Ward Leads EMU in Home Loss to Buffalo

Game Highlights

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEAgles.com)—Eastern Michigan University's men's basketball team dropped Mid-American Conference cross-divisional contest to the University at Buffalo, Feb. 18, falling to the Bulls in a 78-63 decision inside the Convocation Center. With the loss, the Eagles fall to 16-10 (5-8 MAC), while Buffalo advances to 16-9 (7-6 MAC).

The Eagles were led by reigning MAC West Player of the Week Karrington Ward (Lockport, Ill.-Lockport Twp. (Moraine Valley CC)) with his third straight double-double, posting 21 points and 11 rebounds while swatting away five of the Bulls' shots. Mike Talley (Detroit, Mich.-Melvindale ABT (Duquesne)) and Raven Lee (Detroit, Mich.-Romulus) also put up double-digit scoring figures at 15 and 12 points, respectively.

Eastern was held to 23-of-64 percent from the floor for a 35.9 percentage, and the Green and White also struggled from the free throw line with nine makes on 17 shots for a 52.9 percent clip. The Eagles went point-for-point with the Bulls inside the paint with 26 points, and held the advantage on points off turnovers, 22-18, and fastbreak points, 13-2. However, the Bulls held a steady advantage in second chance points, posting 14 points that were fueled by their 46-35 edge on the boards.

The Bulls were led by Justin Moss, who scored all but two of his 15 points in the second half, while Xavier Ford, Shannon Evans, and Will Regan all posted double-digit points. Buffalo shot at a 44.7 percent clip from the floor on 21-of-47 shooting, including 7-of-13 from three-point range. UB went to the line 44 times, using a 65.9 percent rate to sink 29 free throws.

Eastern got on the board first with a slice from the high elbow to the rim by Brandon Nazione (Howell, Mich.-Howell (Des Moines CC)), but a triple from Jarryn Skeete would give Buffalo brief control of the contest. The teams exchanged a few baskets, but Buffalo pulled ahead to a two-point lead off a layup and-one from Raheem Johnson. The Green and White turned to the long ball for its primary offensive charge, but could not convert on any three-pointers until Talley drew the foul on a long make and added the extra point to give the Eagles an 11-9 edge with 14 minutes remaining.

What looked like it would be a slam off a 2-1 fastbreak alley oop from Buffalo was swatted and snatched mid-air above the rim by a high-flying Tim Bond (Baltimore, Md.-City College). The true freshman showed off his defensive chops once more with a steal on the next possession and dished out to Lee for an easy fastbreak layup to put the Eagles up 13-9.

Fouls and a quintet of free throws allowed Buffalo to take a one-point lead, which was enough to get the Bulls going on offense. In the span of just over a minute, Moss scored his first points of the game at 10:12, followed by a Evans three-pointer and a dunk by Ford to force Head Coach Rob Murphy to call a time out in hopes of ending the 12-0 run. The pause in action cooled Buffalo on defense, as Bond drained a jumper in the paint, but the Bulls rattled off four more points to widen their lead to 25-15 with 8:04 to play.

Bond kept the Eagles alive by staying aggressive under the rim as he scored consecutive layups, and Trent Perry (Franklin, Tenn.-Independence) was able to contribute to the effort with a triple. A pair of free throws from Ward, along with a steal and layup from Talley would leave the Eagles trailing by just three points 29-26 with 3:44 remaining. Buffalo kept Eastern at arm's length for the remainder of the half, as the Eagles were on the lower end of a 38-31 count.

The Eagles were led by Bond at the Half, who posted nine points, while Ward chipped in eight points and pulled down a team-high rebound and rejected three shots. Eastern shot 10-of-28 from the field for a 35.7 percent clip, while Buffalo was slightly better at 11-of-28 from the field for an efficiency rate of 39.3 percent. However, the Bulls were hot from three-point range, hitting four attempts on eight shots, while Eastern put up 12 shots and hit just three of their long balls.

While the high throttle Eastern defense allowed for nine fast break points, the Bulls had the staunch advantage on second chance points, 11-0. Buffalo also had the upper hand in rebounding, pulling down 24 boards compared to 15 for the Green and White. Nonetheless, the Eagles put on an impressive performance in keeping Moss at bay, as the power forward who averages 18.7 points and 9.1 rebounds a game was kept to just two points and one rebound in the opening half.

The Eagles got scoring started early in the second half, with Lee putting up four points while Ward earned his keep in the paint with an offensive putback to get the Eagles back within three points, 40-37, before Buffalo's head coach Bobby Hurley called for a timeout. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the tactic worked out in favor of the Bulls as Evans was able to make his way through the paint for two consecutive layups and a triple from Will Regan propelled Buffalo to a nine-point edge. The next three minutes were not kind to the Eagles, who fell subject to an 8-2 run that would put UB up 56-41 with 12 minutes remaining.

Ward ended a five-minute scoring drought with a three-pointer, which sparked the offense slightly as Talley posted five points and Ward hit another shot from beyond the arc to bring the Eagles' deficit to 72-57 with 3:43 remaining. The long ball helped the Green and White push back with a third triple in a row from Ward and another trey from Bond, but Buffalo kept the game at a 78-63 separation at the close of the contest.

Eastern will hit the road Saturday, Feb. 21, for a matchup with the Huskies of Northern Illinois. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. CT in DeKalb, Ill, and the game will be broadcast on the airwaves of WEMU 89.1.

Next Event

Team Stats

Karrington Ward

Mike Talley

Tim Bond

Ray Lee

Players Mentioned

Tim Bond

Ray Lee

Brandon Nazione

Trent Perry

Mike Talley

Karrington Ward

Eastern Michigan Athletics