Men's Hoops Drops Road Tilt to No. 2 Michigan

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team's bid to knock off a second-straight Big Ten Conference opponent fell short in a 93-54 loss to the No. 2-ranked University of Michigan Thursday evening, Dec. 20, at the Crisler Center.

The Eagles (6-4) held the lead early on a pair of three-pointers by freshman Jalen Ross (Greensboro, N.C.-Greensboro Day) and redshirt junior Glenn Bryant (Detroit, Mich.-Oak Hill Academy), but a fast-paced Wolverines' (12-0) offense quickly turned the tables and owned the lead for the remainder of the contest.

Redshirt junior Daylen Harrison (Akron, Ohio-St. Vincent St. Mary) tallied 13 points on the evening and Bryant knocked down 10 to lead the Eagles offensively. Ross' nine points were good for a career high and sophomore Antoine Chandler's (Windsor, Ontario-W.F. Herman) eight points set a personal best as well.

Overall, the Green and White went 22-of-62 (35.5 percent) including a 7-of-26 (26.9 percent) performance from beyond the arc. EMU went to the line just six times in the game, converting three.

For Michigan, Tim Hardaway, Jr. led the way with 17 points and was one-of-five Wolverines to hit double figures. Mitch McGary turned in a double-double effort with 10 points and 11 boards. U-M shot a blistering 50.7 percent (35-of-69) from the floor and was just as efficient from long range, going 12-of-24 (50.0 percent).

Trey Burke opened the scoring for Michigan off an EMU turnover, but Ross answered with a trey of his own, and Bryant did the same in back-to-back possessions to put the Eagles ahead, 6-2, less than two minutes in.

But a rash of turnovers and missed shots combined with stealthy play in transition by the Wolverines allowed Michigan take an 18-6 lead as Head Coach Rob Murphy called his second timeout of the half with 12:45 showing. U-M would string together 20 consecutive points before a Derek Thompson (Detroit, Mich.-Melvindale) jumper snapped EMU's skid at the 10:40 mark and made it 22-10 for the home team.

A Bryant block led to a fast-break jumper by Ross with 3:19 to go and cut U-M's lead to 37-20. Another make by Ross and one from redshirt junior J.R. Sims (Fort Wayne, Ind.-Snider) before halftime made it a 16-point EMU deficit, 40-24, after 20 minutes.

Ross led all EMU scorers at the break with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting with one long-range bucket. As a team, the Eagles shot 10-of-28 (35.7 percent) and 3-of-10 (30.0 percent) from beyond the arc. Despite their opponent's 40-point output, the Eagles managed six blocks with three credited to junior Da'Shonte Riley (Detroit, Mich.-Detroit Country Day), two to Bryant and one to senior Jamell Harris (Euclid, Ohio-Euclid).

Burke paced the Wolverines with 11 points as Michigan completed the first half 16-of-36 (44.4 percent) overall with a 6-of-13 (46.2 percent) effort from three-point range.

The storyline remained the same in the second half, with EMU keeping pace, 49-32, following a Bryant three-pointer. Glenn Robinson III's and-one layup and McGary's fast-break bucket promptly nullified EMU's short rally and gave U-M its largest lead of the evening to that point, 54-32, with 14:15 left.

Chandler chimed in with his first points of the game off a three-point basket, and Harrison filled a layup and his free throw to bring EMU back to within 19, 64-45, at the 8:46 mark.

The Green and White were unable to come any closer to pulling off an upset, as Michigan complied a 29-9 run over the final eight minutes of play to cruise to the 39-point victory, 93-54.

The Eagles head back to Ypsilanti to start a two-game home swing Saturday, Dec. 22, with a matchup against Oakland. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. at the Convocation Center.

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Team Stats

Daylen Harrison

Glenn Bryant

Jalen Ross

Derek Thompson

Eastern Michigan Athletics