Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
2-2,0-0MAC
Cleveland State
3-2,0-0Horizon
Acuff Drops 31 Points in Eastern Michigan's 69-62 Win Over Cleveland State
11/18/2023 3:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Acuff tallies third 30-point game of career
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Junior Tyson Acuff (Detroit, Mich./Cass Technical/Duquesne) scored 31 points for the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team in the Eagles 69-62 victory over Cleveland State University, Saturday, Nov. 18, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. Acuff netted 17 first-half points on a 6-for-6 start from the field while junior Julius Ellerbe (Fort Washington, Md./VA Beach Sports Academy/East Central CC) and junior Yusuf Jihad (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington/Oakland) each tallied 10 points.
Prior to the contest, Beginning tomorrow, EMU honored former head men's basketball coach Ben Braun by christening the playing surface in his honor. The floor will now be known as "Ben Braun Court". Braun served as head coach of the EMU men's team for 11 seasons, amassing a 185-victory total. He had three Mid-American Conference regular season championships, three MAC tournament titles, three Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year awards, and three appearances in the NCAA Tournament. He was and remains beloved among fans, the alumnus and, perhaps most importantly, the players he coached.
How It Happened
After playing to a 13-13 tie, Eastern Michigan went on a 7-0 run with 13:26 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Acuff, to take a 20-13 lead. The Eagles then surrendered that lead and entered halftime down 32-29.
After intermission, Eastern Michigan managed to gain control and had a 54-53 lead before going on a 7-0 run, finished off by redshirt junior John McGriff's (Glenn Dale, Md./Bishop McNamara/Binghamton) jumper, to grow the lead to 61-53 with 4:48 to go in the contest. The Vikings narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Eagles still cruised the rest of the way for the 69-62 win. Eastern Michigan got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 18 of its 40 total points.
Game Notes
» Eastern moved to 2-2 on the season while Cleveland State moved to 3-2.
» Eastern Michigan was 25-of-53 (47.2%) from the floor and 5-of-15 (33.3%) from three-point range while Cleveland State was 23-of-67 (34.3%) from the floor and 5-of-21 (23.8%) from three-point range.
» Acuff scored 31 points, marking the third time in his career that he has scored 30-plus points in a game and the sixth time he has scored 20-plus points in a game.
» Acuff has scored at least 13 points in each of the first four games of the 2023-24. The last Eagle to open the season with four-plus games of 13-plus points was Noah Farrakhan, who scored at least 13 points in the first five games of the 2021-22 season.
» Acuff made his first five free throw attempts of the day, starting the season with 18-consecutive makes at the charity stripe. Only Southern Illinois University's Xavier Johnson (21-for-21) and Northwestern State University's Cliff Davis (19-for-19) had more free throw makes without a miss to start the season in the country. Acuff finished the day 7-for-9 at the line.
» Acuff has a pair of milestones on the horizon as the transfer from Duquesne sits at 95 career three-point makes and 746 career points after converting two three-pointers and scoring 31 points against CSU. Acuff netted 38 three-pointers and 239 points in his two seasons at Duquesne.
» EMU had three players with double-figure points for the first time this season (Acuff, 31; Ellerbe, 10; Jihad, 10). The Eagles had two players in double-digits in points in each of the first three games.
» Eastern had four players with six-plus rebounds, led by Ellerbe's eight. Junior Jalin Billingsley (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East/Georgetown), Jihad, and Acuff each had six boards. Eastern last had four players with six-plus rebounds, Dec. 11, 2021, against Florida International University when the Eagles had five players haul in at least six rebounds.
» Eastern Michigan scored 23 points off the bench, led by Jihad's 10 points. The Eagles have scored double-digit bench points in all four games this season. EMU's bench outscored CSU's, 23-10.
» Eastern, which hit five threes against Cleveland State, has now hit at least one triple in 546-straight games. EMU last failed to score from downtown Jan. 24, 2004, when Miami University held the Eagles to 0-of-7 from behind the arc.
Historical Notes
» Saturday's meeting was the 33rd game between Eastern Michigan and Cleveland State. The Eagles lead the all-time series, 24-9.
» Prior to the game, Eastern Michigan renamed the court inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center after former head coach Ben Braun.
Next Up
Eastern Michigan is scheduled to travel to the University of Detroit Mercy in a 7 p.m. start Tuesday, Nov. 21. The game will be on ESPN+.
Follow Us
For the most up-to-date information on the Eagles, continue to visit EMUEagles.com. Fans can also follow the team on social media, including Twitter (@EMU_MBB) and Instagram (@EMUMBB).
