With the win against . . .
Redshirt junior Elijah Minnie contributed 19 points to go with four steals and three assists, while redshirt junior Paul Jackson tallied 14 points and a team-best five helpers. Senior Tim Bond netted 13 points and led the Eagles in steals (6) and blocks (3).
EMU put together another strong offensive performance, shooting 52.5 percent (31-of-59) from the field and 85.7 percent (12-of-14) from the free throw line. The Green and White also out-rebounded Central State, 35-27 and earned 16 steals, 11 of which came in the opening half.
The Eagles were dominant on both sides of the ball to begin the contest, jumping out to an 8-0 run before the Marauders attempted their first field goal. EMU took advantage of poor Central State passing, forcing five steals in the opening four minutes of play.
Central State's offense struggled to keep up as it failed to make a field goal during a 5:22 stretch of the first half. After the Marauders trimmed the Eagles' lead to seven with 6:14 to go in the opening stanza, EMU closed out the half on a 16-5 run and led 45-27 going into the intermission.
Though Central State started the second half with back-to-back triples, EMU quickly found its rhythm, scoring six of the next eight points to take a 51-35 lead with 17:40 left in the contest.
The Marauders slowly chipped away at the Green and White's lead and eventually cut the deficit to just five when Bond set up Minnie for a reverse alley-oop to give EMU a 66-59 edge.
Bond added a forceful dunk of his own on the Eagles' next possession to give the Eagles a nine-point cushion with 7:44 to go in the second half. The Eagles concluded the contest with a 12-4 run to secure an 80-65 victory and improve to 6-0 inside the Convocation Center this season.
Eastern Michigan hits the road for its longest remaining road trip of the season, traveling west to California to take on Long Beach State, Saturday, Dec. 16 at 4 p.m. PT. The Eagles then complete their home-and-home against Oakland, Dec. 22, before traveling to face Syracuse to finish the road swing, Dec. 27.