Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
1-5
North Dakota
3-4
Eagles Fall Just Short Against Fighting Sioux, 54-49
12/4/2010 11:20:13 PM | Men's Basketball
Despite not allowing a field goal over the final 10:06 of the game, EMU fell to North Dakota
Box score.
MOSCOW, Idaho (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team fell just short of a win in the second of three games at the Basketball Traveler's Classic, 54-49, to the North Dakota Fighting Sioux here in War Memorial Gymnasium on the campus of the University of Idaho Saturday, Dec. 4.
After heading into intermission down 27-22, the Eagles used a 10-6 run to start the second half and narrow the margin to one point, 33-32, after senior forward Jay Higgins (Fayetteville, NC-IMG Academy Hillsborough (Fla.) C.C.) hit a three-point basket deep in the corner.
The teams would exchange scores, with North Dakota cashing in at the charity stripe and the Eagles striking from the field, until EMU was able to knot the game at 45 with just over four minutes remaining. But the Eagles turned cold, not hitting another basket until senior forward Brandon Bowdry (St. Louis, Mo.-Taylor (Mich.) Truman laid the ball in to once again tie the score, 47-47 with 1:21 remaining. One other Bowdry layup with 22.7 seconds remaining would cap the Eagles' scoring, and ND put the game away with late free throws.
The Eagles had an opportunity to tie the score, but an Antonio Green (Inkster, Mich.-Robichaud) triple try would miss the iron. North Dakota nabbed the rebound and the Eagles had no choice but to foul again and send the Fighting Sioux to the line where they would close it out.
Second half free throw shooting by the opposition once again proved to be the difference-maker for the Eagles, as North Dakota sank 21-of-26 foul shots in the second half. The Eastern Michigan defense held the Fighting Sioux without a field goal for the final 10:06 of the game, but over that same span,ND sank 15 free throws to close out the contest and earn the win.
Bowdry finished the game with 20 points and seven rebounds, while Higgins had 10 points (all in the second half) and four boards. Jamell Harris anchored the Eagles defensively as he grabbed eight boards and rejected four shots. He also had five points.
Troy Huff and Patrick Mitchell led North Dakota with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
With the loss, the Eagles are now 1-5 on the season and North Dakota is 3-4 with the win.
In the first half, the Eagles fell behind early as the Fighting Sioux used different screens to free up its shooters on the arc, hitting three long balls en route to an 11-2 advantage. Adrian Burton (Detroit, Mich.-Cooley-Kankakee (Ill.) C.C.), making his first start for the Green and White, was able to respond with a three-pointer of his own to pull Eastern to within six, 13-7.
An old-fashioned three-point play by senior forward Brandon Bowdry (St. Louis, Mo.-Taylor (Mich.) Truman with less than a minute left in the half would help further close the gap, leaving the Eagles down just five, 27-22, at the intermission. Bowdry would finish the half with 10 points and six rebounds, while Burton chipped in five points.
The Eagles will close out the tournament Sunday with a matchup against the host school Idaho Vandals in a 6 p.m. PT contest.
