Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, January 4
Convocation Center
12 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
10-4 (0-1MAC)
45
vs
69
Akron
11-3 (1-0MAC)
1
2
F
Akron
38
31
69
Eastern Michigan
20
25
45
Men's Basketball Falls to Akron in MAC Opener
1/4/2020 2:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Boubacar Toure records double-double with 11 points and career-high 17 rebounds
Photo gallery | Recap video | Post-game press conference
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team came up short in its Mid-American Conference opener, falling 69-45 to the University of Akron Saturday, Jan. 4, inside the Convocation Center.
Redshirt senior Boubacar Toure (Dakar, Senegal-Phase One Academy (Grand Canyon)) notched his fourth double-double of the season and 12th of his EMU career as he finished with 11 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. He also contributed an assist and a steal while leading the Green and White with 33 minutes of game action.
Redshirt junior Ty Groce (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Lincoln) was the second Eagle to reach double-digits on the score sheet, tallying a team-best 13 points while adding four boards and a pair of steals. From there, junior Noah Morgan (Mount Vernon, N.Y.-Mount Vernon (Northwest Florida State)) added six points, five boards, and a pair of helpers, while fellow junior Yeikson Montero (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic-Redemption Christian Academy (Pensacola State)) recorded four points and showed a team-best three assists and four swipes.
The Eagles (10-4, 0-1 MAC) struggled mightily on the offensive end, ending the afternoon with a 27.1 percent (13-of-48) field-goal percentage, while the Zips (11-3, 1-0 MAC) finished at a 52.2 percent (24-of-46) efficiency. EMU recorded more steals than Akron (9-6) and out-rebounded its MAC East opposition by a 35-29 margin, turning 16 offensive boards into 15 second-chance points.
After Akron senior Tyler Cheese sank a pair of free throws to open the scoring, Morgan grabbed an offensive rebound and set up Toure on a layup to knot the score at two with 18:08 left in the first half. The Eagles prevented the Zips from making a field goal until senior Xeyrius Williams knocked down a triple to give the visitors a 5-2 lead with 16:20 left in the first frame, but Groce responded with a corner three on EMU's next possession to make it a 5-5 game with 15:42 left in the period.
Although the Eagles pulled down 11 offensive rebounds during the opening stanza, they struggled to keep pace with the Zips during the opening half. In total, the visitors connected on eight triples in the first half to open up a 38-20 lead heading into the locker room.
The Green and White started the second half on a positive note, starting the frame on an 8-2 run lasting more than four-and-a-half minutes. Still behind by double-figures, Morgan made both of his free-throw attempts to cut the deficit to 52-38 with 8:19 left in regulation, but Akron continued to pull away and left Washtenaw County with a perfect start to its MAC slate.
Eastern Michigan continues Mid-American Conference play with a two-game road trip, starting with a visit to Athens, Ohio to take on Ohio University Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team came up short in its Mid-American Conference opener, falling 69-45 to the University of Akron Saturday, Jan. 4, inside the Convocation Center.
Redshirt senior Boubacar Toure (Dakar, Senegal-Phase One Academy (Grand Canyon)) notched his fourth double-double of the season and 12th of his EMU career as he finished with 11 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. He also contributed an assist and a steal while leading the Green and White with 33 minutes of game action.
Redshirt junior Ty Groce (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Lincoln) was the second Eagle to reach double-digits on the score sheet, tallying a team-best 13 points while adding four boards and a pair of steals. From there, junior Noah Morgan (Mount Vernon, N.Y.-Mount Vernon (Northwest Florida State)) added six points, five boards, and a pair of helpers, while fellow junior Yeikson Montero (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic-Redemption Christian Academy (Pensacola State)) recorded four points and showed a team-best three assists and four swipes.
The Eagles (10-4, 0-1 MAC) struggled mightily on the offensive end, ending the afternoon with a 27.1 percent (13-of-48) field-goal percentage, while the Zips (11-3, 1-0 MAC) finished at a 52.2 percent (24-of-46) efficiency. EMU recorded more steals than Akron (9-6) and out-rebounded its MAC East opposition by a 35-29 margin, turning 16 offensive boards into 15 second-chance points.
After Akron senior Tyler Cheese sank a pair of free throws to open the scoring, Morgan grabbed an offensive rebound and set up Toure on a layup to knot the score at two with 18:08 left in the first half. The Eagles prevented the Zips from making a field goal until senior Xeyrius Williams knocked down a triple to give the visitors a 5-2 lead with 16:20 left in the first frame, but Groce responded with a corner three on EMU's next possession to make it a 5-5 game with 15:42 left in the period.
Although the Eagles pulled down 11 offensive rebounds during the opening stanza, they struggled to keep pace with the Zips during the opening half. In total, the visitors connected on eight triples in the first half to open up a 38-20 lead heading into the locker room.
The Green and White started the second half on a positive note, starting the frame on an 8-2 run lasting more than four-and-a-half minutes. Still behind by double-figures, Morgan made both of his free-throw attempts to cut the deficit to 52-38 with 8:19 left in regulation, but Akron continued to pull away and left Washtenaw County with a perfect start to its MAC slate.
Eastern Michigan continues Mid-American Conference play with a two-game road trip, starting with a visit to Athens, Ohio to take on Ohio University Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m.
Team Stats
AKR
EMU
FG%
.522
.271
3FG%
.550
.118
FT%
.714
.739
RB
29
35
TO
14
19
STL
6
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
6
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
4
FGM
0
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballC
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