OXFORD, Ohio -- Eastern Michigan's signature zone defense is a tough enough challenge for those who have experienced it. Insert a young opponent who has never faced the Eagles and ... well, you could get something like what happened Saturday at Millett Hall. Eastern Michigan applied a double-dose of its zone and left Oxford with a 58-48 win over the Miami RedHawks.
The first dose of zone . . .
That field goal, however, would be Miami's last for the next eight minutes of action as EMU applied an even stronger dose of defense. Eastern (12-9, 3-5 MAC) turned it up another notch or two after intermission, and the RedHawks offense struggled mightily.
Their "zone is something we've never seen before," Miami head coach Jack Owens said. "We tried to show it in practice but its hard to show 6-2, 6-7, 6-9, 6-9 and 6-10 across the board. ... We didn't do the things that we worked on that I thought could have hurt them -- for whatever reason.
Miami then managed its lone second half run to close the gap. Logan McLane started the burst with a short jumper. Sibande and Dalonte Brown followed with treys to bring the hosts within two at 45-43.
"That was a huge shot," Owens said of the trey. "Give Eastern Michigan credit, they made a big shot to make it a two-possession game."
Over the second half, MU totaled 18 points. Eastern Michigan held the RedHawks to 23.1 percent from the floor after intermission and 30.4 percent for the game. It was the second time this season that EMU has held an opponent to under 50 points.
The Eagles, meanwhile, connected on 52.2 percent from the floor in the second period and 49.0 percent overall. Much of the visitors damage came inside, where they held a 32-12 advantage on points in the paint. EMU also held a 21-9 advantage in points off the bench.
"I don't think anyone in our league has a zone like that. They are so long," Owens said. "We'll work at it, and we'll get better. ... It was definitely a learning experience."
Dalonte Brown hit 6 of 9 from the field, 2 of 2 from deep and 3 of 4 at the line on the way to 17 points. Sibande notched 10 points. Jalen Adaway (8) and Bam Bowman (7) led MU rebounders.
NEXT:
Eastern Michigan hosts Western Michigan Tuesday. Miami is home against Akron. Both games start at 7 p.m.