In the first road test of the . . .
Redshirt junior Ty Groce led EMU in scoring with 15 points, while also tallying three blocks and four steals. Groce has now recorded double-digit scoring efforts in three-of-four contests for the Green and White.
Joining the Ypsilanti, Mich. native in double-digits was junior Yeikson Montero, who contributed 14 points, along with four assists and three steals. Montero's points and assist numbers tied career-bests for the first-year Eagle, matching his performances against Goshen, Nov. 12, and Michigan-Dearborn, Nov. 14, respectively.
Redshirt senior Boubacar Toure pulled down a team leading eight rebounds and added two steals, anchoring a defensive effort that held the Mean Green to its second-lowest point total of the season.
As a team, Eastern Michigan shot 40.8 percent (20-49), while North Texas hit 37.5 percent from the field (18-48). Despite being out-rebounded, 34-31, and outscored in the paint, 20-18. The Green and White were able to collect 13 steals in the contest, helping to stifle the North Texas offensive attack.
The Eagles went back-and-forth with UNT the entire contest. Up one, 23-22, with just over one minute to play in the first half, Eastern used back-to-back triples by Montero and Groce to extend its lead to seven, 29-22, the score that would remain heading into the break.
EMU was met by a rejuvenated North Texas squad out of the first half recess. The Mean Green hit three shots in-a-row to pull ahead, 33-32, five minutes into the half. The two teams went on to trade punches for the middle portion of the second half, as evident by the knotted score, 38-38, with 10:32 remaining. With 7:48 left in the contest, Montero hit a trey to put the Eagles up by five, 46-41. UNT battled for the remainder of the contest, but EMU proved too powerful in the end.
With 12 seconds left in the game, Groce came up with a clutch steal. After a UNT foul, junior Noah Morgan knocked-in a pair of free throws before Toure contributed one as well, helping EMU to seal-the-deal, 56-51.