Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, February 29
Convocation Center
12 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
16-13, 6-10MAC
67
vs
63
Central Michigan
14-15, 6-10MAC
1
2
F
Central Michigan
33
30
63
Eastern Michigan
24
43
67
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Men’s Basketball Rallies for Senior Day Win Over CMU, 67-63
2/29/2020 2:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Eagles closed out the game with a 16-2 run to defeat the Chippewas
Photo Gallery | Press Conference | Highlights
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Trailing by double-digits with fewer than five minutes left in regulation, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team rallied to earn a 67-63 Senior Day-win over Central Michigan University Saturday, Feb. 29 inside the Convocation Center.
The Eagles (16-13, 6-10 MAC) trailed 61-51 with 5:16 remaining in regulation, but wrapped up the contest on a 16-2 run to stun the Chippewas (13-16, 6-10 MAC). Redshirt junior Ty Groce (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Lincoln) split a pair of attempts from the free-throw line, before junior Yeikson Montero (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic-Redemption Christian Academy (Pensacola State)) knocked down back-to-back triples to slice CMU's lead to 61-58 with 2:28 to go in the second half.
After the visitors burned a 30-second timeout, freshman Chris James (Long Beach, Calif.-St. John Bosco) stole an inbound pass and added a two-handed slam to make it a one-point game with 2:02 on the clock. On EMU's next offensive series, junior Thomas Binelli (Bologna, Italy-Bergen Catholic (Monroe College)) set up redshirt senior Boubacar Toure (Dakar, Senegal-Phase One Academy (Grand Canyon)), who drew contact on his two-handed dunk to give the Green and White a 62-61 edge with 1:14 left in the second half. Toure went on to complete the old-fashioned, three-point play to extend the lead to 63-61.
Although CMU senior Rob Montgomery went 2-for-2 from the charity stripe to knot the score at 63 apiece with 58.7 seconds remaining, Toure answered with a pair of free throws to restore the Eagles' two-point lead with 45.3 ticks left in regulation. The Green and White got a crucial defensive stop, as Binelli pulled down the defensive rebound and made the front end of a 1-and-1 with 16 seconds on the clock. Binelli proceeded to put the game beyond any doubt when he stole David DiLeo's pass at the top of the key and subsequently tacked on another free throw to give EMU a 67-63 victory over its intrastate rival.
Toure concluded his final regular-season home game with 13 points and a team-high 14 rebounds for his 20th double-double as an Eagle, while setting a career-high with five blocks. Montero paced EMU with 17 points, matching a career-high with five triples, while tying for the team lead with three steals. Groce also reached double-digits in points, ending the afternoon with 14 points, while adding six boards, three steals, and a trio of assists.
Meanwhile, Binelli totaled seven points, seven rebounds, and a couple helpers, while junior Darion Spottsville (Phoenix, Ariz.-Shadow Mountain (South Mountain C.C.)) showed three points, three helpers, and one rebound. In total, 11 Eagles notched at least one point, while 10 made a minimum of one field goal.
EMU finished the afternoon with a 40.7 (22-of-54) field-goal percentage, while CMU (13-16, 6-10 MAC) went 40.4 percent (23-of-57) from the floor. The Eagles also bested the Chippewas in the paint, 34-22, and tallied more blocks (6-1), fast-break points (6-0), and steals (10-6).
Spottsville spilt a pair of free throws to put the Eagles on the board, before Montero knocked down a corner three to give EMU its first lead of the game, 4-2, with 17:31 to go in the first. The Chippewas responded with a layup to even the score at four apiece, but Groce then tapped in his own rebound to put the Green and White back in front by a pair at the first media stoppage. However, the rest of the first half proved to be a challenge for the home squad, who trailed by as many as 14 in the opening frame and took a 33-24 deficit into the locker room.
The Eagles fell behind 41-30 early in the second half, but held CMU without a field goal for more than six minutes. Groce made 1-of-2 from the charity stripe, before junior Jalen King (Pasco, Wash.-Kings Academy) and Groce made back-to-back layups to close the gap to 41-35 with 13:35 remaining in regulation. Junior Chris Barnes (Compton, Calif.-Compton (Tulsa)) then added a fast-break lay-up, and freshman Shamar Dillard (South Bend, Ind.-Riley (SPIRE Institute) made it a three-point contest with 11:04 left. The Chippewas scored eight unanswered points to open up a 51-40 cushion, but the Eagles eventually rallied to complete an improbable comeback bid and win for the fifth time in their last six games inside the Convocation Center.
