Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
1-2,0-1MAC
Adrian
0-4,0-1Michigan Intercol. Ath. Assn.
Men’s Basketball Earns First Victory of the Season, 95-35
12/9/2020 9:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Three Eagles recorded career-highs in points
Photo Gallery | Postgame Recap Video
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team trounced Adrian College to earn its first victory of the 2020-21 season, as it defeated the Bulldogs 95-35, Wednesday, Dec. 9, inside the Convocation Center.
Two Eagles registered double-doubles with redshirt junior Miles Gibson (Richmond, Va.-Milwood (NW Kansas Tech)) (13 points, 13 rebounds) and senior Yeikson Montero (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic-Redemption Christian Academy (Pensacola State)) (11 points, 12 rebounds). For EMU, this is the first time two Eagles have obtained double-doubles since then-redshirt junior Ty Groce (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Lincoln) (22 points, 13 rebounds) and former-Eagle Boubacar Toure (20 points, 13 rebounds) did so against Central Michigan, Feb. 11, 2020.
Those individual efforts helped EMU (1-2; 0-1 MAC) outscore Adrian (0-4; 0-0 MIAA) 64-28 in the first half and control the pace of play throughout the full 40 minutes of play.
Junior Bryce McBride (Jackson, Tenn.-Southside (Dyersburg State C.C.)) paced the Eagles with career-highs in points (25), made field goals (7), made free-throws (9), and steals (6). Sophomore Chris James (Long Beach, Calif.-St. John Bosco) also had himself a night, as he recorded a career-best in points (19), made free-throws (7), and shot perfectly from the hardwood (5-for-5). On the defensive end, the California native impeded two Bulldogs' shots to pick up his first-ever blocks. Meanwhile, Groce was a tyrant in the paint, earning a career-high in blocks (4). Senior Darion Spottsville (Phoenix, Ariz.-Shadow Mountain (South Mountain C.C.)) scored in double-figures as well, putting up 10 points, three rebounds, and three helpers.
Eastern entered the game aggressively on both ends of the court, setting the tone for the entirety of the first half. Montero posted the Eagles' first score by hitting a contested three-pointer, courtesy of a perimeter pass from Groce. This was the beginning of a 5-0 run, as the Green and White held the Bulldogs scoreless for the first three minutes of the game. EMU followed Adrian's first basket with another run, increasing its lead to 14, with a score of 18-4. From the jump, the Eagles displayed dominant defense, recording seven steals in just the first five minutes of play, three of those swipes produced by McBride. The stingy effort on defense complimented the fast-paced offense, as 15 of the first 20 Eagle points were acquired in transition.
The Bulldogs' offense remained fairly silent while the Green and White continued their domination with another 19-0 scoring stint, highlighted by a Groce two-handed dunk with nine minutes remaining in the first half. Eastern's hot shooting increased the score to 39-6 with seven minutes remaining in the period. The Eagles remained relentless for the entirety of the first half, shooting 64 percent from beyond the arc and producing the largest scoring margin in men's basketball history, with a 45-point lead at the half, and beating the previous record of 33. McBride led the way scoring 17 points, Gibson following close behind adding 13 points of his own towards the Eagles effort. The Virginia product also commanded in the paint, wrangling in 10 rebounds, beating his previous career-high of four within the first 10 minutes of play. Both teams headed to the locker rooms with the score standing at 64-19, Eagles falling only one point short of the record for most points scored in the Convocation Center in one half of play.
The Eagles slowed down in the second half, building a 76-25 advantage with 11:53 remaining in the final period. For freshman Andrew Wells (East Lansing, Mich.-East Lansing (International Sports Academy)), he recorded the first rebound in his career as an Eagle, flying over the Bulldogs for the board. At 3:07 left in the game, Montero drove the length of the floor for a layup. With the basket, the Eagles registered two players with double-doubles for the first time since Groce (22 points, 13 rebounds) and then-senior Toure (20 points, 13 rebounds) against Central Michigan, Feb. 11, 2020. With just over a minute left, Wells nailed a jumper to earn his first career points in his collegiate career.
The Eagles finished the game having shot 31-of-62 (50 percent) from the field, 7-for-18 (38.8 percent) from three-point land, and registered 44 points in the paint.
EMU will head to the Hoosier State for a non-conference contest versus the Valparaiso University Crusaders. Tipoff against the Missouri Conference Valley foe is set for Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m., at the ARC. The Green and White hosted the Crusaders last season, ultimately winning, 85-79. Dec. 3, 2019.
For more information on Eastern Michigan men's basketball, visit EMUEagles.com or follow the team's official Twitter at Twitter.com/EMU_MBB, on Facebook at Facebook.com/EMUMBB, or on Instagram at Instgram.com/emumbb.
