Eastern Michigan Athletics

Monday, March 11
Convocation Center
7 p.m.

Eastern Michigan University

15-17 (9-9MAC)

43
vs
61

Ball State

16-16 (6-12MAC)

1
2
F
Ball State
23
38
61
Eastern Michigan
29
14
43
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios

Hot Start Not Enough as Eagles Knocked Out of MAC Tournament

3/11/2019 10:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball

EMU unable to complete three-game sweep over Ball State

HIGHLIGHTS
PHOTO GALLERY

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com)
– The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team built a double-digit lead within the opening six minutes of play, but were eliminated from the Mid-American Conference Tournament following a 61-43 opening-round defeat to a resilient Ball State University Monday, March 11, inside the Convocation Center.
 
The Eagles (15-17, 9-9 MAC) held a 29-20 advantage with 1:01 remaining in the first half, but the 11th-seeded Cardinals (16-16, 6-12 MAC) responded with a 22-4 run lasting nearly 14 minutes en route to a berth in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals Thursday, March 14 against No. 3-ranked Bowling Green State University.
 
Playing in his final game inside the Convocation Center, redshirt senior Paul Jackson (Stone Mountain, Ga.-Martin Luther King Jr. (Eastern Kentucky)) paced the Green and White with 12 points, four assists, and three steals, while sophomore Kevin McAdoo (Pontiac, Mich.-West Bloomfield) contributed 11 points and three boards. Senior James Thompson IV (Baton Rouge, La.-Parkview Baptist) was limited to four points, but pulled down a team-high nine rebounds, while redshirt senior Elijah Minnie (Pittsburgh, Pa.-Lincoln Park (Robert Morris)) recorded six points and two helpers. Additionally, senior Isaiah Green (Southfield, Mich.-Southfield (Lansing C.C.) gained two points and one rebound in six minutes of game action.
 
It was a game of two halves as EMU shot a strong 45.8 percent (11-of-24) from the floor and 50 percent (5-of-10) from downtown during the first frame, but knocked down four field goals over the last 20 minutes. In contrast, Ball State made up for its 30.4 percent (7-of-23) first-half efficiency by finishing 53.8 percent (14-of-26) during the second stanza.
 
McAdoo buried a corner three to give the Eagles their first lead, 5-2, and later added another triple to cap a 12-0 EMU run and make it a 12-2 contest with 14:22 left in the opening period. Ball State eventually trimmed the deficit to one, but back-to-back three-pointers from McAdoo and Minnie put the Green and White ahead, 29-20, heading into the final minute of the first half.
 
While EMU struggled to find its offensive touch in the second half, Ball State pulled away with a 22-4 run to build a commanding 44-35 lead with 6:46 remaining. In total, the Cardinals outscored the Eagles in the second half, 32-20, to bring the Green and White's season to an unexpected close.
 
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