Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
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Detroit Mercy
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| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Mich. | 36 | 40 | 76 |
| Detroit Mercy | 28 | 44 | 72 |
Acuff's 25 Points Leads Eastern Michigan to 76-72 Victory at Detroit Mercy
11/21/2023 11:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Acuff tallies third-straight game with 20-plus game
DETROIT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Junior Tyson Acuff (Detroit, Mich./Cass Technical/Duquesne) scored 25 points to lead the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team in the Eagles 76-72 win over in-state foe, the University of Detroit Mercy, Tuesday, Nov. 21, inside Calihan Hall.
Acuff led a group of five Eagles with eight-plus points as Eastern built a 34-17 lead in the first half before having its edge cut to two late in the second half.
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 17-13 advantage, Eastern Michigan went on a 13-0 run with 12:22 left in the first half, culminating in a three from redshirt junior Connor Serven (Prairie City, Ill./St.Rita/Illinois) to increase its lead to 30-13. The Eagles then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 36-28 advantage. Eastern Michigan got a great contribution from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 16 of its 36 total points.
Eastern kept its lead intact before going on a 6-0 run to grow the lead to 58-45 with 11:46 to go in the contest. The Titans narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Eagles still held on for the 76-72 win. Eastern Michigan got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 11 of its 40 total points.
Game Notes
» Eastern moved to 3-2 on the season while Detroit Mercy moved to 0-5.
» EMU's 3-2 start is its best since starting 6-0 in the 2019-2020 season.
» Eastern Michigan was 28-of-44 (63.6%) from the floor and 7-of-14 (50.0%) from three-point range while Detroit Mercy was 28-of-50 (56.0%) from the floor and 4-of-14 (28.6%) from three-point range.
» Eastern's .636 shooting mark is its best since the Eagles shot .654 against Kent State University, Jan. 12, 2019.
» Acuff scored 25 points, marking the seventh time he has scored 20-plus points in a game. Acuff has scored 20-plus points in three-straight games for the first time in his career.
» Acuff has scored at least 13 points in each of the first five games of the 2023-24 campaign. The last Eagle to open the season with five-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 has a pair of milestones on the horizon as the transfer from Duquesne sits at 97 career three-point makes and 771 career points after converting two three-pointers and scoring 25 points against Cleveland State University, Nov. 18. Acuff netted 38 three-pointers and 239 points in his two seasons at Duquesne.
» EMU had three players with double-figure points for the second time this season [Acuff, 25; redshirt junior John McGriff (Glenn Dale, Md./Bishop McNamara/Oakland), 10; junior Yusuf Jihad (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington/Oakland), 10]. EMU also had three players with 10-plus points against Cleveland State.
» Redshirt junior Julius Ellerbe (Ft. Washington, Md./VA Beach Sports Acad./East Central CC) dished out seven assists, the most by an Eagle this season.
» Sophomore Cyril Martynov (Barrie, Ontario/Lawrenceville/Georgia Tech) posted a career-high eight points and a career-high four rebounds.
» Serven recorded a career-high seven points and a career-high six rebounds.
» Redshirt freshman Derik Pranger (Parker, Colo./Colorado Prep) scored his first career points on a first-half layup.
» Eastern, which hit seven threes against Detroit Mercy, has now hit at least one triple in 587-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
» Tuesday's meeting was the 85th game between Eastern Michigan and Detroit Mercy. The Eagles trail in the all-time series, 62-23, but have won five of the last six meetings.
» EMU's victory marks the first time in series history that the Eagles have won three-straight games played at UDM.
Next Up
Eastern Michigan is scheduled to travel to the University of Central Arkansas, Nov. 25, for a 2:45 p.m. CT tip. The game will be on ESPN+. While in Conway, Ark., the Eagles will also play the University of North Dakota, Nov. 26.
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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 X (@EMU_MBB) and Instagram (@EMUMBB).
