Men’s basketball team opens season with 127-66 loss at Central Michigan

MT. PLEASANT, Mich. – Playing a competitive game for the first time in nearly 10 months, the Olivet College men's basketball team fell to Central Michigan University, 127-66, this afternoon in its season-opener at McGuirk Arena in Mt. Pleasant.

Final Score: Central Michigan 127, Olivet 66
Location: McGuirk Arena; Mt. Pleasant, Michigan
Records: Central Michigan 4-4 overall, Olivet 0-1 overall

• The Comets trailed by one point, 7-6, after junior Derrick Johnson split a pair of free throws. From there, Caleb Huffman scored eight straight points to put the Chippewas up by nine points, 15-6, at the first media timeout of the opening half. Out of the timeout, CMU extended its run to take a 25-6 lead.
• Sophomore Noah Wiswary stopped Olivet's scoreless streak by making a rare four-point play (three-pointer and free throw) with 13:00 left in the half. The Chippewas doubled up the Comets at halftime, 70-35.
• The 61-point margin of victory was CMU's largest lead of the game.

• Johnson finished the game with a team-leading 26 points in his Olivet debut. He made 8-of-18 baskets, including five three-pointers, and three five throws for his 26 points.
• Senior Eddie Thigpen joined him in double figures with 14 points.
• Johnson grabbed a team-best five rebounds.

• Huffman led all scorers with 30 points.
• Ralph Bissainthe tallied 17 points and 11 rebounds.
• Travon Broadway, Jr. had 15 points.
• Audre Polk also posted a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

• "First, I want to extend my thank you to everyone at Olivet who has done so much so we could play this game today," said Olivet head coach Sam Hargraves. "We did accomplish one of our goals today and that was to have film of us playing against another team. In all seriousness, we know we have to do a couple things well against schools like Central Michigan who have advantages over us. We cannot have a bad shooting day on the good looks we get, especially early in the game. We also can't make passive turnovers which lead to direct transition opportunities for them.
• "Unfortunately, that is what happened to us today. We could still play great and lose by 20. So, we have got a lot of film to watch and learn from. I am also hopeful we have got many more games down the road yet this season."

• Question 1: "Who do you want to thank for getting the opportunity to play a game this season?"
  • Britton Angell – "I would like to thank our entire athletics staff for getting us to be able to play games. I am thankful that our AD and president understand the positive effects that sports have on kids, and they were determined to help us be able to play."
  • Derrick Johnson – "I would like to thank our school's staff from the coaches to the coaches to the athletic trainers for making this possible after such a long delay of finding our first game. They were ready for us to play just as much as we players were."
  • Noah Wiswary – "I want to specifically thank President Corey and Athletic Director Mr. Shockey. They have put in a lot of effort and extra hours to allow us to play basketball games. I can speak for the whole team that we really appreciate it. I also want to thank the athletic trainers for being here with us every day for the COVID tests and other issues. Lastly, I want to thank the coaches for going out and finding games for us. It has not been easy to find games due to the COVID situation. They have put in a lot of work to get games scheduled for us."
• Question 2: "I saw a lot of hustle and grit from everyone who played. What you can take from today's game to get better for the next game?"
  • Britton Angell – "From this game, we can take from it that we competed extremely hard without caring about the score which was good. Going forward, we must get tougher and get far more aggressive."
  • Derrick Johnson – "We need to start off our games more aggressive. We started off flat and missed shot we usually make in practice. It caused our energy to become low in the beginning, but I think as the game went along, our effort from every guy who played was good. The way we start games is something that we definitely need to change, especially playing against a talented team like today."
  • Noah Wiswary – "Today was our first game and it was fun to get back on the court. I think there were some good points from the game that we can look at and take into our season. I think it is going to be really important for us to watch film and see where we can improve. Film does not lie and we can learn a lot from it. We also have some new guys this year so it was important to be able to play with them for the first time in a real game."
• Question 3: "What did you yourself do well in today's game?"
  • Britton Angell – "Today, I feel I had a good shot selection, shooting the right shot. And also, I feel like I communicated well on the floor."
  • Derrick Johnson – "I think I shot the ball well in the first half and tried to come out aggressive. I also rebounded decent against a bigger and more athletic team."
  • Noah Wiswary – "I tried to get everyone involved on our team. This is a new team and a new season. We are still trying to figure out roles for our team and I think that it is very important in the first few games."

• The Comets are scheduled to return to play in one week, December 27, when they travel to Ypsilanti for a non-conference game against Eastern Michigan University. Tip-off at the Convocation Center is 2 p.m. Please remember to follow Olivet's social media pages for the latest schedule updates.