Men's basketball slow start leads to season sweep by Eastern Michigan
The Eastern Michigan men’s basketball team has won only four games in Mid-American Conference play. Two of those wins have come against Central Michigan.
The Eagles completed their season sweep of the Chippewas with a 71-56 victory Tuesday at the Convocation Center in Ypsilanti. CMU has dropped two consecutive games after losing to Akron on Friday and are now 2-7 overall on the road.
The Chippewas fall to 13-11 and 6-5 in the MAC. They remain tied for first in the division after Ball State fell to Ohio. Toledo beat Buffalo in the final seconds Tuesday to move into a first-place tie in the MAC West with CMU and BSU.
“We didn’t defend really well, we couldn’t make a shot, couldn’t get to the free throw line and we got beat on the boards,” said CMU Head Coach Keno Davis. “Other than that, we weren’t going away.”
CMU shot 1-of-9 from 3-point range in the first half. The Eagles scored their first basket 18 seconds into the game and did not squander the lead throughout.
EMU outrebounded the Chippewas 40-27 while also shooting 46 percent from three and 80 percent from the free-throw line.
The Chippewas shot 20 percent from 3-point range.
The Eagles jumped out to a 13-2 lead before a 12-2 run by the Chippewas cut the lead to one, 15-14. EMU pushed its lead to 20-14 and led 38-23 at halftime.
In the second half, CMU inched closer and cut the lead to seven after an and-one play from senior guard Chris Fowler that cut the scored to 54-47 with 5:23 left. However, EMU continued to reclaim a double-digit lead after multiple CMU comeback attempts in the game’s final minutes.
Four Eagles scored in double figures, including freshman center James Thompson IV. Thompson finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds while receiving high praised from Davis, who called him “a high-major player.”
“Eastern Michigan would be lucky to keep him there,” Davis said. “You hate seeing guys transfer out to higher, but he’s a pro. He’s going to be a professional basketball player for as long as he stays healthy. To be a freshman out there, he impacts the game on both ends.”
EMU senior forward Brandon Nazione also recorded a double-double after notching 16 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Junior guard Ty Toney finished with 11 points and sophomore guard Tim Bond added 10 — including multiple dunks in the final minutes.
Fowler moved into third place in CMU history in steals after having four of CMU's five swipes. He passed Dan Majerle with a career total of 174. The Southfield native was the only player in double figures for CMU, scoring 16 points.
Junior guard Braylon Rayson, the Chippewas’ leading scorer, finished with nine. Senior forward John Simons, sophomore forward Luke Meyer and sophomore guard Josh Kozinski each finished with six points. Simons pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
CMU will return to Mount Pleasant to host Ball State 15-9 (6-5 MAC) at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at McGuirk Arena.
“We need to continue to improve and try to get ready for Saturday night,” Davis said. “As long as you’ve got games on your schedule, all your goals are still there. I know our team is looking forward to getting the taste of this game out of our mouth.”
