James Thompson recorded his fifth straight double-double in Eastern Michigan men’s basketball, 86-58, victory Tuesday night against Rochester College.
The Eagles controlled the game from the start, cruising to an 11-5 lead in the first three minutes of the game. The Eagles then went on and extended that lead to 15 with nine minutes left in the first half. The Eagles took advantage of every opportunity with the ball by scoring 32 points in the paint in the first half. James Thompson set the tone for the Eagles by scoring eight points and grabbing four rebounds in the first eight minutes of the half The Eagles also created opportunities on the defensive end, recording nine steals and scoring 19 points off of fast breaks.
“I thought we were solid tonight from start to finish. We allowed them to score early and quick, but once we made our adjustments, we began to stifle them," EMU coach Rob Murphy said. “We were able to rebound the ball and get out in transition.”
The remainder of the game saw the Eagles building up their lead and moving the ball around as they shot 53 percent from the field and got to the foul line 17 times. Willie Mangum had another solid performance for the Eagles finishing with 22 points, three assists and three steals while shooting 4-for-6 from the three point line. Tim Bond also had solid performance with 11 points and nine rebounds. Guard Raven Lee provided a spark off the bench, scoring 11 points and recording two steals. Thompson earned his fifth career double-double, finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
“Coach challenges me to get rebounds every game. He challenges me to get more rebounds than I had the previous game," Thompson said. "Every time I touch the court, I just try to do what I do best."
The Eagles will travel to Louisville, Kentucky to face the University of Louisville December 12 at the KFC Yum Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
