 percent shooting from the floor after playing surprisingly well offensively in the first half. The Golden Lions sit dead last nationally in offensive efficiency.

CMU outrebounded Pine Bluff 40-37, with 13 points coming off second chance opportunities. The Chippewas also had 17 bench points and 18 off 13 turnovers from APB.

Redshirt junior guard Josh Kozinski and freshman forward David DiLeo combined for 21 points off 7-of-18 shooting. Senior guard Braylon Rayson had a quiet evening, missing nine attempts, including seven from the three-point line, scoring eight points.

CMU trailed Pine Bluff for a majority of the first half, down by as much as nine in the first four minutes. The team finished 39 percent (15-of-38) from beyond the arc, despite not connecting with four straight during Pine Bluff's early 9-0 run.

Besides the simple aspect of pure skill, Davis goes back to the unselfishness of his players as the reason behind shooting positively from deep against a team who before Saturday, ranked first in the NCAA in three-point field goal defense.

It’s easy to assume that passing isn’t in the Chippewas’ vocabulary when examining at how much some players like Rayson or Keene shoot from outside, but those opportunities don’t come from not passing or not being in a good rhythm, which Davis enamors on.

"You have to be able to hit the guy that's more open than you," Davis said. "A combination of the talent, the type of players and the character we have on this team allows us to have good shooting nights."

With the win, Davis now has a record of 68-68 at Central Michigan since arriving in Mount Pleasant back in 2012, after starting out 10-19 and 10-21 in the first two years.