Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
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EMU Drops Battle of Washtenaw County, Falls at Michigan
12/16/2023 5:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Lovejoy scores season-high 16 points; Acuff nets 24
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team fell at the University of Michigan, 83-66, Saturday, Dec. 16, in non-conference action inside the Crisler Center.
Junior Tyson Acuff (Detroit, Mich./Cass Technical/Duquesne) scored 24 points and sophomore Orlando Lovejoy (Detroit, Mich./Summit Academy North) netted a season-high 16 points for the Eagles.
How It Happened
Eastern scored the game's first points on a jumper by sophomore Cyril Martynov (Barrie, Ontario/Lawrenceville/Georgia Tech) but Michigan used a 14-2 run to lead 16-6 before extending its advantage to 49-32 after 20 minutes.
Eastern cut the deficit to 59-49 on a layup by junior Tyson Acuff (Detroit, Mich./Cass Technical/Duquesne) with 10 minutes to play in the second half before the Wolverines pulled away. The teams played an even second half with each team scoring 34 points.
Game Notes
» Eastern moved to 5-5 on the season while Michigan moved to 6-5.
» Eastern Michigan was 26-of-65 (40.0%) from the floor and 2-of-15 (13.3%) from three-point range while Michigan was 31-of-57 (54.4%) from the floor and 12-of-27 (44.4%) from three-point range.
» Acuff scored 24 points, his sixth outing of 23-plus points this season. Acuff is one of four players in the country with six 23-plus point performances joining Purdue University's Zach Edey, Denver University's Tommy Bruner, and New Orleans University's Jordan Johnson as players with six or more games with 23-plus points scored.
» Acuff has scored at least 13 points in each of the first 10 games of the 2023-24. Acuff is the first Eagle since Brandon Bowdry to score at least 13 points in the team's first seven games. Bowdry started the 2009-10 season with 13-straight contests with 14-plus points.
» Acuff is approaching 1,000 career points and sits at 891 career points after his 24-point performance. Acuff netted 239 points in his two seasons at Duquesne.
» Acuff also recorded his first block of the season. The block is his first since Dec. 30, 2022, at the University of South Carolina.
» Lovejoy netted a season-high 16 points. His previous season high was six points against Lake Superior State University, Dec. 1. Lovejoy scored 12 points in the second half. Saturday's game marks Lovejoy's second career game with 16-plus points as he scored 18 points in his collegiate debut against Wayne State University, Nov. 7, 2022
» EMU had two players with double-digit points (Acuff, 24; Lovejoy, 16), snapping a streak of six games with three Eagles in double-digits. Redshirt junior Julius Ellerbe (Fort Washington, Md./Virginia Beach Sports Academy/East Central CC) scored eight points.
» Martynov played a career-high 25 minutes, topping his previous mark of 18 minutes at Butler University, Nov. 6. Martynov scored six points.
» Redshirt junior Micah Schnyders (New Lenox, Ill./Yorkville Christian/Eastern Illinois/Wheaton) saw his first action in an Eagles uniform, playing the final 27 seconds.
» EMU outscored UM, 38-30, in the paint. Eastern outscored its opponent in the paint for the fourth time this season, moving to 2-2 in such games.
» Eastern, which hit two threes against Michigan, has now hit at least one triple in 592-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 32nd-ever meeting between Eastern Michigan and Michigan. EMU trails in the series, 3-29, and moves to 1-1 in the last two games in Ann Arbor after edging the Wolverines, 45-42, Dec. 9, 2014.
Next Up
Eastern Michigan is scheduled to host Hampton University Thursday, Dec. 21, in a 1 p.m. contest inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
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