A career game from 6’8” senior Da'Sean Nelson (Toledo, Ohio/Robert S. Rogers/Kilgore College/DePaul), an additional 21 points from fellow upper-level student Jalen Terry (Flint, Michigan/Beecher/Oregon/DePaul), and a 15-2 run to erase an 11 point deficit to start the second half is all it took for Eastern Michigan’s men’s basketball team to snap their three-game losing streak - dramatically beating Wright State, 86-82.
Nelson was the star of the show for the Eagles, not only posting a game and career-high 27 points but also adding in a career-high 13 rebounds, six of them critically on the offensive side of the ball, while also shooting an efficient 9/14 (64.3%) from the floor and 9/11 (81.8%) from the charity stripe.
Eastern Michigan as a team got off to a hot start but ran out of steam towards the end of the first half, shooting only 32% from the floor and falling behind 38-27 at the break.
However, a few crucial halftime adjustments by head coach Stan Heath were the catalyst that allowed the Eagles to avoid dropping their fourth straight and fire back quickly to open the second half.
“I thought in the first half we were a little bit impatient, we were trying to do things a little bit in a hurry—but in the second half I thought our guys did a much better job,” Heath said.
“A lot of our offense to start the second half to eliminate their 11 point lead was fueled from our defense,” he added.
Jalen Terry’s aforementioned 21 points on an efficient 7/12 (58.3%) shooting from the floor, including hitting 6/10 (60%) shots from deep, also had a significant impact on the outcome - Terry and Nelson combining to score over half of the squad’s 86 points on the afternoon.
The Eagles’ 59-point second-half explosion was the most they’ve had in a half in over half a decade. The team shot 21/33 (63.6%) from the floor to secure their first win of December and claw their way back above .500 with one game remaining before conference play begins in January.
Eastern Michigan will return to action on December 28 at Davidson for their final non-conference showdown of the 2024-25 campaign. Tipoff is at 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
