Eastern Michigan Surges to 13-Point Win over 'Dons

Saturday, November 17

Ypsilanti, Mich.

7 p.m.

Purdue Fort Wayne

2-2

Eastern Michigan

3-1

IPFW

Eastern Michigan

Photo by: Lucas Carter

Eastern Michigan Surges to 13-Point Win over 'Dons

11/17/2012 10:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BOX SCORE (.pdf) | BOX SCORE

YPSILANTI, Mich. - A 13-0 run by the Eastern Michigan Eagles late in the first half turned a five-point IPFW lead into an eight-point EMU advantage, and the hosts never trailed again in the game, a 60-47 Eagle win.

Frank Gaines scored a team-high 17 points, while Luis Jacobo added 10. Mario Hines pulled down a team-best nine rebounds, as the 'Dons out-rebounded the Eagles 44-to-32. Isaiah McCray dished out three assists, with Hines blocking two shots.

The Mastodons return to action for the third game in three days on Sunday afternoon, when the squad faces off against the Panthers of Eastern Illinois University in a 4:30 p.m. tip-off at the EMU Convocation Center.

Eastern Michigan scored first in the game on a three-pointer, but the Mastodons answered back with back-to-back three's from Jacobo and Kevin Harden, as IPFW stretched its lead to as many as eight at 16-8 with 14:12 to play in the first half on a pair of Gaines free throws.

EMU cut the gap to three just over two minutes later; however, the Mastodons jumped back up by seven on a Jacobo lay-in, and led by five at 24-19 with 6:07 to play in the first half.

The Mastodon offense proceeded to go cold, not scoring for a 7:01 span in which Eastern Michigan scored 13 points, turning a five-point IPFW lead into an eight-point Eagle advantage. The Mastodons closed the run, and the gap, on a Joe Reed three-point play, the final points of the half, as the 'Dons went into the locker room trailing by five at 32-27.

The IPFW deficit quickly grew to 10 out of the gate, as EMU opened the second half on a 5-0 run, and led by 10 at 39-29 with 17:46 to play before the 'Dons got three-pointers from Frank Gaines and Luis Jacobo, while holding the Eagles scoreless for a two and a half minute span, closing the gap to four with 15:27 to play.

IPFW closed to within as few as three on a Herbert Graham three-pointer, but that would be as close as the team would come, as another scoring draught hit - this one lasting 6:58, in which Eastern Michigan scored six points, leading by nine with 6:18 remaining in the game.

The Mastodons clawed back, trailing by four with 3:02 to play; however, the hosts closed the game on an 11-2 run to finish off the 60-47 win.

IPFW hit 15-of-50 shots from the field (30 percent), while hitting 24 percent (6-of-25) of its three's, and 11-of-21 (52.4%) from the charity stripe. EMU went 19-of-48 from the field (39.6%), 3-of-12 (25.0%) from long range, and 19-of-27 (70.4%) on its free throw attempts.

~ Feel the Rumble ~