Men’s Basketball

Northwestern started slow against Central Michigan on Wednesday and never recovered.

The Chippewas’ (7-1) 80-67 defeat of the Wildcats (6-4) at home comes as a surprise three days after NU’s 101-49 blasting of Mississippi Valley State.

Despite its one-loss record, Central Michigan ranked a low No. 178 in the comprehensive kenpom.com rankings going into the game. The Cats ranked No. 130.

Junior guard Tre Demps, renowned for his clutch late-game shooting, was 0-for-6 from 3-point range and 4-for-17 overall, scoring just eight points. As a team, the Cats were 6-of-19 from beyond the arc.

The bench brought little relief. Senior guard Dave Sobolewski added 10 points and freshman guard Scottie Lindsey added five, but all other non-starters were held scoreless. Coach Chris Collins opted for his original lineup, with the starting five playing 156 of the available 200 minutes.

The Cats allowed Central Michigan to shoot 58 percent as a team and make 10 of 18 3-pointers. Chippewas forward Luke Meyer had his way with NU down low, pulling down five rebounds and putting up 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting.

Backing him up from the perimeter was Chippewas guard Braylon Rayson, who scored a game-high 19 points and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

The loss ties the Cats for the worst record in the Big Ten along with Michigan and Rutgers. NU still has three home games to figure itself out before plunging into conference play against Rutgers on Dec. 30, but such an ugly loss at home hardly inspires confidence as the Cats head into the meat of their schedule.

Email: robertpillote2017@u.northwestern.edu
Twitter: @BobbyPillote