Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, January 16
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
4:30 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
4-5,1-4MAC
64
at
75
Central Michigan
6-7,2-4MAC
1
2
F
Eastern Mich.
29
35
64
Central Mich.
35
40
75
Men's Basketball Drops MAC Contest at Central Michigan, 75-64
1/16/2021 7:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Miles Gibson and Yeikson Montero recorded double-doubles against the Chippewas
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball program fell, 75-64, to in-state rival Central Michigan University in a Mid-American Conference affair this afternoon, Jan. 16, inside CMU's McGuirk Arena. Eastern (4-5; 1-4 MAC) shot a perfect 13-of-13 from the free throw line against the Chippewas (6-7; 2-4 MAC). This is the first time since 2013 the Eagles shot 100 percent from the charity stripe when EMU went 4-of-4 at Kentucky, Jan. 2, 2013.
Individually, senior Yeikson Montero (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic-Redemption Christian (Pensacola State)) led the Eagles with his second career double-double with 19 points and a career-best 14 rebounds to go with two steals. Redshirt junior Miles Gibson (Richmond, Va.-Milwood (Northwest Kansas Tech)) also notched a double-double, the third of his career, with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while redshirt senior Ty Groce (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Lincoln) and fellow classmate Noah Morgan (Mount Vernon, N.Y.-Mount Vernon (Northwest Florida State)) added 10 points each, respectively.
The Eagles shot 36.4 percent from the field (24-of-66) and struggled from beyond the arc, shooting a 12.5 percent clip. CMU went 29-of-62 (46.8 percent) from the field and shot 40 percent (8-of-20) from deep. Eastern outscored the Chippewas in the paint (42-36), second chance points (19-15), and bench points (20-15). But, CMU posted the advantage in points off turnovers (27-10) and fast break points (17-2). The Green and White also won the rebounding battle, 47-37.
The Eagles struck first with a layup from Montero to give EMU an early 2-0 lead, but Central Michigan answered with a 5-0 run to take the 5-2 lead with 18:08 left in the first half. Over the next six minutes, the Green and White sparked a 9-2 scoring run, highlighted by a Morgan old-fashioned three and a Montero put-back off an offensive board to give the Eagles an 11-7 lead with 12:48 on the clock.
After the second media timeout, the offensive play went back-and-forth as both squads scored 12 points, but the Eagles remained on top, 23-18, with less than eight minutes left in the first stanza. However, Central Michigan turned up the heat with a 15-0 run over three minutes to claim the 33-25 lead with less than two minutes before halftime. Layups from Gibson and Montero cut the Chippewas' lead to six, 35-29, heading into the locker room.
Coming out of the locker room, the Eagles struggled on offense as CMU posted a 10-0 run over four minutes to extend its lead to 45-29. EMU generated some offense with a Gibson layup with 15:32 on the clock. Over the next four minutes, the points went back-and-forth with a 10-8 CMU run, but the Chippewas continued to extend their lead to 55-39. A Groce layup ignited a 14-9 EMU scoring run to cut CMU's lead to 11, 64-53, with 6:21 left in the half. The Green and White could not hold on as CMU sealed the 75-64 victory.
Eastern will play host to Mid-American Conference and in-state rival Western Michigan University Tuesday, Jan. 19. Tipoff inside the Convocation Center is slated for 7 p.m. The contest will also celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. day.
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.
Individually, senior Yeikson Montero (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic-Redemption Christian (Pensacola State)) led the Eagles with his second career double-double with 19 points and a career-best 14 rebounds to go with two steals. Redshirt junior Miles Gibson (Richmond, Va.-Milwood (Northwest Kansas Tech)) also notched a double-double, the third of his career, with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while redshirt senior Ty Groce (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Lincoln) and fellow classmate Noah Morgan (Mount Vernon, N.Y.-Mount Vernon (Northwest Florida State)) added 10 points each, respectively.
The Eagles shot 36.4 percent from the field (24-of-66) and struggled from beyond the arc, shooting a 12.5 percent clip. CMU went 29-of-62 (46.8 percent) from the field and shot 40 percent (8-of-20) from deep. Eastern outscored the Chippewas in the paint (42-36), second chance points (19-15), and bench points (20-15). But, CMU posted the advantage in points off turnovers (27-10) and fast break points (17-2). The Green and White also won the rebounding battle, 47-37.
The Eagles struck first with a layup from Montero to give EMU an early 2-0 lead, but Central Michigan answered with a 5-0 run to take the 5-2 lead with 18:08 left in the first half. Over the next six minutes, the Green and White sparked a 9-2 scoring run, highlighted by a Morgan old-fashioned three and a Montero put-back off an offensive board to give the Eagles an 11-7 lead with 12:48 on the clock.
After the second media timeout, the offensive play went back-and-forth as both squads scored 12 points, but the Eagles remained on top, 23-18, with less than eight minutes left in the first stanza. However, Central Michigan turned up the heat with a 15-0 run over three minutes to claim the 33-25 lead with less than two minutes before halftime. Layups from Gibson and Montero cut the Chippewas' lead to six, 35-29, heading into the locker room.
Coming out of the locker room, the Eagles struggled on offense as CMU posted a 10-0 run over four minutes to extend its lead to 45-29. EMU generated some offense with a Gibson layup with 15:32 on the clock. Over the next four minutes, the points went back-and-forth with a 10-8 CMU run, but the Chippewas continued to extend their lead to 55-39. A Groce layup ignited a 14-9 EMU scoring run to cut CMU's lead to 11, 64-53, with 6:21 left in the half. The Green and White could not hold on as CMU sealed the 75-64 victory.
Eastern will play host to Mid-American Conference and in-state rival Western Michigan University Tuesday, Jan. 19. Tipoff inside the Convocation Center is slated for 7 p.m. The contest will also celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. day.
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.
Team Stats
EMU
CMU
FG%
.364
.468
3FG%
.125
.400
FT%
1.000
.409
RB
47
37
TO
19
13
STL
6
13
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball2025-26 Field of 68 Men's Basketball Preview: Eastern Michigan Eagles
Tuesday, October 21
Men's Basketball Alumni Game All Call
Tuesday, October 21
2025 E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony
Saturday, October 11
E-Club Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Cinematic Recap
Saturday, October 11