EMU Tops Ball State to Notch Most Wins Since 1997-98 Season

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team recognized its senior class in style with a 72-58 victory over Ball State University, March 4, in the Class of 2014's final regular season game in the Convocation Center. The win caps off a regular season sweep of the Cardinals as well as a perfect three-game homestand for the Green and White. Tuesday's victory marks the third in a row and the most wins in a single season for the Eastern Michigan program since the 1997-98 season.

EMU improves to 18-12 (10-7 MAC) on the 2013-14 campaign, while Ball State drops to 5-26 (2-15 MAC) with the setback. The victory secured the Eagles to go into the FirstEnergy Mid-American Conference Tournament at no worse than the sixth seed.

Prior to the contest between the two MAC West Division foes, EMU honored six senior Eagles who played their final regular season contest in the Convocation Center: Glenn Bryant (Detroit, Mich.-Oak Hill Academy (Arkansas)), Daylen Harrison (Akron, Ohio-St. Vincent-St. Mary (Wyoming)), Mo Hughley (Queens Village, N.Y.-Martin Van Buren (CSU Bakersfield)), Da'Shonte Riley (Detroit, Mich.-Country Day (Syracuse)) and J.R. Sims (Fort Wayne, Ind.-Snider) and Anthony Strickland (Ypsilanti, MIch.-D.H. Roubichaud).

Darell Combs (Chicago, Ill.-Thornwood (Blinn)) and Raven Lee (Detroit, Mich.-Romulus) both scored 12 points off the bench to lead the Green and White in scoring. Mike Talley (Detroit, Mich.-Melvindale ABT (Duquesne)) was the other Eagle in double digits with 10 points. Harrison added nine points while Bryant tallied nine as well along with pulling down a team-high eight rebounds. As a team, the EMU bench outscored Ball State's bench, 45-2. The Eagles made 26-of-64 from the field for 40.6 percent. Eastern's defense also forced 18 turnovers that led to 20 points on the other end of the floor.

Ball State was led in scoring by Majok Majok, who tallied a double-double with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Chris Bond added 11 points that all came in the first half. The Cardinals shot 36.4 percent as a team on 20-of-55 shooting. They were held in-check from long range, sinking just 3-of-14 three-point attempts. BSU held a two-point lead two minutes into the ball game, but never held the advantage again for the remainder of the game.

EMU Head Coach Rob Murphy sent out five seniors to start the game in Bryant, Harrison, Riley, Sims and Strickland. However, it was Ball State freshman Zavier Turner who scored the first bucket of the contest. Nonetheless, Bryant quickly answered with a baseline jumper on the next possession to tie the game. The Detroit, Mich. native then found Sims, his fellow classmate, on a run-out for an easy layup. Bryant continued his fast start with another jumper to increase the Eagles' lead to four, 6-2, at the 16:13 mark of the opening half.

Statistically one of the best defenses in the country, the EMU 2-3 zone caused problems for the Cardinals right from the start as Ball State made just one of its first nine attempts from the floor while turning the ball over eight times in the first eight minutes. After BSU tied the contest at six apiece, the Green and White rattled off eight straight points, forcing the Cardinals to take a timeout. Talley added a free throw to complete an old-fashioned three-point play, but Bond ended the Ball State drought with a corner three to decrease the margin to six, 15-9.

The EMU advantage grew to double digits after back-to-back drives to the bucket by Combs. The second successful slash to the hoop drew a foul, and the sophomore converted at the stripe to bring the lead to a dozen, 29-17, with 3:34 to play. However, Ball State ended the half on an 8-2 run to cut the lead in half, 31-25, going into the break.

Eastern's bench out-scored Ball State's reserves 14-0 in the first 20 minutes, paced by eight from Talley. Bryant added six points to go along with six boards while Harrison and Combs chipped in with five each. The Green and White shot 38.2 percent from the floor (13-of-34), including making just 2-of-7 from beyond the arc.

Majok and Bond scored double digits in the first half with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Those two Cardinals combined for 10-of-19 shooting for 23 of BSU's 25 points while the rest of the team was 1-of-10 through the halfway point. Making just 1-of-8 from three point land, the Cardinals shot 13-of-34 overall from the field for a 38.2 percent clip.

The Eagles turned turnovers into points to begin the second half as Talley capped the exchange off with an easy deuce. Eastern continued to get out on the fastbreak as Lee added back-to-back layups in transition to cause another BSU timeout at 17:49 left in the second half. However, the timeout did not work as a Lee steal led to a thunderous dunk by Karrington Ward (Lockport, Ill.-Lockport Township (Moraine Valley C.C.). Lee then poured in some points for himself, as the redshirt-freshman followed with a three from the top of the key to increase the lead back to 12, 42-30.

EMU maintained a double-digit lead throughout the rest of the game due to a stingy defense as well as success on the offensive end of the floor. Ball State never threatened the lead, and five EMU seniors played together for a three-minute stretch until Coach Murphy emptied the bench with 2:13 left as the EMU student section chanted "thank you seniors."

The Eagles close out the 2013-14 regular season with a trip south of the border to the Glass City, March 8. EMU will look to sweep the regular season series against the University of Toledo as tipoff from Savage Arena is slated for 2 p.m.

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Team Stats

Ray Lee

Darell Combs

Mike Talley

Glenn Bryant

Eastern Michigan Athletics