Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
16-14 (8-8MAC)
Central Michigan
15-14 (9-7MAC)
Eagles Drop 56-55 Heartbreaker to CMU in Regular Season Finale
3/4/2010 10:06:39 PM | Men's Basketball
Chippewas pull ahead in the final second to top Eagles and win the West Division crown
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YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Mid-American Conference West Division title came down to the final seconds Thursday night, March 4, at the Convocation Center, but the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team found itself on the wrong end of a one-point game, as the Eagles fell, 56-55, to the Central Michigan University Chippewas.
With Eastern holding on to a three-point lead with under two minutes to play, the Chippewas came back to even the game at 55-55, as a three by Robbie Harman took the air out of a raucous crowd at the Convocation Center and forced an EMU time out.
Following the time out, CMU capitalized on reaching the bonus with under a minute to play, splitting a pair of free throws following an EMU foul to take a one-point lead, 56-55, with 44 seconds left.
The Eagles had an opportunity to tie or take the lead with 18.8 seconds remaining in the game after Bowdry reached the line following a key offensive rebound and CMU foul, but the Eagles could not capitalize and the Chippewas held on to a one-point edge, one they would not relinquish down the stretch.
The loss drops the Eagles to 16-14 (8-8 MAC), while the Chippewas improve to 15-14 (9-7 MAC) with the win and sweep the season series versus EMU for the first time since the 2001-02 season.
Senior Carlos Medlock (Detroit, Mich.-Murray Wright) scored a game-high 27 points on 7-for-14 shooting in the loss, including three three-pointers and a 10-for-13 performance from the free throw line. Medlock also tallied a team-best four assists for the Eagles.
Redshirt junior forward Brandon Bowdry (St. Louis, Mo.-Taylor (Mich.) Truman) gave EMU its first lead of the game with 9:38 to play in the opening frame, as his lay-up through a pair of Chippewa defenders gave the Eagles a 14-13 advantage and forced CMU Head Coach Ernie Zeigler to call a 30-second time out. Bowdry finished the contest with five points on 2-for-8 shooting from the field, while grabbing nine boards.
But the Chippewas came back late in the half to reclaim the lead, as Jordan Bitzer drilled a three-pointer for his first basket of the game to put the Eagles down, 25-21, and force EMU Head Coach Charles E. Ramsey to call a 30-second timeout with 2:14 remaining in the half. Bitzer tallied five more points in the final minutes of the half to finish with eight points and help CMU go into the locker room with a 30-26 lead.
Both teams struggled to find a rhythm on offense in the first 20 minutes of the game, as the Eagles shot 37 percent (7-for-19) from the field, including a 3-for-10 clip from three-point land. The Chippewas shot 35 percent (12-for-34) from the field and a 5-for-13 mark from beyond the arc. CMU held a 21-18 advantage on the glass in the opening frame and won the turnover battle, 10-6, scoring nine total points off EMU turnovers. Medlock led all scorers at the half, scoring 14 points on 4-for-8 shooting from the field with a pair of three-pointers and a 4-for-5 clip from the charity stripe.
Sophomore guard Antonio Green (Inkster, Mich.-Robichaud) gave the Eagles back the lead in the early stages of the second half, as his three-pointer from the right wing put EMU ahead, 31-30, with 18:26 remaining in the game.
But the Chippewas answered with a 15-7 run over the next 8:04 of the game, as Bitzer struck again to give Central Michigan a 45-38 advantage going into a media timeout with 10:22 remaining in the contest. Bitzer finished the game with 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting from the field.
The Eagles gained momentum and pulled within two points after a five consecutive points from Dobbins made it a 45-43 game with 6:28 remaining. EMU would knot the game at 45-all on the next possession, as a turnover by CMU's Robbie Harman led to an EMU fast-break lay-up by junior wing Jay Higgins (Fayetteville, N.C.-IMG Academy-Hillsborough (Fla.) C.C.) from Green. But Harman made up for his mistake on the next possession, drilling a baseline jumper to give the Chippewas a 47-45 advantage.
The Eagles took the lead with 4:25 remaining in the contest, as a jumper off an offensive rebound by Bowdry off a Medlock missed free throw attempt gave EMU a 52-50 lead.
But CMU would again have an answer, as another Harman make from three-point land made it a 55-55 game with 1:17 remaining, forcing another Eagles timeout. Harman finished with team-high 18 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the field, including a 4-for-7 clip from beyond the arc, while also recording a game-high eight assists.
After reaching the bonus with under a minute to play, CMU capitalized on an EMU foul to split a pair of free throws and take a one-point lead, 56-55, with 44 seconds left.
EMU had a pair of possessions down the stretch to tie or take the lead, but the Chippewas managed to keep the Eagles at arm's length and escape Ypsilanti with the win and the West Division title.
EMU shot 43 percent (17-for-40) from the field in the loss, including a 5-for-17 mark from beyond the arc. The Eagles were out-rebounded, 32-31, in the contest and were just edged in the turnover battle, 18-17.
Eastern ends the regular season as the No. 6 seed for the upcoming First/Energy MAC Tournament and the Eagles will host Northern Illinois University Sunday, March 7, here in the Convocation Center.
