Miami Drops 2nd Straight, Fall to EMU 76-66
By: Jack Mueller
(Cover Photo Courtesy of: Megan Walker/Miami Athletics)
The Miami RedHawks dropped their second straight game in the state of Michigan on Tuesday night, dropping a 76-66 game to the Eastern Michigan Eagles.
It’s the first time Travis Steele’s team has dropped consecutive games this season.
Eastern Michigan looked like a completely different unit than the one that played at Millett three weeks ago. The Eagles allowed 89 points in that contest, with six RedHawks scoring double digits. Tonight, just 66, and two RedHawks eclipsed the ten-point mark (Elmer: 19, Ipsaro: 11).
It’s hard to explain just how different this Miami team looked in the first half compared to their other performances this season. The RedHawks mustered just nine field goals in the first 20 minutes, making just two threes. They did win the rebound battle (18-17), and pulled down eight offensive boards, but managed to turn those into just two points.
They were much better in the second. Miami made 55% of their shots. The problem? Eastern Michigan didn’t miss a beat. Every time Miami strung some baskets together, the Eagles would respond with a bucket of their own to limit the damage Miami could do to their lead.
Two former DePaul Blue Demons dominated on offense for Eastern Michigan, with one taking over each half.
It was all Jalen Terry for the first 20 minutes (27 points per game in last three games). The guard scored 17 points in the first half alone, showcasing an ability to put the ball on the floor and hit shots from the perimeter. Terry would add just four more in the second half, but the scoring load was passed to someone else.
Dae’Sean Nelson took over, scoring 18 points (5-7 FG) and pulling down five rebounds, playing almost every minute after the break. He went a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe, which became a theme for the Eagles. The home side shot 19 foul shots, making 16 of them.
Miami got 16 shots of their own from the line, but made just 10 of them, a far cry from their 28 in the reverse game.
How It Happened
In one of the weirder starts to a game we’ve seen this season, Miami won the first “war” 8-7. The RedHawks could have had four more, but a goaltending call and an offensive foul wiped off buckets from Suder and Cooper. Jalen Terry took the lead for the Eagles after the break, but Elmer tied the game at 10 seconds later.
Five minutes later they were trailing big, allowing EMU to score nine straight points. Three straight RedHawk possessions ended in a turnover, which allowed Christian Henry to rattle off four points and Jalen Terry to bury a three. John Shanu slammed home two more to make it 21-10 before Evan Ipsaro ended the run with a three.
Kam Craft made it five straight points for the RedHawks, but Da’Sean Nelson drilled a three to reopen the nine point lead. Back-to-back layups through contact for Terry made it 28-15 as the clock ticked under the five minute mark. He didn’t stop there, following a Jalen Billingsley layup with a coast-to-coast two of his own to send his team to the media timeout leading by 17.
Craft mercifully ended a near six-minute scoring drought with six straight points, but Jalen Terry responded with a three at the other end. Evan Ipsaro sent the visitors to the locker room with some momentum, hitting a layup to cut the lead to 35-23 at the break.
Six points from Eian Elmer cut into the lead briefly, but threes by Arne Osojnik and Nelson negated that impact. The latter didn’t stop there, scoring five straight via a dunk and three to make it an eighteen-point game. Two free throws from Terry, taking his total to 19, gave Eastern a 20-point lead after just six minutes in the second half.
The RedHawks offense started to get something going, as Luers and Potter went back-to-back in the paint to make it 59-44. Nelson extended that lead with a layup of his own, but Elmer came right back with a three to make it a 14-point game. Ipsaro hit his second three to cut into the lead further, but Miami squandered a chance to build momentum by allowing two offensive boards which led to a Billingsley layup.
A no-look alley oop by Henry fed Billingsley for two more, making it a 16-point game with under five minutes to play. Mekhi Cooper hit a three, and had a chance to add two more, but his layup attempt rolled out. Jalen Terry capitalized, hitting his layup on the other end.
Miami was able to connect on a jumper from Dan Luers and Eian Elmer in the closing seconds to cut the lead to 12, but they ran out of time. Jalen Terry was able to dribble out the clock to seven seconds, and Eian Elmer beat the buzzer to make it a 10-point game as the teams headed to the handshake line.
Up Next
The RedHawks will return to Millett for their first game on home floor in ten days. This time around, the Kent State Golden Flashes come to town, entering the game on a five-game win streak (17-8, 8-5 MAC). While they find themselves two games behind the RedHawks in the standings, their momentum makes them a formidable foe as both sides gear up for Cleveland for the MAC Tournament.