CHICAGO – Plenty to build on, plenty to hash out, plenty to work on.
The Central Michigan men's basketball team played catchup nearly all night long on Saturday and then took one final swing in the waning seconds before succumbing to Illinois-Chicago, 74-72, in its season-opening game at the Flames' Credit Union 1 Arena.
To the good, the Chippewas hung in after trailing 43-31 at halftime. They never took the lead but continued to whittle away as coach Keno Davis got a good look at his team, which returns just one starter and features eight new faces.
Davis used 10 players, seven of whom were playing in their first game in a Chippewa uniform. Nine of those players logged double-digit minutes.
"I was really proud of the team," said Davis, whose team did not get nearly the amount of preseason prep that it would otherwise get, including closed scrimmages, exhibition games and the like because of COVID-19.
"I think it showed, especially in the first half," Davis said. "But I liked the resiliency of our team. We kept finding a way to stay in the game and give ourselves an opportunity and that's what you want, especially on the road. I know there aren't any moral victories, and our guys are looking to improve and not only get a win but have a really successful season."
On the flip side, the Chippewas had plenty to bemoan, beginning with a 2-for-18 performance from behind the 3-point line. They made just 38.8 percent from the floor overall and finished at 64.3 percent from the free throw line.
One of the CMU newcomers, guard Caleb Huffman, shone brightest of all the Chippewas making their respective debuts in maroon and gold. Huffman, a junior transfer from Iowa Western CC, scored 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting. He made both of CMU's triples.
"Obviously he's a really talented scorer, a really good on-the-ball defender and he's just scratching the surface," Davis said. "I think you're going to see him really improve; he's really just learning how to play. The ceiling is very high on him as a player."
How It Happened
UIC (2-0) closed the first half on a 21-9 run for a 43-31 halftime lead. The 12-point margin was the Flames' largest of the night.
The Chippewas kept lapping at UIC's heels throughout the second half. A Huffman 3-pointer with 2 seconds to play pulled CMU within two, 74-72. The Chippewas forced a turnover on the inbounds play, but Meikkel Murray's desperation shot from half court missed.
Leaders
Travon Broadway Jr. added 15 points for CMU, while Murray had 12 and five steals. Broadway and Devontae Lane led the Chippewas with eight rebounds apiece.
RayQuawndis Mitchell hit four 3-pointers in scoring 23 points to lead the Flames (2-0), who opened the season on Wednesday with a 65-61 win over Northern Illinois.
Missing Muhammad
The Chippewas were playing without 6-foot-9, 235-pound center Malik Muhammad, a junior transfer from East Los Angeles College. The Chippewas felt the injured Muhammad's absence as they were outrebounded, 46-34.
Certainly, the Chippewas would have liked to have had Muhammad in the lineup, but his minutes went to the likes of 6-10 redshirt freshman Caleb Hodgson and 6-10 freshman Aundre Polk. Hodgson started and logged 18 minutes; Polk had three blocks in 17 minutes. The pair combined for nine points and six rebounds.
"They got more opportunities than they might have otherwise, and I think that's only going to help them progress as players and hopefully help us in the conference season," Davis said.
Turnover Battle
The Chippewas committed just seven turnovers while forcing UIC into 19, 16 of them CMU steals.
Shaking off the Rust
Certainly, Davis said, he would like to have seen his team shoot the ball better. But it was understandable in light of all the uncertainty and the limited time his team has had to work itself into a rhythm.
"It's important that we don't make excuses," he said, "but in the world we live in and how this season is going to progress you're not going to get prep time in the gym; you're going to be traveling the day of (a game); you're not going to get as much experience.
"A lot of the things are going to be different and you understand why so I think it's important for coaches this year to not panic when all of a sudden you have one game or have a stretch where you're not executing as well as you had hoped or not making as many shots, whether it's free throws or 3-point shots or whatever it may be.
"Really focusing just on improvement and looking forward to the heart of your conference schedule."
Next
The Chippewas go to Miami to play Florida International on Tuesday, Dec. 1, and then will take on Flagler College on Wednesday, Dec. 2.
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Chippewas Fall Just Short In Season Opener - Central Michigan University Chippewas
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