Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
17-15
Akron
23-9
Eagles Fall in Double Overtime to Akron in MAC Tournament
3/11/2010 6:47:09 PM | Men's Basketball
Zips pull away in second extra session to knock EMU from MAC Tournament
Box Score
Click Here to View the Photo Gallery
CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – Despite a career day from senior guard Carlos Medlock (Detroit, Mich.-Murray Wright), the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team was eliminated from the 2010 Mid-American Conference Tournament in dramatic fashion, as the Eagles fell, 97-89, in double overtime to the University of Akron Zips Thursday afternoon, March 11, at Quicken Loans Arena.
Medlock became the first EMU player since Earl Boykins (1998) to score 40 points in game, as he tallied a career and game-high 42 points on 13-for-26 shooting from the field in his final game in an EMU uniform, including a game-high five makes from beyond the arc. Medlock was spectacular from the free throw line, sinking 11-of-12 attempts.
Redshirt junior forward Brandon Bowdry (St. Louis, Mo.-Taylor (Mich.)-Truman) notched his 16th double-double of the season in the loss, scoring 21 points on 8-for-17 shooting from the field and grabbing a game-high 14 boards.
Facing a 14-point deficit in the second half, the Eagles mounted a comeback to tie the game with under a minute to play in regulation, as Medlock connected from beyond the arc to give EMU a two-point lead. But Akron managed to send the game to overtime after a goal tending call tied the game.
Junior transfer Jay Higgins (Fayetteville, N.C.-IMG Academy-Hillsborough (Fla.) C.C.) gave EMU a three-point edge in the waning moments of the first overtime, but Akron's Steve McNees managed to get off a fade-away three pointer over an EMU defender to tie the game at 81-all and send it to a second overtime with less than one second remaining on the clock. Higgins scored 12 points in the loss on 4-for-8 shooting from the field, including three makes from beyond the arc. McNees led the Zips in the win, scoring 18 points and making all four of his three-point attempts.
Akron managed to keep EMU at arm's length in the second overtime, out-scoring the Eagles, 16-8, to escape Quicken Loans Arena with the win and advance to the MAC Tournament semifinals to face No. 7 seed Western Michigan University.
The Eagles shot 44 percent from the field in the loss, including a 32 percent clip (9-for-28) from beyond the arc, while out-rebounding the Zips, 45-39. Both squads turned the ball over just 11 times in the game, but Akron's bench out-scored Eastern Michigan's, 33-4.
Both squads jockeyed for position in the first 20 minutes, as Medlock ended an Akron 6-0 run with 5:51 remaining in the opening frame with a three pointer from the left-wing to make it a 26-23 game. Medlock tied the game just over a minute later, as his lay-up following a Zips turnover made it a 27-27 game with 4:27 left. Medlock tallied nine points in the first half on 4-of-9 shooting from the field to go along with a pair of steals.
But the Zips went into the lockerroom with their largest lead of the game, as Jimmy Conyers drilled a three-pointer from the corner in the waning seconds to put the Eagles down, 40-32.
The Eagles shot 45 percent (13-for-29) from the field in the opening frame, but just a 2-for-11 clip from beyond the arc. The Zips shot a red-hot 56 percent (15-for-27) from the field in the opening frame, including a 5-for-9 performance from three-point land. EMU held an 18-14 edge on the glass in the first half, but the Zips' bench out-scored the Eagles' bench, 15-4.
The Zips came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders to open the second half, going up by 14 points with a dunk by Nikola Cvetinovic to put EMU down, 46-32, with 18:12 remaining in the game.
But Bowdry pulled the Eagles within three points with 9:25 remaining in the contest, as his lay-up plus made free throw following an Akron foul made it a 52-49 game.
Higgins made it a four-point game with 3:37 remaining, drilling his second three-point basket of the contest to make it a 65-61 game. But the Zips went back up by six points after EMU Head Coach Charles E. Ramsey was assessed a technical foul and Akron managed to cash in on two free throw to put the Eagles down, 67-61.
But the Eagles again inched closer down the stretch, as Medlock made it a three-point game after connecting from beyond the arc on the left wing with 2:19 left to make it a 69-66 game. EMU made it a one-point game a possession later on a Bowdry lay-up to limit the deficit to one, 69-68, with 1:41 remaining.
Medlock gave EMU its first lead since the 8:25 mark in the first half, drilling his third three pointer of the contest in the right corner to give the Eagles a 71-69 lead, forcing Akron Head Coach Keith Dambrot to call a 30-second time out with 50.4 seconds left in the game.
Akron knotted the game at 71-all on the next possession, as a goal tending call on EMU freshman Jamell Harris (Euclid, Ohio-Euclid) made it a tie game for the fifth time in the contest. The Eagles were unable to get a shot off on the next possession, taking the game to overtime for the Eagles for the first time all season and the team's fifth overtime game in MAC Tournament history.
Akron's McNees gave the Zips a one-point edge in the first overtime with 2:41 remaining, as his three point make from the top of the key made it a 76-75 game. But Medlock tied the game at 76-all on EMU's next possession after splitting a pair from the charity stripe for his 32nd point, tying his career-high mark.
After the Zips' Zeke Marshall split a pair of free throws to put EMU down one, Medlock gave the Eagles back the lead on the next possession after connecting on two free throws to give the Eagles a 78-77 advantage. But Akron would again split another pair of three throws to tie the game at 78-all with 1:06 left.
After Higgins connected from the left corner to give EMU a three-point edge with under seven seconds to play, Akron's McNees hit a miracle three pointer with less than a second left on the clock to make it an 81-81 game and send it to a second overtime.
The Zips struck first in the double overtime, as Anthony Hitchens connected from long distance to give Akron an 84-81 advantage with 4:02 left. Brett McKnight gave Akron a five-point lead on the Zips' next possession after hitting a jumper to put the Eagles down, 86-81. The Eagles managed to pull within six points down the stretch, but could get no closer.
Akron advances to the MAC Tournament semifinals Friday, March 12, night to face the No. 7 seeded Western Michigan University Broncos at 7 p.m. inside Quicken Loans Arena. The Broncos upset No. 2 seeded Central Michigan University, 69-60, in the quarterfinals earlier this afternoon.
