The junior guard finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds, as the Chippewas improved to 8-2 on the season and 4-0 at home. The Thunderbirds fall to 4-3, with all three losses coming on the road.
"Southern Utah is a physical team that's going to win some games this year; we knew when watching tape of their previous games that we'd have our hands full," said CMU head coach Keno Davis. "I like the way we played, (this is a) good win for us, especially right before finals week."
An 11-0 run gave the Chippewas a double-digit lead at 13-3 with less than five minutes off the first half clock. The Thunderbirds pulled within six twice before the break but CMU's defensive pressure kept them at bay by forcing SUU into committing 12 first-half turnovers.
Central Michigan's advantage ballooned to as much as 16 points at the 13:21 mark of the second half after back-to-back 3-pointers by David DiLeo and Matt Beachler and a layup by Rob Montgomery gave it a 61-45 lead. The Thunderbirds got as close as eight points with under a minute remaining but never seriously threatened. Free throws from Larry Austin Jr., Shawn Roundtree Jr. and David DiLeo down the stretch sealed the game for the Chippewas.
LEADERS
Austin, one of six Chippewas in double figures, led CMU offensively with 20 points and six assists. He also added four rebounds and four steals.
DiLeo added a season-high 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting from 3-point range and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
Roundtree added 14 points while Montgomery contributed 11 points and five rebounds.
STATS
With his double-double Saturday, McKay leads all active Chippewas in career double-doubles. David DiLeo has six.
By out-rebounding the Thunderbirds 41-32, CMU is 6-0 when winning the battle on the boards. The Chippewas had an 18-9 advantage in offensive rebounds, with seven of McKay's 13 total rebounds coming on the offensive end.
NEXT
The Chippewas continue a four-game December home stand on Wednesday, Dec. 19 whey host UMKC in McGuirk Arena at 7 p.m.
(Courtesy of CMU Athletics)