EMU Hoops' Second Half D Stymies USF in 65-47 Victory

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TAMPA, Fla. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team rode a stellar defensive effort in the second half to down the University of South Florida 61-47 Sunday, Nov. 26, at the USF Sun Dome.

The Eagles (5-1) stymied the Bulls (4-3) to a meager 24 percent (6-of-25) from the floor and 0 percent (0-for-10) from beyond the arc in the second half. Meanwhile, EMU shot 44 percent (10-for-23) from the floor and connected on 46 percent (5-for-11) from downtown. Eastern erased an eight-point deficit early in the second half when a Tim Bond (Baltimore, Md.-City College) dunk ignited a 19-2 run that lasted over 11 minutes.

Eastern was led by point guard Paul Jackson (Stone Mountain, Ga.-Martin Luther King Jr (Eastern Kentucky)), who finished with a game-high 15 points in the game. Freshman Malik Ellison (Flint, Mich.-Beecher) had a career-best 11 points thanks to 3-of-5 shooting from the three-point line, and also added three assists with no turnovers.

Adding to the Eagles' impressive performance were Junior James Thompson IV (Baton Rouge, La.-Parkview Baptist), who once again registered a double-double, this time with 11 points and 11 assists, and Bond, who finished the game with 11 points, four rebounds, and three steals. Redshirt junior Elijah Minnie (Pittsburgh, Pa.-Lincoln Park (Robert Morris)) tacked on nine points with seven rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and two steals.

For his play over the four-game tournament, Minnie was named to the Hoosier Tipoff Classic All-Tournament Team. The forward averaged 13 points per game to go along with averages of six rebounds, and one block, steal, and assist per game.

Eastern started slow for the second straight game, as South Florida rode the momentum of a 10-2 run to build a nine point lead in the opening stanza. The Eagles proved resilient, however, cutting the deficit to just two points by the halftime buzzer. The one-two punch of Minnie and Thompson carried EMU, as the duo accounted for 15 of the Green and White's 27 first-half points.

Overall, EMU shot 40 percent from the floor and 35 percent from downtown, while USF finished with a 29 percent mark overall and a 24 percent average from beyond the three-point line. The Bulls outrebounded the Eagles 35-33, but Eastern committed fewer turnovers (nine to USF's 16), shot better from the charity stripe (76 percent to 75 percent), and took advantage of South Florida's miscues, scoring 19 points off turnovers.

Eastern finishes its three-game in eight-day road trip with a bout against the University of North Florida Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 7 p.m.

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Team Stats

Paul Jackson

Malik Ellison

Tim Bond

James Thompson IV

Players Mentioned

Tim Bond

Malik Ellison

Paul Jackson

Elijah Minnie

James Thompson IV

Players Mentioned

Tim Bond

Malik Ellison

Paul Jackson

Elijah Minnie

James Thompson IV

Eastern Michigan Athletics