Men's Hoops Drops 66-53 Decision to Oakland

Box score.

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YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Eastern Michigan University men’s basketball team dropped a tough game tonight, Dec. 22, at the Convocation Center, as the Grizzlies from Oakland University came away with a 66-53 victory in non-conference men’s basketball action.

The Eagles shot 42.3 percent (22-of-52) from the field in the loss and held the Grizzlies to just 40 percent (22-of-55) shooting, but Oakland managed to hit eight three-point bombs in the game to propel them to victory.

After trailing by as many as 12 points, 47-35, with 12:30 left, the Eagles put on a surge to cut Oakland’s lead to five, 47-42, with 9:37 remaining on a three-point field goal by Tyler Jones (Belleville, Mich.-Belleville).

That would be as close as it would get the rest of the way as the Golden Grizzlies increased their lead to double figures near the six-minute mark and went on to post the 13-point win.

Redshirt sophomore Brandon Bowdry (St. Louis, Mo.-Taylor (Mich.) Truman) led the Eagles, now 2-9 on the year, with 17 points while junior center Justin Dobbins (Cleveland, Ohio-Glenville) added 10 points and eight rebounds.

Oakland, now 8-6 on the year, was led by guard Erik Kangas with a game-high 25 points.

It was all Oakland from the get-go, as Kangas drilled a pair of three’s in the first minute of the game to give the Grizzlies a 6-0 advantage. Oakland would extend its lead to 19-10 with 8:57 remaining in the first half on a Keith Benson jumper, forcing an EMU timeout. Freshman guard L.J. Frazier (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Ypsilanti) would cut Oakland’s lead to six with 5:27 remaining in the half, as his three-pointer made it a 23-17 game. The Eagles would pull within a basket with 1:55 remaining in the frame, as Jones cut through two Grizzlies for a lay-up, making it a 25-23 game.

The Eagles shot 42.3 percent (11-of-26) from the field in the first 20 minutes and limited the Grizzlies to 39.3 percent (11-of-28) shooting from the field, but Oakland led, 29-25. Junior forward Justin Dobbins (Cleveland, Ohio-Glenville) led the Eagles with eight points and four rebounds at intermission, while Oakland’s Johnathon Jones and Kangas each tallied 10 points.

The Eagles and Grizzlies would trade shot for shot to begin the second half, but Oakland would quickly jump out to an 11 point lead with 14:14 remaining after a Kangas three and Matt Samuels lay-up off an EMU turnover. Jones would pull the Eagles within a handful with 9:37 left in the game, as his three-pointer limited the Grizzlies to a 47-42 lead.

The Grizzlies would keep the Eagles at arms-length for the remainder of the game, as a Kangas three-pointer with 3:58 remaining all but sealed the victory, putting Oakland ahead, 57-46.

The Eagles will be back in action Sunday, Dec. 28 when they travel to Champaign, Ill. for its first-ever meeting against the Fighting Illini from the University of Illinois. Tip is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Assembly Hall.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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