Feb. 6, 2008

Box Score |  Notes

YPSILANTI, Mich.-Two streaks were snapped Wednesday as the Eastern Michigan men's basketball team snapped a three-game losing streak by topping Ohio 63-56 in the Convocation Center in Ypsilanti. The loss snapped Ohio 's five-game winning streak and dropped its record to 15-7 overall and 6-3 in the Mid-American Conference. The Eagles improved to 8-13 and 4-5 in the league.

EMU placed three players in doubl-figures, led by 18 from Jarred Axon. Carlos Medlock also added 13 and Jesse Bunkley chipped in 12. Medlock also snared six rebounds (and five assists) to lead a balanced Eagle effort on the glass, which nipped the Bobcats overall on the glass 32-30. It was the first time in five games that Ohio had been outrebounded.

Seniors Leon Williams ( Baltimore, Md.), Bubba Walther ( Cincinnati, Ohio) and junior Justin Orr ( Cincinnati, Ohio ) all registered nine points. Williams, the MAC's leading rebounder, registered a game-high eight boards and three blocks, but was held to just two field goal attempts by EMU's suffocating defense. The game marked the first time under Tim O'Shea that the Bobcats failed to register a double-digit scorer.

Walther and junior Michael Allen ( Detroit, Mich.) led Ohio with four assists apiece.

The Bobcats fell into an early hole when Bunkley put the Eagles up 5-2 on a 3-pointer just three minutes, 12 seconds into the game. Ohio battled back to tie the contest at 18 at the 3:51 mark on a dunk by junior Allen Hester ( Oakland , Ca.), but EMU went on an 8-3 run to take a five-point (26-21) lead into halftime.

The Eagles made the game's deciding run in the opening minutes of the second half as they put together a 13-5 run over the half's first six minutes, eight seconds to build a 13-point margin (39-26) on a layup by Justin Dobbins. The Bobcats tried desperately to answer EMU but could pull no closer than six, as their attempts from the 3-point line failed to connect.

Both teams took 26 3-point attempts with EMU making 10 and the Bobcats connecting on seven. Both teams also made 15 free throws, but Ohio shot a slightly better percentage (75.0-65.2).

"It was one of those things you always worry about on the road," said Ohio head coach Tim O'Shea. "We were as cold shooting the ball as the weather was outside. We had some decent looks, but just couldn't put the ball in the basket."

Ohio will be back in action Saturday on Sibs Weekend as it hosts Western Michigan (13-9 overall, 7-2 MAC) at 2:30 p.m. The Broncos sit atop the MAC West, while the Bobcats now slip into a tie for second in the MAC East with Akron (16-6, 6-3 MAC), who WMU beat Wednesday 86-66.