The Eastern Michigan Eagles (9-1) men’s basketball team defeated the Northeastern Huskies (5-6) on Tuesday, December 17 at the Convocation Center in Ypsilanti. The Eagles are now a MAC-best 9-1 and are an undefeated 5-0 at home. Noah Morgan led the team with 19 points.
EMU jumped out to a 31-29 lead at halftime and held off a number of late charges by the Huskies to win the game 60-55. Yeikson Montero put the Eagles up 58-53 with 1:15 left in the game but Northeastern continued to battle down the stretch. Jordan Roland made a pair of free throws to cut the deficit back to three points with 1:02 remaining.
Montero made two free throws to seal the victory in the final seconds, though, as he helped keep the Eagles with just one loss on the season. Ty Groce, who came into the game as the Eagles leading scorer, put up 10 points and six rebounds in 26 minutes of play. He shot 33.3% from the field and knocked down one 3-pointer on three attempts.
Morgan finished with a game-high 19 points and three rebounds. He also added two assists. Morgan was the best player on the court for the majority of the night and shot 46.7% from the field on 15 shot attempts. Montero came into the game averaging 10.8 points per game, before scoring 12 points, three rebounds and one steal.
The other two Eagles starters, Boubacar Toure and Darion Spottsville combined for seven points, nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Despite starting the game, Spottsville played just 15 minutes and was 0-for-3 from the field. The EMU men’s team will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 21 at No. 15 Michigan State.
The Eastern Michigan Eagles (4-6) women’s basketball team earned their second consecutive victory as they took down the Illinois-Chicago Flames (1-10) at Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago. Eastern Michigan was led by Aaliyah Stanley’s 24 points, four rebounds, two steals and one assist. Areanna Combs added 13 points on 54.5% shooting from the field.
EMU fell down 19-11 in the first quarter but responded in the second quarter, outscoring the Flames 17-6 and taking a 28-25 lead into halftime. The Eagles couldn’t build on that momentum, though, as they gave up 21 points in the third quarter and trailed 46-44 going to the fourth quarter.
Fred Castro’s team picked it back up and ran over Illinois-Chicago, 24-13, in the fourth quarter. The Eagles, despite being outscored in multiple quarters, won the game 68-59. Autumn Hudson was the third EMU player to score double digit points as she compiled 12 points, five rebounds and one steal on 66.7% shooting from the field.
Jenna Annecchiarico had nine points, five assists and three rebounds for the Eagles in the victory. Courtnie Lewis had five points, while Corrione Cardwell put up three points in 16 minutes. Kiarra Thompson led Illinois-Chicago with 19 points and seven rebounds. The Eagles will play again on Saturday, Dec. 21 versus Detroit Mercy on the road.
