Eastern Michigan Athletics
Wednesday, March 14
Convocation Center
7 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
22-12 (11-7MAC)
83
vs
65
Niagara
19-14 (12-6MAAC)
1
2
F
Niagara
27
38
65
Eastern Michigan
42
41
83
EMU Hoops Cruises Past Niagara in CIT Opener, 83-65
3/14/2018 9:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Minnie scores career-high 29 points, Bond records second career double-double
Highlights
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team opened the 2018 CollegeInsider.com Tournament with a convincing 83-65 win over Niagara University Wednesday, March 14, inside the Convocation Center.
Making their first postseason appearance since playing in the College Basketball Invitational at the conclusion of the 2014-15 campaign, the Eagles (22-12, 11-7 MAC) advanced to the next round of the CIT after an 18-point victory against the Purple Eagles (19-14, 12-6 MAAC).
Redshirt junior Elijah Minnie (Pittsburgh, Pa.-Lincoln Park (Robert Morris)) paced the Green and White with a career-high 29 points on 12-of-19 shooting, converting 5-of-9 attempts from beyond the arc. Junior James Thompson IV (Baton Rouge, La.-Parkview Baptist) tallied 20 points and pulled down a team-high 16 rebounds for his 20th double-double of the season, while adding a team-best four blocks. Senior Tim Bond (Baltimore, Md.-City College High School) fell just shy of a triple-double, recording 11 points, 12 boards, and eight assists, while also adding two steals.
EMU's dominance was reflected on the stat sheet, as the Eagles finished 47.4 percent from the floor on 37-of-78 shooting, while Niagara struggled to a 35.1 percent (26-of-74) clip. The Green and White used their size advantage to great effect, out-blocking the Purple Eagles, 11-4, and scoring 54 points in the paint compared to Niagara's total of 30.
After falling behind 4-2, Minnie connected on back-to-back triples to start a 10-0 EMU run as the Eagles opened up a 12-4 lead heading into the game's first media stoppage. In front 13-8, redshirt junior Jordan Nobles (Canton, Mich.-Canton) buried a corner three before Bond threw down a one-handed slam to give the Green and White a commanding 18-8 lead, prompting Niagara to burn a timeout with 12:15 remaining in the opening half.
EMU continued to keep its foot on the gas, as Minnie sank a corner three to cap a 9-0 run and extend the Eagles' lead to 31-13 with 7:04 to go in the first period. The Green and White never relinquished their double-digit cushion and took a 42-27 advantage into the locker room.
The Eagles showed no signs of complacency to open the second half, as Minnie knocked down back-to-back threes to give the Green and White their largest lead to that point, 62-39, with 13:20 left in the final frame. Thompson and Minnie added a pair of dunks to put EMU in front, 66-43, with 10:55 to play in the second stanza.
Leading 70-52, Minnie got the home crowd on its feet with a windmill dunk for his career-high 28th and 29th points of the night to give the Eagles a 72-52 edge with 6:30 remaining in the second period. With the contest well in hand, head coach Rob Murphy gave his starters some much-deserved rest in the closing stages. In total, nine Eagles recorded at least two points as the Green and White ran away with an 83-65 victory.
Eastern Michigan will play a to-be-determined opponent, scheduled to take place between March 22-25 at a to-be-determined venue.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team opened the 2018 CollegeInsider.com Tournament with a convincing 83-65 win over Niagara University Wednesday, March 14, inside the Convocation Center.
Making their first postseason appearance since playing in the College Basketball Invitational at the conclusion of the 2014-15 campaign, the Eagles (22-12, 11-7 MAC) advanced to the next round of the CIT after an 18-point victory against the Purple Eagles (19-14, 12-6 MAAC).
Redshirt junior Elijah Minnie (Pittsburgh, Pa.-Lincoln Park (Robert Morris)) paced the Green and White with a career-high 29 points on 12-of-19 shooting, converting 5-of-9 attempts from beyond the arc. Junior James Thompson IV (Baton Rouge, La.-Parkview Baptist) tallied 20 points and pulled down a team-high 16 rebounds for his 20th double-double of the season, while adding a team-best four blocks. Senior Tim Bond (Baltimore, Md.-City College High School) fell just shy of a triple-double, recording 11 points, 12 boards, and eight assists, while also adding two steals.
EMU's dominance was reflected on the stat sheet, as the Eagles finished 47.4 percent from the floor on 37-of-78 shooting, while Niagara struggled to a 35.1 percent (26-of-74) clip. The Green and White used their size advantage to great effect, out-blocking the Purple Eagles, 11-4, and scoring 54 points in the paint compared to Niagara's total of 30.
After falling behind 4-2, Minnie connected on back-to-back triples to start a 10-0 EMU run as the Eagles opened up a 12-4 lead heading into the game's first media stoppage. In front 13-8, redshirt junior Jordan Nobles (Canton, Mich.-Canton) buried a corner three before Bond threw down a one-handed slam to give the Green and White a commanding 18-8 lead, prompting Niagara to burn a timeout with 12:15 remaining in the opening half.
EMU continued to keep its foot on the gas, as Minnie sank a corner three to cap a 9-0 run and extend the Eagles' lead to 31-13 with 7:04 to go in the first period. The Green and White never relinquished their double-digit cushion and took a 42-27 advantage into the locker room.
The Eagles showed no signs of complacency to open the second half, as Minnie knocked down back-to-back threes to give the Green and White their largest lead to that point, 62-39, with 13:20 left in the final frame. Thompson and Minnie added a pair of dunks to put EMU in front, 66-43, with 10:55 to play in the second stanza.
Leading 70-52, Minnie got the home crowd on its feet with a windmill dunk for his career-high 28th and 29th points of the night to give the Eagles a 72-52 edge with 6:30 remaining in the second period. With the contest well in hand, head coach Rob Murphy gave his starters some much-deserved rest in the closing stages. In total, nine Eagles recorded at least two points as the Green and White ran away with an 83-65 victory.
Eastern Michigan will play a to-be-determined opponent, scheduled to take place between March 22-25 at a to-be-determined venue.
Team Stats
NIA
EMU
FG%
.351
.474
3FG%
.136
.304
FT%
.667
.333
RB
41
51
TO
13
14
STL
10
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
29
FGM
12
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
20
FGM
10
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballF/C
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