Eastern Michigan Athletics
Tuesday, February 19
Convocation Center
7 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
12-14 (6-7MAC)
76
vs
69
Toledo
20-6 (8-5MAC)
1
2
F
TOLEDO
31
38
69
Eastern Michigan
27
49
76
Sensational Second-Half Run Powers Men’s Hoops Past Toledo, 76-69
2/19/2019 10:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Eagles use 22-0 run to defeat high-flying Rockets
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Trailing by as many as 12 in the second half, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team turned the tables with a 22-0 run lasting nearly eight minutes en route to a crucial 76-69 victory over the University of Toledo Tuesday, Feb. 19, inside the Convocation Center.
EMU (12-14, 6-7 MAC) fell behind by a 53-41 margin with 11:07 remaining in the second half, prompting head coach Rob Murphy to call his final timeout and give the Green and White another opportunity to regroup. The move paid instant dividends, as redshirt senior Paul Jackson (Stone Mountain, Ga.-Martin Luther King Jr. (Eastern Kentucky)) and redshirt freshman Tariq Silver (Clarksville, Tenn.-Northwest) drained back-to-back threes to cut the Eagles' deficit to six with 9:56 to go in the final frame.
After Jackson set up redshirt senior Elijah Minnie (Pittsburgh, Pa.-Lincoln Park (Robert Morris)) for an alley-oop, the latter knocked down two consecutive triples to put EMU back in front, 55-53, with 6:53 to go in the second stanza. The run continued as Jackson sank a pair of free throws, before senior James Thompson IV (Baton Rouge, La.-Parkview Baptist) buried a layup to extend the lead to 59-53 with 5:48 left in the contest.
Toledo finally burned a 30-second timeout with 5:45 left in the second period, but the Eagles gained more breathing room against the MAC West front-runners. Jackson and redshirt junior Boubacar Toure (Dakar, Senegal-Phase One Academy (Grand Canyon)) each added a layup to give EMU its largest cushion of the night, 63-53, with 4:08 on the clock.
In total, the Green and White netted 22 unanswered points and kept the Rockets off the board for a 7:59 span. Ahead 67-59 with fewer than two minutes remaining, the Eagles used free throws the rest of the way to clinch a 76-69 decision.
Winners in three of their last four overall, the Eagles move within two games of Toledo (20-6, 8-5 MAC), and a half-game behind Central Michigan in the division standings. The result also marks EMU's 11th win in its last 13 meetings against the Rockets inside the Convocation Center.
Minnie led the Eagles with 23 points and nine rebounds, finishing 8-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Jackson added 19 points and led the Eagles with five assists and five steals, while Thompson posted 14 points, six boards, and team-high three bocks. Additionally, Toure notched nine points on 3-of-3 shooting to go with six rebounds.
EMU was the superior team on the offensive end, finishing 48 percent (24-of-50) overall and 47.1 percent (8-of-17) from downtown, while Toledo ended the night at a 43.9 percent (25-of-57) clip. The Eagles points off turnovers (23-12) (30-24), and fast-break points (11-7).
The Rockets scored the final seven points of the half to grab a 31-27 lead heading into the break. Eastern's win was just the second this season when trailing at the break.
EMU and Toledo traded triples to begin the second half, but Thompson completed an old-fashioned three-point play before Minnie tallied a layup to put the Eagles back in front, 35-34, with 17:20 to go in the second stanza. The Rockets fought back with a 7-0 run and eventually opened up a 12-point lead during a stretch in which the Green and White used all three second-half timeouts. With the win, Eastern improves to 7-2 in the Convo against Toledo during the Rob Murphy era.
Eastern Michigan returns to the Convocation Center Saturday, Feb. 23 for a 2 p.m. tipoff against Western Michigan University.
EMU (12-14, 6-7 MAC) fell behind by a 53-41 margin with 11:07 remaining in the second half, prompting head coach Rob Murphy to call his final timeout and give the Green and White another opportunity to regroup. The move paid instant dividends, as redshirt senior Paul Jackson (Stone Mountain, Ga.-Martin Luther King Jr. (Eastern Kentucky)) and redshirt freshman Tariq Silver (Clarksville, Tenn.-Northwest) drained back-to-back threes to cut the Eagles' deficit to six with 9:56 to go in the final frame.
After Jackson set up redshirt senior Elijah Minnie (Pittsburgh, Pa.-Lincoln Park (Robert Morris)) for an alley-oop, the latter knocked down two consecutive triples to put EMU back in front, 55-53, with 6:53 to go in the second stanza. The run continued as Jackson sank a pair of free throws, before senior James Thompson IV (Baton Rouge, La.-Parkview Baptist) buried a layup to extend the lead to 59-53 with 5:48 left in the contest.
Toledo finally burned a 30-second timeout with 5:45 left in the second period, but the Eagles gained more breathing room against the MAC West front-runners. Jackson and redshirt junior Boubacar Toure (Dakar, Senegal-Phase One Academy (Grand Canyon)) each added a layup to give EMU its largest cushion of the night, 63-53, with 4:08 on the clock.
In total, the Green and White netted 22 unanswered points and kept the Rockets off the board for a 7:59 span. Ahead 67-59 with fewer than two minutes remaining, the Eagles used free throws the rest of the way to clinch a 76-69 decision.
Winners in three of their last four overall, the Eagles move within two games of Toledo (20-6, 8-5 MAC), and a half-game behind Central Michigan in the division standings. The result also marks EMU's 11th win in its last 13 meetings against the Rockets inside the Convocation Center.
Minnie led the Eagles with 23 points and nine rebounds, finishing 8-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Jackson added 19 points and led the Eagles with five assists and five steals, while Thompson posted 14 points, six boards, and team-high three bocks. Additionally, Toure notched nine points on 3-of-3 shooting to go with six rebounds.
EMU was the superior team on the offensive end, finishing 48 percent (24-of-50) overall and 47.1 percent (8-of-17) from downtown, while Toledo ended the night at a 43.9 percent (25-of-57) clip. The Eagles points off turnovers (23-12) (30-24), and fast-break points (11-7).
The Rockets scored the final seven points of the half to grab a 31-27 lead heading into the break. Eastern's win was just the second this season when trailing at the break.
EMU and Toledo traded triples to begin the second half, but Thompson completed an old-fashioned three-point play before Minnie tallied a layup to put the Eagles back in front, 35-34, with 17:20 to go in the second stanza. The Rockets fought back with a 7-0 run and eventually opened up a 12-point lead during a stretch in which the Green and White used all three second-half timeouts. With the win, Eastern improves to 7-2 in the Convo against Toledo during the Rob Murphy era.
Eastern Michigan returns to the Convocation Center Saturday, Feb. 23 for a 2 p.m. tipoff against Western Michigan University.
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
Team Stats
TOLEDO
EMU
FG%
.439
.480
3FG%
.379
.471
FT%
1.000
.690
RB
34
29
TO
16
11
STL
5
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
8
3FGM
4
FTM
3
Pts
19
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
8
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG/F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF/C
/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's BasketballBen Braun Video at MAC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Friday, May 30
Ben Braun at MAC Hall of Fame Induction
Friday, May 30
Charles E. Ramsey - MAC Hall of Fame Induction of Ben Braun
Friday, May 30
Jack Brusewitz - MAC Hall of Fame Induction of Ben Braun
Friday, May 30