EMU Leads The Entire Way In 68-55 Win Over Ohio

Photo Gallery.

Hall of Fame Photo Gallery.

Re-Watch the Game.

Game Highlights.

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team closed out its six-game trip through the Mid-American Conference East Division with a convincing 68-55 win over the Ohio University Bobcats here Saturday, Feb. 11, in the Convocation Center. The game was E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame Day as well as Polish-American Day.

The Eagles jumped out to a 9-0 lead to start the game and never looked back in recording their 11th win of the season against 14 losses and, more importantly, the Eagles kept possession of first place in the MAC West Division at 6-5.

Junior guard Derek Thompson (Detroit, Mich.-Melvindale-SEMO) scored a season-high 23 points to lead the Eagles while senior guard Antonio Green (Inkster, Mich.-Dearborn Heights Robichaud) added 13 and junior forward Jamell Harris (Euclid, Ohio-Euclid) chipped in 12 to go along with a team-best seven rebounds.

Ohio, now 19-6 overall and 7-4 in MAC action, was paced by D.J. Cooper with 15 and Reggie Kelly with 14.

The Eagles shot 50 percent for the game from the field, making 18-of-36 attempts and also shot a blistering 66.7 from beyond the arc, making 8-of-12 threes. In addition, Eastern made 24-of-33 free throws for 72.7 percent. Eastern also won the battle of the boards, 34-28.

Ohio, meanwhile, was making just 31.3 percent from the field, hitting 15-of-48 and the Bobcats would shoot a poor 23.1 percent from three-point land, making 6-of-26.

Eastern started the game on a roll, building that 9-0 lead at the 10:14 mark of the first half.

The home team would keep the lead at eight, 19-11, with 4:24 left in the first half, but the visitors would cut the deficit to four, 19-15, with 3:06 left.

Harris would then hit the first three-point field goal of his career at the 2:31 mark and Thompson would add another triple for the Eagles to make it 27-15 with just 46 seconds remaining in the half.

Ohio's Stevie Taylor would score on a reverse layup with 13 seconds left to finish the half with EMU on top, 27-17.

Green led the way for the Eagles in the first half with 10 while D.J. Cooper paced the Bobcats with five. EMU made 10-of-19 field goals in the first half for 52.6 percent while holding Ohio to just 22.7 percent on 5-of-22. Ohio had a 15-14 rebound edge in the first half.

EMU opened the second half with a 12-point lead, 31-19, with 16:06 left on a layup by Harris.

Ohio would cut the deficit below double figures, but Harris would come up with a high-flying alley oop dunk off a great feed from Thompson at the 12:14 mark to put EMU up 10, 35-25.

The visitors would creep back into the game after that dunk, cutting it to seven, 35-28, on a triple from Stevie Taylor, but once again the Eagles would answer, this time on a triple from Thompson to put EMU back up 10, 48-38, at the 5:57 mark.

Ohio would get as close as five several times late in the game, the last time at 56-51, with 2:45 remaining on a triple by Cooper, but the Eagles slowly built it back to double digits in the last two minutes, finally making it 13 at the final buzzer.

The Eagles will return to action Tuesday, Feb. 14, at Central Michigan.

Next Event

Team Stats

Derek Thompson

Antonio Green

Jamell Harris

Darrell Lampley

Eastern Michigan Athletics