Eastern Michigan Athletics
Tuesday, February 26
Convocation Center
7 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
13-15 (7-8MAC)
66
vs
77
Central Michigan
20-8 (9-6MAC)
1
2
F
Central Michigan
25
52
77
Eastern Michigan
35
31
66
Men’s Hoops Unable to Hold Off CMU’s Second-Half Surge
2/26/2019 10:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball
James Thompson IV notches his second consecutive double-double
HIGHLIGHTS
PHOTO GALLERY
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team was unable to counter hot second-half shooting from Central Michigan University in a 77-66 setback Tuesday, Feb. 26, inside the Convocation Center.
The Eagles (13-15, 7-8 MAC), who remain in third place in the MAC West standings, led by as many as 12 early in the second half, but were outscored 52-31 by the second-place Chippewas (20-8, 9-6 MAC) during the final frame.
Senior James Thompson IV (Baton Rouge, La.-Parkview Baptist) recorded 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double and 12th of the season. Redshirt senior Paul Jackson (Stone Mountain, Ga.-Martin Luther King Jr. (Eastern Kentucky)) led the Green and White with 19 points, five assists, and four steals, while fellow redshirt senior Elijah Minnie (Pittsburgh, Pa.-Lincoln Park (Robert Morris)) tallied 11 points off the bench. Redshirt sophomore Ty Groce (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Lincoln) added nine points, six boards, and a team-best three blocks, while redshirt junior Boubacar Toure (Dakar, Senegal-Phase One Academy (Grand Canyon)) contributed eight points, nine caroms, and one block.
EMU finished 44.6 percent (25-of-56) from the field, as the Chippewas shot 48.2 percent (27-of-56) overall and 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from beyond the arc. In all, CMU connected at a 60 percent (18-of-30) clip during the second stanza.
The Green and White seized the momentum in the early stages, tallying nine unanswered points to build a commanding 11-3 lead with 14:15 to go in the opening half. CMU quickly narrowed the deficit to 11-8, but EMU responded with a 10-2 run to build its largest margin of the half, 21-10, with 7:55 left in the first frame.
The Eagles seemed to be in cruise control as they took a 35-25 lead into the locker room. At the halfway stage, EMU was by far the superior team in rebounds (23-11), points in the paint (22-4), and second-chance points (10-0).
After CMU battled back to make it a one-possession contest, Jackson set up Thompson for an alley-oop to give EMU a 42-39 edge with 13:15 left in the second period. The Chippewas used an old-fashioned three-point play to knot the score at 42 apiece, but Minnie drove to the basket for a one-handed slam to put the Green and White back on top, 44-42, with 12:39 left in regulation.
Minnie's only triple of the night vaulted EMU ahead, 49-46, with 10:13 to go in the second half. However, the Chippewas pulled away with a 20-4 run and completed the regular season sweep with a 77-66 result.
Eastern Michigan hits the road Saturday, March 2 when it travels to DeKalb, Ill. to take on Northern Illinois University for a 2 p.m. CT showdown.
PHOTO GALLERY
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team was unable to counter hot second-half shooting from Central Michigan University in a 77-66 setback Tuesday, Feb. 26, inside the Convocation Center.
The Eagles (13-15, 7-8 MAC), who remain in third place in the MAC West standings, led by as many as 12 early in the second half, but were outscored 52-31 by the second-place Chippewas (20-8, 9-6 MAC) during the final frame.
Senior James Thompson IV (Baton Rouge, La.-Parkview Baptist) recorded 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double and 12th of the season. Redshirt senior Paul Jackson (Stone Mountain, Ga.-Martin Luther King Jr. (Eastern Kentucky)) led the Green and White with 19 points, five assists, and four steals, while fellow redshirt senior Elijah Minnie (Pittsburgh, Pa.-Lincoln Park (Robert Morris)) tallied 11 points off the bench. Redshirt sophomore Ty Groce (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Lincoln) added nine points, six boards, and a team-best three blocks, while redshirt junior Boubacar Toure (Dakar, Senegal-Phase One Academy (Grand Canyon)) contributed eight points, nine caroms, and one block.
EMU finished 44.6 percent (25-of-56) from the field, as the Chippewas shot 48.2 percent (27-of-56) overall and 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from beyond the arc. In all, CMU connected at a 60 percent (18-of-30) clip during the second stanza.
The Green and White seized the momentum in the early stages, tallying nine unanswered points to build a commanding 11-3 lead with 14:15 to go in the opening half. CMU quickly narrowed the deficit to 11-8, but EMU responded with a 10-2 run to build its largest margin of the half, 21-10, with 7:55 left in the first frame.
The Eagles seemed to be in cruise control as they took a 35-25 lead into the locker room. At the halfway stage, EMU was by far the superior team in rebounds (23-11), points in the paint (22-4), and second-chance points (10-0).
After CMU battled back to make it a one-possession contest, Jackson set up Thompson for an alley-oop to give EMU a 42-39 edge with 13:15 left in the second period. The Chippewas used an old-fashioned three-point play to knot the score at 42 apiece, but Minnie drove to the basket for a one-handed slam to put the Green and White back on top, 44-42, with 12:39 left in regulation.
Minnie's only triple of the night vaulted EMU ahead, 49-46, with 10:13 to go in the second half. However, the Chippewas pulled away with a 20-4 run and completed the regular season sweep with a 77-66 result.
Eastern Michigan hits the road Saturday, March 2 when it travels to DeKalb, Ill. to take on Northern Illinois University for a 2 p.m. CT showdown.
Team Stats
CMU
EMU
FG%
.482
.446
3FG%
.526
.190
FT%
.565
.632
RB
32
36
TO
13
17
STL
7
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
8
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG/F
/ Men's BasketballF/C
/ Men's Basketball
C
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