Eastern Michigan Athletics
Photo by: Richard Palaikis II
Balanced Offense Leads EMU Over Siena Heights
12/22/2018 5:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Six Eagles reach double-digits in 90-72 win against Saints
PHOTO GALLERY.
HIGHLIGHTS.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team wrapped up the home portion of its non-conference slate with a 90-72 victory over Siena Heights University Saturday, Dec. 22, inside the Convocation Center. Six players reached double-figures for the Eagles (6-6) as head coach Rob Murphy improved to 27-0 against non-NCAA Division I opposition.
Senior James Thompson IV (Baton Rouge, La.-Parkview Baptist) posted 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting and paced the Green and White with a season-high 16 rebounds for his third double-double of the campaign. Sophomore Kevin McAdoo (Pontiac, Mich.-West Bloomfield) tallied 16 of his season-best 18 points in the opening half, while adding a career-high three boards and matching a personal best with a pair of steals. Redshirt senior Paul Jackson (Stone Mountain, Ga.-Martin Luther King Jr. (Eastern Kentucky)) contributed 13 points off the bench along with a team-best five assists, while redshirt freshman Tariq Silver (Clarksville, Tenn.-Northwest) doubled his career-high with 10 points in nine minutes of action. Also dropping in double-digits was redshirt senior Elijah Minnie (Pittsburgh, Pa.-Lincoln Park (Robert Morris)) and redshirt sophomore Ty Groce (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Lincoln), with 10.
EMU bounced back with a strong offensive showing, going 48.5 percent (33-of-68) from the floor, while Siena Heights finished at a 47.3 percent (26-of-55) clip. The Green and White used their size advantage to tally 50 points in the paint and outrebound the Saints, 45-31. In addition to pulling down 23 offensive boards, the Eagles equaled a season-high by forcing 22 turnovers.
The two sides matched each other point-for-point until McAdoo knocked down a pair of triples to stake the Eagles to an 11-5 lead with 13:46 to go in the opening half. In all, EMU used a 15-3 run to open up a commanding 20-8 advantage with 11:04 left in the first.
The Eagles never relinquished their double-digit cushion and took a 48-33 lead into the intermission. EMU showed no signs of complacency to begin the second half, starting the frame with a 12-2 run to make it a 60-35 contest with 16:36 left in regulation. With the result well in hand, the hosts emptied their bench in the closing stages and notched 29 bench points en route to a comfortable 18-point win.
After Christmas, Eastern Michigan will travel to Lawrence, Kan. to take on Kansas University in Allen Fieldhouse, Dec. 22. The Jayhawks are currently ranked No. 1 in the NCAA AP Top 25 poll, while Eastern is 2-2 all-time against Big 12 opposition.
HIGHLIGHTS.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team wrapped up the home portion of its non-conference slate with a 90-72 victory over Siena Heights University Saturday, Dec. 22, inside the Convocation Center. Six players reached double-figures for the Eagles (6-6) as head coach Rob Murphy improved to 27-0 against non-NCAA Division I opposition.
Senior James Thompson IV (Baton Rouge, La.-Parkview Baptist) posted 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting and paced the Green and White with a season-high 16 rebounds for his third double-double of the campaign. Sophomore Kevin McAdoo (Pontiac, Mich.-West Bloomfield) tallied 16 of his season-best 18 points in the opening half, while adding a career-high three boards and matching a personal best with a pair of steals. Redshirt senior Paul Jackson (Stone Mountain, Ga.-Martin Luther King Jr. (Eastern Kentucky)) contributed 13 points off the bench along with a team-best five assists, while redshirt freshman Tariq Silver (Clarksville, Tenn.-Northwest) doubled his career-high with 10 points in nine minutes of action. Also dropping in double-digits was redshirt senior Elijah Minnie (Pittsburgh, Pa.-Lincoln Park (Robert Morris)) and redshirt sophomore Ty Groce (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Lincoln), with 10.
EMU bounced back with a strong offensive showing, going 48.5 percent (33-of-68) from the floor, while Siena Heights finished at a 47.3 percent (26-of-55) clip. The Green and White used their size advantage to tally 50 points in the paint and outrebound the Saints, 45-31. In addition to pulling down 23 offensive boards, the Eagles equaled a season-high by forcing 22 turnovers.
The two sides matched each other point-for-point until McAdoo knocked down a pair of triples to stake the Eagles to an 11-5 lead with 13:46 to go in the opening half. In all, EMU used a 15-3 run to open up a commanding 20-8 advantage with 11:04 left in the first.
The Eagles never relinquished their double-digit cushion and took a 48-33 lead into the intermission. EMU showed no signs of complacency to begin the second half, starting the frame with a 12-2 run to make it a 60-35 contest with 16:36 left in regulation. With the result well in hand, the hosts emptied their bench in the closing stages and notched 29 bench points en route to a comfortable 18-point win.
After Christmas, Eastern Michigan will travel to Lawrence, Kan. to take on Kansas University in Allen Fieldhouse, Dec. 22. The Jayhawks are currently ranked No. 1 in the NCAA AP Top 25 poll, while Eastern is 2-2 all-time against Big 12 opposition.
Team Stats
SHU
EMU
FG%
.473
.485
3FG%
.421
.185
FT%
.545
.655
RB
31
45
TO
22
15
STL
8
13
Game Leaders
Scoring
Players Mentioned
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