For the Eagles (3-3; 1-2 MAC), their triumph over Akron (4-2; 2-1) snapped the Zips' three-game win streak.
A key for any . . .
Meanwhile, all five EMU starters scored in double-figures. Sophomore Drew Lowder paced all scorers with a career-high 18 points, shooting 7-for-13 from the field, and hitting another career-best with 3-of-6 (.500) shooting from deep.
Senior Yeikson Montero followed close behind, recording 14 points of his own, paired with six rebounds and two steals. Junior Bryce McBride was another strong contributor, registering 10 points towards the Eagles' effort. The Tennessee native shot 4-of-5 from the field and wrangled in three rebounds, matching his career-high. In addition, redshirt senior Ty Groce and classmate Noah Morgan also added 10 points apiece.
With the two teams knotted at 30-all, McBride helped create a lead for the Eagles going into halftime as he converted an acrobatic lay-in to make it a 34-30 game with under two minutes to go. As time was about to expire, sophomore Chris James hit a highly-contested jumper to give Eastern its largest lead of the night, 37-30.
The second period started off with a bang as Groce found teammate Morgan for the easy dunk. With 17:27 left in the game, Lowder called for a pass from Morgan to which the Michigan native splashed the corner three to balloon EMU's lead to 47-34. Two minutes later, Lowder drilled his third three-pointer of the day to register a new career-high in three-point makes. The bucket also contributed to a 9-0 Eagles' run over an almost four minute period to bring the game to 50-34.
Minutes later, Akron called timeout as the Eagles continued to score at will. Over a fifteen-minute stretch beginning in the first half, Eastern had earned a 37-8 run. The timeout did not seem to help however, as Groce performed his signature two-hand slam with a helper from McBride. Moments later, Montero added flare of his own, nailing a three-ball to make it a 63-41 game as Green and White continued to pull way
The Green and White shot 47.3 percent (26-of-55) from the field, compared to the Zips' 42.0 efficiency (21-of-50). Both squads struggled from the three point line as the Eagles posted a 26.1 percent clip (6-of-23), while UA went 7-of-28 (25.0 percent). EMU held the scoring advantages in fast break points (17-14), points off turnovers (17-12), and points in the paint (34-24). Akron outrebounded EMU, 35-31, and posted a 20-9 edge in points off the bench.