Minnie hits career-high 29 points, Bond records double-double
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan Eagles opened their 2018 CollegeInsider.com Tournament play with a convincing 83-65 win over Niagara Wednesday inside the Convocation Center.
It was EMU’s first postseason appearance since playing in the 2014-15 College Basketball Invitational the Eagles (22-12, 11-7 MAC) made good on latest opportunity by posting an 18-point victory over a Purple Eagles team that finishes at 19-14 on the year.
EMU's dominance was reflected on the stat sheet, as the Eagles finished at 47.4 percent from the floor on 37-of-78 shooting, while Niagara struggled to a 35.1 percent (26-of-74) clip. The Green and White also used their size advantage to great effect, out-blocking the Purple Eagles, 11-4, and scoring 54 points in the paint compared to Niagara's total of 30.
Redshirt junior Elijah Minnie paced the Green and White with a career-high 29 points on 12-of-19 shooting, converting 5-of-9 attempts from beyond the arc.
Junior James Thompson IV tallied 20 points and pulled down a team-high 16 rebounds for his 20th double-double of the season, while adding a team-best four blocks. Senior Tim Bond fell just shy of a triple-double, recording 11 points, 12 boards, and eight assists, along with two steals.
After falling behind 4-2, Minnie connected on back-to-back triples to start a 10-0 EMU run as the Eagles opened up a 12-4 lead heading into the game's first media stoppage.
In front 13-8, redshirt junior Jordan Nobles buried a corner three before Bond threw down a one-handed slam to give the Green and White a commanding 18-8 lead, prompting Niagara to burn a timeout with 12:15 remaining in the opening half.
EMU continued to keep its foot on the gas, as Minnie sank a corner three to cap a 9-0 run and extend the Eagles' lead to 31-13 with 7:04 to go in the first period. The Green and White never relinquished their double-digit cushion and took a 42-27 advantage into the locker room.
EMU showed no signs of complacency to open the second half, as Minnie knocked down back-to-back threes to give the Green and White their largest lead to that point, 62-39, with 13:20 left in the final frame. Thompson and Minnie added a pair of dunks to put EMU in front, 66-43, with 10:55 to play in the second stanza.
Leading 70-52, Minnie got the home crowd on its feet with a windmill dunk for his career-high 28th and 29th points of the night to give the Eagles a 72-52 edge with 6:30 remaining in the second period.
With the contest well in hand, head coach Rob Murphy gave his starters some much-deserved rest in the closing stages. In total, nine Eagles recorded at least two points as the Green and White ran away with an 83-65 victory.
Eastern Michigan will play a to-be-determined opponent, scheduled to take place between March 22-25 at a to-be-determined venue.
It was EMU’s first postseason appearance since playing in the 2014-15 College Basketball Invitational the Eagles (22-12, 11-7 MAC) made good on latest opportunity by posting an 18-point victory over a Purple Eagles team that finishes at 19-14 on the year.
EMU's dominance was reflected on the stat sheet, as the Eagles finished at 47.4 percent from the floor on 37-of-78 shooting, while Niagara struggled to a 35.1 percent (26-of-74) clip. The Green and White also used their size advantage to great effect, out-blocking the Purple Eagles, 11-4, and scoring 54 points in the paint compared to Niagara's total of 30.
Redshirt junior Elijah Minnie paced the Green and White with a career-high 29 points on 12-of-19 shooting, converting 5-of-9 attempts from beyond the arc.
Junior James Thompson IV tallied 20 points and pulled down a team-high 16 rebounds for his 20th double-double of the season, while adding a team-best four blocks. Senior Tim Bond fell just shy of a triple-double, recording 11 points, 12 boards, and eight assists, along with two steals.
After falling behind 4-2, Minnie connected on back-to-back triples to start a 10-0 EMU run as the Eagles opened up a 12-4 lead heading into the game's first media stoppage.
In front 13-8, redshirt junior Jordan Nobles buried a corner three before Bond threw down a one-handed slam to give the Green and White a commanding 18-8 lead, prompting Niagara to burn a timeout with 12:15 remaining in the opening half.
EMU continued to keep its foot on the gas, as Minnie sank a corner three to cap a 9-0 run and extend the Eagles' lead to 31-13 with 7:04 to go in the first period. The Green and White never relinquished their double-digit cushion and took a 42-27 advantage into the locker room.
EMU showed no signs of complacency to open the second half, as Minnie knocked down back-to-back threes to give the Green and White their largest lead to that point, 62-39, with 13:20 left in the final frame. Thompson and Minnie added a pair of dunks to put EMU in front, 66-43, with 10:55 to play in the second stanza.
Leading 70-52, Minnie got the home crowd on its feet with a windmill dunk for his career-high 28th and 29th points of the night to give the Eagles a 72-52 edge with 6:30 remaining in the second period.
With the contest well in hand, head coach Rob Murphy gave his starters some much-deserved rest in the closing stages. In total, nine Eagles recorded at least two points as the Green and White ran away with an 83-65 victory.
Eastern Michigan will play a to-be-determined opponent, scheduled to take place between March 22-25 at a to-be-determined venue.
RSS Feed