Men's Basketball Downed at Canisius

Box score.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team fell 71-51 to the Canisius Golden Griffins here, Saturday afternoon, Nov. 20, at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, NY. With the loss, EMU drops to 1-2 on the young season while Canisius moves to 2-1.

After getting an early 6-2 advantage, the Griffs used a 13-5 run to push ahead, 19-7, half way through the first stanza. Eastern Michigan would cut the lead to seven, 22-15, after a Jay Higgins (Fayetteville, NC-IMG Academy Hillsborough (Fla.) C.C.) three-pointer, but the comeback effort was not helped with senior forward Brandon Bowdry (St. Louis, Mo.-Taylor (Mich.) Truman) sidelined for the final 13 minutes of the half after picking up his second personal foul.

Higgins kept Eastern afloat, connecting on three field goals, all from beyond the arc, for nine points in the opening half. Will Cooper (Detroit, Mich.-Pershing-Bridgton Academy) chipped in with four points and three rebounds in the first, but the Eagles saw themselves down by, 36-22, after the first 20 minutes.

EMU shot just 30 percent from the field, turning the ball over 12 times, in that opening frame. Canisius was paced by Reggie Groves' 11 points and eight points from Tomas Vazquez-Simmons.

In the second half, Bowdry started the Eagles' scoring with a turnaround jumper in the paint to trim the lead to 12, 36-24, but the Griffs answered, posting a 12-5 run to swell the lead to 19, 48-29.

In the midst of that run, a scuffle ensued near Canisius' bench when junior point guard Darrell Lampley (Linden, N.J.-Linden-Lakeland C.C.) chased down a loose ball. After landing in front of the home bench, Lampley and a player on Canisius' bench became entangled and players from each team rushed to the scene. As a result, Adrian Burton (Detroit, Mich.-Cooley-Kankakee (Ill.) C.C.) and Quintin Dailey (Las Vegas, Nev.-Bishop Gorman- Sheridan (Wyo.) J.C.) were each ejected from the contest for coming on to the court during the altercation—neither player was involved in the incident—while Canisius' bench was assessed a technical foul.

The skirmish seemed to inflate the Golden Griffins while at the same time deflating the Eagles. The very next play was a three point field goal by Gaby Belardo, and the Eagles were unable to respond, missing baskets on their next four trips down the floor, and ultimately coming up short, 71-51.

Bowdry led the team with 13 points and also nabbed six rebounds, Lampley added 10 points and five boards, while Cooper finished with 7 points and six caroms. The Griffs had four players in double figures, with Vazquez-Simmons and Robert Goldsberry leading the way with 14 each.

For the game, Eastern shot 33 percent (17-of-51) compared to 38 percent (21-of-56) for Canisius. The home team also won the rebound battle, 44 to 34.

The Eagles will be idle until Nov. 27 when the men travel to Harrisonburg, Va. to battle the James Madison Dukes in a non-conference tilt. Tip time is slated for 7 p.m. Last season, EMU closed out the contest with a 25-11 run to post a 75-64 win over JMU on Dec. 12 at the Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, Mich. In the win, Bowdry led Eastern with 20 points and 14 rebounds.

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Team Stats

Brandon Bowdry

Darrell Lampley

Jay Higgins

Will Cooper

Eastern Michigan Athletics