
Four Eagles finished with double-digit scoring performances, as junior Willie Mangum IV led the way with 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.
Freshman James Thompson IV just missed a double-double, posting 14 points and eight rebounds, five of which . . .
As a team, Eastern knocked down 28-of-54 (51.9 percent) shots from the field, as well as six shots from beyond the arc. The Eagle defense forced the Broncos into 18 turnovers, 10 of which were EMU steals. Eastern used this to its advantage, holding a 19-11 edge in points off turnovers. Additionally, EMU dominated in fast break points, 13-2. Finally, the Eagles also held an advantage down low to the tune of 36 points to 30.
Center Drake Lamont paced WMU with 13 points, while, freshman Bryce Moore added 11 points.
The Broncos scored the first points of the game on a fast break layup before an Eagle steal led to a Bond layup on the other end. Both teams traded baskets, with WMU leading, 6-4, at the 16-minute mark. The Eagles' offense struggled generating points, as the Broncos held a 13-8 lead at the 12-minute mark.
A bucket from Toney brought the game back within five points, 15-10, before a Mangum three made the score 15-13. Toney then sunk another one before Thompson broke the tie to give EMU its first lead of the game. Senior Brandon Nazione then drained a shot from behind the arc to put the Green and White ahead by four, 21-17.
Heading into the final two minutes, the two teams were tied at 26 apiece. However, a free throw from Nazione put EMU back on top. Heading into the locker room, the Eagles held a slim 31-28 lead.
Both offenses came out firing in the second half, as the Eagles and Broncos were deadlocked before a Mangum three put Eastern backon top. However, Western quickly responded, regaining the lead at 35-34. From there, WMU kept rolling, jumping ahead by five before another Mangum bucket brought the score back within three.
Back-to-back makes from redshirt freshman Jordan Nobles gave the lead back to EMU, 40-39. From there, Mangum drained two threes, after which Bond threw down a huge transition dunk to bring the score to 50-43. The Eagle defense, meanwhile, continued to cause issues for the Broncos, as the team nabbed a steal and drained the bucket on the other end to go ahead by nine.
EMU led 65-50 at the 4:40 mark and was still up by 15 (70-55) with two minutes remainng, The Eagles extended their lead to as many as 17 before clearing the benches, and finishing the Broncos with a 73-62 victory.
NEXT:
Eastern Michigan at Ball State (Saturday, 2 p.m. ET)
Western Michigan at Northern Illinois (aturday, 4:30 p.m. ET)