Men's Basketball Clipped by WMU

Box score.

YPSILANTI, Mich.-- The Eastern Michigan University men’s basketball team lost a tough contest to inter-state rival Western Michigan, 68--62, here Tuesday night in the Convocation Center in a Mid-American Conference tilt. With the loss, EMU falls to 3-12 (0-7 MAC) while Western improves to 6-11 (3-4 MAC).

The Eagles were led once again by John Bowler (Chicago, Ill.-Notre Dame) who recorded his 22nd career double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman Zane Gay (Olivet, Mich.-Olivet) notched a career-high nine points while grabbing seven boards. Junior Craig Cashen (Cincinnati, Ohio-St. Xavier) also added 15 points. Western was led by senior Brian Snider who tallied 23 points.

"We need to do a better job defending," Eastern Michigan University Head Coach Charles E. Ramsey said. "Sometimes when we need stops, guys have to step up and make them."

"I thought a crucial point in the game came in the first half when we made a run and got it back to 23-20 and then we gave them seven unanswered, just on missed assignments," Ramsey added.

Poor shooting from field and too many turnovers doomed the Eagles from the start as they could not overcome a 12-point halftime deficit to remain winless in the conference standings. For the game, EMU shot 38 percent hitting 21-of-54 shots from the field and committed 19 costly turnovers. On the other hand, Western used hot first-half shooting and held on to win their third conference game of the year. The Broncos hit a blistering 7-of-16 three-pointers for a 43 percent clip and also shot 23-for-53 from the field for a 43 percent pace.

"We knew that Eastern was not going to quit," Western Michigan University Head Coach Steve Hawkins said. "We told our kids all night long, no matter what the lead was, that this was going to be a game that we need to be prepared to go into the last five minutes and win the game and that’s kind of how it worked out."

The second half picked up where the first left off as both teams strated on scoring runs. WMU ripped off the first nine straight points pushing their lead to, 43-26. EMU responded with an 8-0 run to pull within nine, 43-34, with 14 minutes remaining. Both teams traded baskets over the next 10 minutes but the Eagles could not get close as Western maintained a double-digit lead throughout most of the second half holding a, 64-53, advantage with 2:57 remaining in the game. Eastern stepped up the pressure, getting the next five points to pull to 64-58 but it was not enough as Western closed out the game for the 68-62 victory.

Hot and cold three-point shooting was the story during the first half. Western was on fire behind the arc hitting 6-of-11 shots for a staggering 54 percent while Eastern connected on just 4-of-13 three-pointers for a dismal 30 percent clip. EMU jumped out to a quick,10-4, lead as the Eagles hit their first 4-of-7 shots from the field. WMU responded scoring the next ten straight points to take a 14-10 lead with 12 minutes remaining. The Broncos kept up the pressure as they connected on two triples, increasing their lead to seven points, 20-13, with 7:50 to go in the half. A James Matthews (Detroit, Mich.-Marquette) layup capped off a 7-0 EMU run pulling the Eagles within three, 23-20. The half ended on consecutive runs as Western went on a 7-0 run increasing its lead to 10, 30-20, but back-to-back triples by Cashen and Danny McElhinny (Hernitage, Pa.-Kennedy Catholic) sparked a 9-4 EMU run to end the half, 34-26, heading into the lockerooms. EMU was led in the first half by Gay who had nine points while WMU was paced by Snider and Derek Drews who each tallied nine points apiece.

The Eagles are next in action Thursday, Jan. 26, when they travel to the University of Toledo. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Savage Hall.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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