Coming off a 90-72 win against Siena Heights, Eastern Michigan Men’s Basketball fell to the Kansas Jayhawks in a blowout loss on the road. The final score was 87-63, with the Eagle’s record falling to 6-7. They’ve lost their fifth straight away game, all by double digits. This game marked the first meeting between the two teams.
Kevin McAdoo put up the first five points for the Eagles, making a jump shot and a 3-pointer in less than a minute. Despite this, EMU still had a rough start lacking both offense and defense.
EMU struggled from deep, shooting around 19 percent from the 3-point line. Meanwhile, the Jayhawks shot 33 percent from deep. KU ended the game with a field goal percentage of 55 percent, while EMU’s final stat from the field was 30 percent. The Eagles struggled defensively in the paint, allowing KU to put 46 points inside. However, both teams pulled down 42 rebounds. Both, the Eagles and the Jayhawks, struggled to take care of the ball. Kansas ended the game with 17 turnovers, only one more than Eastern Michigan’s 16.
The Eagles two scoring leaders were Sr. James Thompson IV and redshirt Sr. Paul Jackson. Both Thompson and Jackson finished the game with 15 points. Thompson had an impressive double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds, while shooting five of eight from the field. Paul Jackson was able to put up two 3-pointers and was perfect from the foul line, making three out of three free throws. Redshirt Sr.Elijah Minnie was also a big factor in the game. Minnie scored in double digits with 13 points, nine of those coming from the 3-point line.
Kansas did a good job defensively by double-teaming on any chance they could. In a post-game interview, Thompson stated that he “didn’t expect” the Jayhawks to double-team as often as they did.
The Eagles hope to bounce back from this loss as they’ll face No. 21 Buffalo on Jan. 4 at the Convocation Center.
