Foul trouble and an offensive drought led to the fall of the Eastern Michigan University men’s basketball team who suffered a 77-47 loss to Akron inside Rhodes Arena on Saturday.
The Eagles shot 32.1 percent from the field and were 2-of-13 from behind the three-point line. They were able to make 61 percent of their free throws, however, both senior guard Darrell Lampley and junior center Jamell Harris would be subbed out with five fouls.
With the loss, the Eagles drop to 5-4 in Mid-American Conference play (10-13 overall), but remain No. 1 in the MAC-West. Meanwhile Akron, who holds the top spot in the MAC, advanced to 8-1 (16-7 overall).
Matt Balkema lead the way for Eastern with 15 points to go with six rebounds and one
blocked shot. Antonio Green pitched in with 13 points and Lampley put up eight points while dishing out five assists.
Akron struck first when a layup from Chauncey Gilliam put the Zips up 2-0 after 35 seconds of action. A three-pointer by Brian Walsh would expand that lead to 10-3 with 15:43 remaining in the opening half.
With 11:07 to go before halftime, the Zips would take a 17-7 lead, which quickly became a 39-16 lead by intermission.
For the Zips, Gilliam put up a team-high 13 points. Nikola Cvetinovic added 12 points and seven points while Zeke Marshall and Brett McClanahan each chipped in with 11 points. Defensively, Demetrius Treadwell led the Zips with nine rebounds.
The Eagles will look to get back on track for a match up with Kent State (16-6, 6-3 MAC) at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Convocation Center.