Eastern Michigan will finish the 2019-20 regular season on the road with a pair of games against Mid-American Conference West Division rivals, beginning with a visit to Western Michigan University Tuesday, March 3. The game will be televised on ESPN+ with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. The Eagles recorded a convincing win over the Broncos, 69-51, in the first game of the season series, Feb. 15.
The Eagles (16-13, 6-10 MAC) trailed 61-51 with 5:16 remaining in regulation, but wrapped up the contest on a 16-2 run to stun the Chippewas (13-16, 6-10 MAC). Redshirt junior Ty Groce (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Lincoln) split a pair of attempts from the free-throw line, before junior Yeikson Montero (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic-Redemption Christian Academy (Pensacola State)) knocked down back-to-back triples to slice CMU's lead to 61-58 with 2:28 to go in the second half.
After the visitors burned a 30-second timeout, freshman Chris James (Long Beach, Calif.-St. John Bosco) stole an inbound pass and added a two-handed slam to make it a one-point game with 2:02 on the clock. On EMU's next offensive series, junior Thomas Binelli (Bologna, Italy-Bergen Catholic (Monroe College)) set up redshirt senior Boubacar Toure (Dakar, Senegal-Phase One Academy (Grand Canyon)), who drew contact on his two-handed dunk to give the Green and White a 62-61 edge with 1:14 left in the second half. Toure went on to complete the old-fashioned, three-point play to extend the lead to 63-61.
Although CMU senior Rob Montgomery went 2-for-2 from the charity stripe to knot the score at 63 apiece with 58.7 seconds remaining, Toure answered with a pair of free throws to restore the Eagles' two-point lead with 45.3 ticks left in regulation. The Green and White got a crucial defensive stop, as Binelli pulled down the defensive rebound and made the front end of a 1-and-1 with 16 seconds on the clock. Binelli proceeded to put the game beyond any doubt when he stole David DiLeo's pass at the top of the key and subsequently tacked on another free throw to give EMU a 67-63 victory over its intrastate rival.
Toure concluded his final regular-season home game with 13 points and a team-high 14 rebounds for his 20th double-double as an Eagle, while setting a career-high with five blocks. Montero paced EMU with 17 points, matching a career-high with five triples, while tying for the team lead with three steals. Groce also reached double-digits in points, ending the afternoon with 14 points, while adding six boards, three steals, and a trio of assists.
Meanwhile, Binelli totaled seven points, seven rebounds, and a couple helpers, while junior Darion Spottsville (Phoenix, Ariz.-Shadow Mountain (South Mountain C.C.)) showed three points, three helpers, and one rebound. In total, 11 Eagles notched at least one point, while 10 made a minimum of one field goal.
EMU finished the afternoon with a 40.7 (22-of-54) field-goal percentage, while CMU (13-16, 6-10 MAC) went 40.4 percent (23-of-57) from the floor. The Eagles also bested the Chippewas in the paint, 34-22, and tallied more blocks (6-1), fast-break points (6-0), and steals (10-6).
Spottsville spilt a pair of free throws to put the Eagles on the board, before Montero knocked down a corner three to give EMU its first lead of the game, 4-2, with 17:31 to go in the first. The Chippewas responded with a layup to even the score at four apiece, but Groce then tapped in his own rebound to put the Green and White back in front by a pair at the first media stoppage. However, the rest of the first half proved to be a challenge for the home squad, who trailed by as many as 14 in the opening frame and took a 33-24 deficit into the locker room.
The Eagles fell behind 41-30 early in the second half, but held CMU without a field goal for more than six minutes. Groce made 1-of-2 from the charity stripe, before junior Jalen King (Pasco, Wash.-Kings Academy) and Groce made back-to-back layups to close the gap to 41-35 with 13:35 remaining in regulation. Junior Chris Barnes (Compton, Calif.-Compton (Tulsa)) then added a fast-break lay-up, and freshman Shamar Dillard (South Bend, Ind.-Riley (SPIRE Institute) made it a three-point contest with 11:04 left. The Chippewas scored eight unanswered points to open up a 51-40 cushion, but the Eagles eventually rallied to complete an improbable comeback bid and win for the fifth time in their last six games inside the Convocation Center.
Eastern Michigan will finish the 2019-20 regular season on the road with a pair of games against Mid-American Conference West Division rivals, beginning with a visit to Western Michigan University Tuesday, March 3. The game will be televised on ESPN+ with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. The Eagles recorded a convincing win over the Broncos, 69-51, in the first game of the season series, Feb. 15.
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Team Stats
CMU
EMU
FG%
.404
.407
3FG%
.318
.217
FT%
.909
.643
RB
39
35
TO
18
15
STL
6
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
7
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
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