Eagles Fall to Bobcats, 79-65, in Cross-Division Showdown

Box score.

ATHENS, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team dropped the first of six cross-division contests, 79-65, to the Bobcats of Ohio University Wednesday, Jan. 26, at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio.

The Eagles were led by offensively by Derrick Thompson (Detroit, Mich.-Melvindale-SEMO), who finished with 13 points, while J.R. Sims (Fort Wayne, Ind.-Snider) added eight points, all in the second half, and senior forward Brandon Bowdry (St. Louis, Mo.-Taylor (Mich.) Truman) finished with just eight points and five rebounds in only 20 minutes of action.

OU was led by Devaughn Washington's 20-point, nine rebound outing, while Nick Kellogg netted 15, D.J. Cooper scored 12 with seven assists, and Ivo Baltic notched nine points in a minute-and-a-half to start the second stanza.

The Bobcats are now 9-11 overall and 2-4 in the Mid-American Conference, while the Eagles fall to 5-14 and 2-4 in MAC play.

Eastern found itself down by as many as 28 points, 69-41, with just over nine minutes remaining, but the second unit of EMU fought back to close the game with a 24-10 run. Sims fueled the run, connecting on two long-range bombs and a fade-away jumper in the lane. Despite the late run, Eastern was only able to outscore the home team by two points in the second half after falling behind by 16 in the first half.

The Eagles matched the Bobcats' fast start to open the game, as the team exchanged baskets over the first five minutes of the contest, playing to a 10-10 tie. But Ohio was able to capitalize on EMU's aggressive defense, drawing fouls and forcing the Eagles into the penalty situation just over nine minutes into the contest. Bowdry was called for two of those fouls, sending the MAC's second leading scorer and leading rebounder to the bench for the remaining 13:19 of the opening stanza after posting just two points and two rebounds.

In total, the Bobcats were the beneficiaries of 18 first-half free throw attempts compared to just 10 for EMU.

Immediately following Bowdry's second foul, OU scored six straight, giving them a 16-10 advantage. Kenny Stewart (Williamsport, Pa.-Notre Dame Prep-Weatherford (Texas) C.C.) cut the Bobcat run with a long two-point basket, and Quintin Dailey nailed a three-pointer to bring the game to within three,18-15, still in the home team's advantage.

Over the final ten minutes of the half, however, Ohio went on a 27-14 run to take a 45-29 advantage into halftime.

The Eagles were led by Thompson's nine points and six points by Jay Higgins in the opening 20 minutes. Ohio was led by Washington's 12-point, seven-rebound effort, while Kellogg and Cooper also scored in double figures, with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

OU started the next half with nine straight points from Baltic and the Eagles were stuck playing catch-up for the remainder of the contest.

For the game, EMU shot 44.9 percent from the field (22-of-49) while OU shot 54 percent (27-of-50). Eastern was outrebounded 36-23.

Eastern Michigan will be back in action Saturday, Jan. 29, when the Eagles resume its cross-divisional schedule, squaring off against Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. Tip time is slated for 3 p.m.

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Team Stats

Derek Thompson

J.R. Sims

Brandon Bowdry

Jay Higgins

Eastern Michigan Athletics