Men's Hoops Moves to 5-0 with 74-69 Victory Versus UTA

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team continued its dominance inside the Convocation Center by coming out on top in a back-and-forth battle with the University of Texas at Arlington Saturday, Nov. 23. The 74-69 victory increases the Eagles' record to 5-0, which is the first time the team has had a 5-0 start since the 1996-97 campaign, while the Mavericks fall to 2-5 on the young 2013-14 season.

The Eagles were led by the dynamic performance of redshirt-freshman Raven Lee (Detroit, Mich.-Romulus), who had a career night with 38 points, going 12-for-15 from the field, 9-for-12 from the free throw line and a perfect 5-for-5 on three-point attempts. The Detroit, Mich. native's high-scoring output was the most points scored by an Eagle since Carlos Medlock put up 42 points against Akron, March 11, 2010 in the Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

Sophomore Darell Combs (Chicago, Ill.-Thornwood (Blinn)) contributed 18 points and dished out three assists, while junior Karrington Ward (Lockport, Ill.-Lockport Township (Moraine Valley CC)) dropped in 11 points, handed out two dimes and came away with one block and a steal. Defensively, senior Da'Shonte Riley (Detroit, Mich.-Detroit Country Day (Syracuse)) led the team with seven rebounds and turned away four Maverick shots.

Arlington had three players post double-digit figures. Brandon Edwards notched a double-double with 30 points and 13 rebounds, while Reger Dowell scored 22 for the Mavs and Jamel Outler nailed four three-pointers to make up his 12 points.

As a team, the Eagles shot 21-for-44 from the field for a 47.7 shooting percentage while holding the Mavs to a 41.5 percentage, hitting 22-of-53 shots. Arlington won the battle on the boards, pulling down 34 rebounds to EMU's 27, but its 15 turnovers proved to be too detrimental for the team in the matchup.

UTA's Dowell opened up the contest with a three-pointer, but Combs quickly answered back with a pair of back-to-back triples to take an early lead with a 6-3 Eagle advantage. Combs continued to be an offensive and defensive threat, as he came away with a steal off the Green and White full-court press and drained two shots from behind the charity stripe.

Ward became the second Eagle to help increase the lead over the Mavericks as he hit a mid-range jumper to extend the lead to 10-5. Edwards helped bring the score closer after putting in two shots from under the Arlington basket, but Ward hit his first shot from beyond the arc. A teardrop jumper from Jalen Ross (Greensboro, N.C.-Greensboro Day) extended the lead to 15-11, but a quick three-pointer out of the hands of Outler brought the contest within one point with the Green and White in command.

Coming out with intensity following a timeout, Lee sunk a three-pointer to extend the lead. After the ball made its way back down the court, Riley rejected a Maverick shot, then threw down court to Lee, who drove down the center of the key with a highlight-worthy crossover to a hooking layup, drawing the foul for an and-one play and bringing the score to 21-14. Following another Outler three-pointer, Lee made a move to the hoop once more and was fouled going up on the shot, but converted on his pair of free throws to keep the Eagles on the winning side of the scoreboard.

The Mavericks continued to battle back, scoring off a fastbreak play and a free throw, but the squad continued to take advantage of Lee and his hot hand, finding the redshirt-freshman behind the arc to sink his second three-pointer in as many attempts. Daylen Harrison (Akron, Ohio-St. Vincent-St. Mary (Wyoming)) ended Lee's 11-point run with a jump shot, and Combs kept up with the speedy back-and-forth pace of the game by adding four of his own to bring the score to 32-25.

Olalekan Ajayi (Winston-Salem, N.C.-Quality Education Academy (Collin College)) pulled a board off a missed Arlington free throw and handed off to Mike Talley (Detroit, Mich.-Melvindale ABT (Duquesne)), who found Lee open for an uncontested jumper, increasing the lead to 10 points as the Eagles stood at 36-26 with five minutes remaining in the half. Ajayi then showcased his basketball IQ as he leapt out of bounds to recover a loose ball and reacted quickly to throw the rock out of bounds off Arlington's Anthony Walker to give possession to the Green and White.

Edwards scored the next five Maverick points with a quintet of free throws as his squad attempted to inch its way closer to EMU's point count. Quick feet and aggressive defense from Ross drew a charge with just over two minutes remaining in the first period, as Lee drew the foul under the hoop and sunk a pair of free throws. Shaquille White-Miller found Dowell open for the fifth Maverick three-pointer of the evening, bringing the score within five at 40-35.

As the final minute ticked down, Ross found an open lane from the left elbow leading to Ward under the right side of the hoop for an easy two points, keeping the Eagles in the lead, 42-35, as the two teams headed into the locker rooms.

Lee and Combs led the offense at the close of the first half with 17 and 12 points, respectively, while each going a perfect 2-for-2 on three-point attempts. Despite being out-rebounded, 17-15, and shooting at a 40 percent clip compared to Arlington's 44.4 percentage, the Eagles were able to control the pace of the game for the majority of the half.

The Eagles found their first points of the second half as Ward broke away for an easy layup. After UTA found its way to the basket, Eastern went on a 6-0 run highlighted by a Lee three-point basket and a Combs jumper as the duo continued to increase its scoring output. Arlington sped up its offense, scoring twice on fastbreak layups and keeping pace with the Eagles, 50-44, in the first five minutes.

Lee broke the Eagles' 60-point threshold off a pair of three-pointers, nailing his fourth and fifth triples of the evening. Edwards and Dowell scored the majority of the points in the paint for the Mavericks, bringing the score to 60-53 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the contest.

A deep three from Outler put the Mavericks within four points, but a buzzer-beating sideline jump shot from Lee kept Arlington from gaining too much ground. Lee continued to expand upon his career night by converting on another and-one play off an up-and-under drive and draining a fadeaway jumper, building the scoring margin back up to nine points.

Not willing to go down without a fight, the Mavericks showed off their athletic prowess as Edwards and Dowell threw down back-to-back dunks, bringing the score to 67-62 with three minutes left to play. Riley sunk a pair of free throws to give more leeway to the Green and White, but another Outler on the outside got the visiting team within three points. With less than one minute remaining, Talley and Lee scurried to break the UTA press and Lee drove down the middle for a graceful put-in and brought the score to 72-67.

Lonnie McClanahan managed to sink a pair of free throws for Arlington, but a foul on Combs as the Mavericks tried to defend the inbound play gave the sophomore guard a bonus free throw. After missing his second shot from behind the charity stripe, Arlington sped down the court to give the ball to Dowell for an attempted three-pointer, but a scramble to recover the missed shot resulted in another foul by the Mavericks, as Combs converted an extra point for some added security. The clock ran down as the opponent remained scoreless in its efforts, closing out the game with a 74-69 score in favor of the Eagles.

The Eagles will hit the road for a matchup against No. 4/5-ranked Kentucky, Wednesday, Nov. 27, to wrap up the Keightley Classic. The game is slated for a 4 p.m. tip-off in Lexington, Ky. and will be broadcast on Fox Sports South.

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Team Stats

Ray Lee

Darell Combs

Karrington Ward

Da'Shonte Riley

Eastern Michigan Athletics