Central Michigan University
16-11, 5-9MAC
Eastern Michigan
16-11, 7-7MAC
Chippewa Men Fall To Eastern
2/17/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Eastern Michigan outscored Central Michigan, 10-4, over the final 47 seconds on Saturday in handing the Chippewas a 72-67 Mid-American Conference men's basketball loss before 2,795 at McGuirk Arena.
CMU slipped to 16-11, 5-9 MAC. The Chippewas play at Western Michigan on Tuesday, Feb. 20. Eastern Michigan improved to 16-11, 7-7.
THE LEADERS
Kevin McKay finished with 14 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists to lead CMU. The rebound and assist totals were both career highs for the sophomore guard, who continued his late-season ascension as he posted his second double-double in his last three games. His performance came four nights after he scored 33 points in a win at Northern Illinois.
Luke Meyer added 13 points and Cecil Williams had 12 for the Chippewas.
EASTERN
James Thompson IV, a 6-foot-10 junior, was, as expected, a difficult matchup. Thompson finished with 22 points on 10 of 13 shooting and grabbed 14 rebounds. Just as important, his presence as a rim protector proved extremely problematic for the Chippewas.
KEY NUMBERS
The Chippewas found success against Eastern's vaunted zone defense, finishing 11 for 26 (42.3 percent) from 3-point range.
But overall, the Chippewas made just 37.3 percent of their field goal attempts. That was due largely to the presence of Thompson in the middle and the fact that CMU missed seven of its final 10 3-point tries.
Eastern outscored the Chippewas in the paint, 46-16, and finished with a 43-30 rebounding advantage. CMU finished 12 for 13 (92.3 percent) from 3-point range.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game featured six lead changes and six ties. Cecil Williams hit two free throws to put CMU in front for the last time, 63-62, with 1:05 remaining. A Tim Bond and-one with 47 seconds left put Eastern back on top, 65-63, triggering the Eagles' game-winning surge. CMU missed two 3-point tries in the final 38 seconds. The Eagles made all eight of their free throw attempts over the final 47 seconds.
QUOTES:
McKay on trying to score on Thompson: "He's definitely a huge game changer in the fact that they run a zone and we always have someone going to the middle, and I'm the one going to the middle. It's kind of hard, you go from the free throw line and he's right there and (you) get one or two steps to finish over him. He's really good at not jumping on pump fakes. He's a really big game-changer."
Coach Keno Davis: "In a physical game, I felt like we took it to the basket quite a bit and to only get 13 free throws was disappointing."
Davis: "What they're able to do with their zone defense, and how they're able to be one of the better defensive teams, not just in our conference but around the country, starts with how hard they play in their zone. And then obviously Thompson with the rim protection that he provides. In a game where we weren't able to draw many fouls and get to the free throw line we kind of played into their hands."
Meyer: "I think if you look at our games, if you really watch them, I think it's obvious that we're really close. All of our games are close; we haven't really gotten blown out at all. I think we're one or two plays away, one or two possessions away from being in a much better position record wise. I think on any given night we can come out and be that better team. ... There's no real way to correct it other than to just be more focused."
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