Men's Basketball Knocks Off UALR, 62-51

Re-Watch the Game.

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team stayed unbeaten here in the Convocation Center with a 62-51 win over the University of Arkansas-Little Rock here Friday night, Nov. 18, in a Auto-Owners Spartan Invitational game.

Head Coach Rob Murphy's Eagles came back from a one-point halftime deficit to out-score the Trojans, 40-28, in the final 20 minutes to improve to 2-1 on the season and 2-0 in the young season.

Senior guard Darrell Lampley (Linden, N.J.-Linden-Lakeland C.C.) paced the Eagles with a career-best 21 points as the only EMU player in double figures. Junior center Jamell Harris (Euclid, Ohio-Euclid) led the way with 10 rebounds and added six points. Junior forward Matt Balkema (Warren, Mich.-Cousino) and junior guard Derek Thompson (Detroit, Mich.-Melvindale-SEMO) added eight points each.

UALR, now 2-2, was led by Courtney Jackson and D'Andre Williams with 11 points each.

The Eagles shot just 35.3 percent from the field on 18-of-51 shots while holding UALR to a meager 31.9 percent on 15-of-47 attempts. Eastern won the battle of the boards, 36-34.

The two teams traded baskets in the early going before the visitors slowly built an 18-8 lead after the first 10 minutes of action.

EMU's Lampley went long range to send home two straight three-point field goals to cut the deficit to four, 18-14, at the 9:12 mark.

Eastern continued to chip away at the deficit and taking its first lead of the game at 22-21 with 1:17 left when Antonio Green (Inkster, Mich.-Dearborn Heights Robichaud) made two free throws after a flagrant foul call.

The visitors closed out the first-half scoring on two free throws by Tramer Sutherland for a 23-22 UALR lead.

Eastern made just 7-of-27 field-goal attempts in the first half for 25.9 percent while UALR was making 7-of-17 for 41.2 percent. The visitors out-rebounded the home squad, 17-14, in the first 20 minutes.

After trading buckets for the first four minutes of the second half, the Eagles scored five answered points to take a 33-31 lead with 15:48 after Balkema connected on two free throws.

UALR moved on top 41-40, with 6:57 left before Lampley took charge to score six unanswered points to give the Eagles their biggest lead of the game up until then, 46-41, with just 3:26 left.

Harris gave the Eagles a 52-43 lead after hitting four consecutive free throws, the second pair with 1:27 left and Eastern managed to increase its advantage to 11, 62-51, at the final buzzer.

Eastern will head straight back into action Sunday, Nov. 20, with its third game of the four-game Auto-Owners Spartan Invitational against the IUPUI Jaguars in Indianapolis, Ind. Game time in The Jungle is 4 p.m.

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Team Stats

Darrell Lampley

Derek Thompson

Matt Balkema

J.R. Sims

Eastern Michigan Athletics