Bradley 78, Toledo 66
UNLV 64, Eastern Michigan 49
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Central Michigan fell to Purdue, 97-62, on Saturday at the Boilermakers' Mackey Arena.
It was the Chippewas' final nonconference game of the season.
How It Happened
Purdue led 13-10 six minutes into the game, and then took command by outscoring the Chippewas, 38-11, over the remainder of the first half. The Boilermakers led, 51-21, at halftime.
Sasha Stefanovic hit six of his seven 3-pointers en route to 18 first-half points to lead the Boilermakers. He finished with a game-high 23 points.
The Chippewas hit 44.1 percent of their field goal attempts in the second half, during which they were outscored 46-41.
"Obviously, a lot of things went against us today," CMU coach Keno Davis said. "We could have executed a little better on the offensive end and on the defensive end. I don't know if that would have made enough of a difference. But I understand that (Purdue's) a really talented team. When they're making shots, you understand why they were a Sweet Sixteen team last season.
"I liked the way we came back in the second half. Unfortunately, they kept making shots on us and we still couldn't make a shot from the perimeter. Not exactly the best method to upset a Big Ten team on the road, but I think we'll have a short memory because MAC season starts next week. Hopefully this propels us to make us a better team."
Team Stats
Purdue held CMU to 37.9 percent shooting including 13.6 percent (three for 22) from 3-point range. The Boilermakers shot 54.4 percent from the field overall and 43.8 percent from 3-point range.
Chippewa Leaders
David DiLeo scored 12 points to lead the Chippewas, while Rob Montgomery and Travon Broadway Jr. added 10 points each. Kevin McKay grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
NEXT:
CMU (7-6) will play host to Miami (Ohio) on Saturday, Jan. 4 (2 p.m.) in its Mid-American Conference opener.
(Courtesy of CMU Athletics)
Bradley 78, Toledo 66
PEORIA, Ill. – Toledo concluded its non-conference schedule on Saturday afternoon with a 78-66 loss to Bradley (9-4) in Carver Arena.
Junior Marreon Jackson led the Rockets with 14 points and a game-high six assists. Seniors Willie Jackson and Luke Knapke scored 13 points apiece, while junior Spencer Littleson contributed 10 points.
Knapke grabbed nine rebounds to lead Toledo on the boards, while Willie Jackson and Littleson collected eight and seven caroms, respectively. Littleson also collected four steals and didn't come out of the contest until the final minute.
Senior guard Darrell Brown scored a season-high 29 points to lead the Braves to their 12th straight home victory.
Toledo shot 37.5 percent from the field and 7-of-29 from three-point range, while Bradley posted a 41.1 shooting mark and was 5-of-15 from behind the arc. The Braves enjoyed a decided advantage at the charity stripe, knocking down 27-of-32 free throws compared to the Rockets' 11-of-19 totals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF
Neither team led by more than four points until a 7-2 Bradley spurt put the Rockets down 18-11 with 12:25 remaining in the opening half.
Baskets from Marreon Jackson, Spencer Littleson and Willie Jackson made it a one-point contest, 18-17, at the 8:44 mark.
A 9-0 Braves' rally gave the hosts a 29-19 advantage six minutes before halftime.
Gavin Bizeau's trey and Keshan Saunders' layup brought Toledo within 34-31 just over two minutes before intermission.
Marreon Jackson's two free throws cut Bradley's cushion to 36-33 in the final minute, but the Braves took a 38-33 advantage into the locker room.
SECOND HALF
Bradley started the second half strong, with Darrell Brown extending the Braves' lead to 45-35 less than two minutes in.
Toledo's deficit remained at eight or higher until Littleson's trey cut BU's lead to 55-49 with nine minutes remaining.
Luke Knapke picked up his fourth foul on Bradley's next possession leading to a 5-0 burst from the Braves.
Toledo rallied once again, as Dylan Alderson and Marreon Jackson buried back-to-back treys for a 60-55 deficit with 6:29 left.
Bradley's Nate Kannell didn't let the Rockets come any closer though, as he connected on a three-pointer, followed by a layup for a 65-55 lead.
The closest Toledo came down the stretch was eight points.
NEXT:
The Rockets (8-5) will open league play on Friday, Jan. 3 at Ball State (7-6).
UNLV 64, Eastern Michigan 49
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (EMUEagles.com) – Eastern Michigan fell 64-49 in its final road non-conference contest of the year at the University of Nevada – Las Vegas Saturday afternoon inside UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center.
The Eagles (9-3) shot 30.6 percent from the field (15-of-49) and 8-for-25 (32.0 percent) from beyond the arc, while the Runnin' Rebels (6-8) went 22-of-58 (37.9 percent) and made four from deep.
Redshirt junior Ty Groce led the Eagles with 12 points, including two three-pointers, tied a career-high four assists, and totaled three steals. Junior Thomas Binelli added 10 points in a career-best 19 minutes of play, while senior Boubacar Toure pulled down a team-best 11 rebounds, his fifth double-digit rebound contest of the 2019-20 season.
UNLV was led by junior Cheikh Mbacke Diong with 15 points, while sophomore Bryce Hamilton and junior Donnie Tillman added 13 and 12, respectively. Tillman dished out seven assists, and sophomore Marvin Coleman totaled a team-best 10 rebounds.
EMU was outrebounded, 50-30, and finished with 19 turnovers compared to UNLV's 21. The Runnin' Rebels capitalized on points off turnovers with 22 and outscored the Eagles in the paint, 36-8.
EMU went on a 10-2 run to start the first half and held UNLV without a field goal until the 13:31 mark of the half. The Runnin' Rebels responded with a 12-0, shutting down Eastern Michigan's offense for five minutes until freshman Shamar Dillard hit a baseline layup at the 8:31 mark in the first half.
The Eagles played catch up for the rest of the first half, trailing the Runnin' Rebels by eight after 20 minutes of play. Junior Noah Morgan led EMU with four points and four rebounds, while Toure grabbed five boards in the first half of the game. Eastern forced 12 UNLV turnovers that resulted in eight points; however, the Runnin' Rebels outrebounded the Eagles, 30-13, including 12 offensive boards.
UNLV started the second half on a 12-5 run and held the Eagle offense scoreless from the 15:11 mark until Toure pulled down the offensive board and put back the dunk with 11:47 left in the game. Groce banked in a layup and a triple, and Morgan drained a three to put EMU within 12 with less than five minutes left, but the Eagles were not able to capitalize.
NEXT:
Eastern Michigan will conclude its non-conference tilt and close out 2019 when the Eagles welcome Concordia University-Ann Arbor Monday, Dec. 30, at 2 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.