The Eastern Michigan University men’s basketball team suffered a 76-51 loss to the division rival Toledo Rockets on Saturday in Toledo.
Despite the loss, the Eagles (14-17, 9-7 Mid-American Conference) finished the regular season with the top spot in the West Division.
Senior guard Darrell Lampley led the Eagles in scoring with 13 points and added five assists. Antonio Green added nine points and five rebounds while Derek Thompson put up eight points.
Defensively, Jamell Harris led EMU with nine rebounds.
The Eagles shot 31 percent from the field and 15 percent from beyond the arch.
Sophomore guard Rian Pearson, who put up a game-high 27 points and 11 rebounds, led the Rockets (16-15, 7-9 MAC). Junior guard Curtis Dennis finished with 21 points and seven rebounds while Dominique Buckley added 11 points. Reese Holliday also hauled down seven rebounds for Toledo.
At the end of the first half, the Eagles were down 35-25 but were still in the game. Only down a few baskets, the Eagles needed to rally their defense and stop the scoring of Pearson and Dennis.
In the second half, the struggles continued as the Eagles turned the ball over and missed some key shots. Also, committing quick fouls sent the Rockets to the free throw line, where they shot 73 percent to the Eagles 61.5 percent.
The Eagles fought hard by rebounding and not allowing many second chance shots. They outrebounded the Rockets on the offensive end, but ended the game with 35 rebounds compared to the Rockets’ 37. EMU also matched the Rockets in steals (5) and nearly dished out as many assists, as well.
The Eagles will return home for their first-round game of the MAC tournament. They face off against the Northern Illinois Huskies (4-25, 3-13 MAC) at 7 p.m. Monday at the Convocation Center.
