Michigan
6-3
Eastern Michigan
8-1
Maize & Blue Comes Up Short against Eastern Michigan
12/9/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 9, 2014
• Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery 
• Beilein Postgame Press Conference 
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: Eastern Michigan 45, Michigan 42
Records: U-M (6-3), EMU (8-1)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Dec. 13 -- vs. Arizona (Tucson, Ariz.), 3:15 p.m. MST [ TV: ESPN ]
• Kornacki Postgame Feature: Three-Point Woes Foil U-M in Home Defeat
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Caris LeVert had a chance to tie the game with 23 seconds left, but his three-point attempt hit off the iron, and the University of Michigan men's basketball team fell to Eastern Michigan, 45-42, on Tuesday night (Dec. 9) inside Crisler Center. The Eagles used a 9-0 run in the second half to get back into the game, and they trailed by as many as eight points on the night.
Sophomore Zak Irvin connected from long distance to put Michigan up 40-38 with 4:45 remaining, but EMU countered with two free throws and a triple to take a three-point lead. Senior Max Bielfeldt scored on the other end to make the score 43-42, and Michigan used a timeout with three minutes left in the game.
Jodan Price hit a long jumper to extend the EMU lead to 45-42 with 1:45 to play, and after two scoreless possessions, the Wolverines got the ball and used a timeout with 57 ticks left. The Eagles caused a turnover to regain possession, and they called timeout with 45 seconds to play. Michigan forced a turnover on the ensuing inbound pass, but LeVert missed the game-tying three. Brandon Nazione missed the front end of a one-and-one with 14.3 seconds left to give the Wolverines one last chance to tie the game, but they could not control the ball and Eastern Michigan held on.
LeVert and Irvin led Michigan with 10 points apiece, and sophomore Derrick Walton Jr. finished with nine points, six rebounds and five assists.
After giving up the first basket of the game, the Wolverines scored 10 unanswered points and forced an EMU timeout at the 15:23 mark of the first half. Walton scored five of Michigan's first 10 points, including an old-fashioned three-point play and a fast break layup following his steal at midcourt. A free throw by Bielfeldt put U-M up 11-7, but Price banked in a three from well beyond the arc to pull the Eagles within one point of the lead at 10:32.
Two consecutive baskets gave Eastern Michigan the 14-13 lead with 5:43 left in the half, and after a free throw by freshman Ricky Doyle tied the score at 14, Karrington Ward made a basket in transition to give the lead back to EMU. Walton went coast to coast to tie the game at 17-17 and then he hit two free throws to give the Wolverines the 19-17 advantage. Mike Talley knocked down two free throws to knot the score at 19 with less than a minute left before halftime, but freshman Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman drained a jumper to put Michigan up, 21-19, heading into the break.
The Wolverines shot just 5-of-19 (26.3 percent) from the floor and 1-of-10 (10 percent) from three in the low-scoring first half. EMU shot 6-of-25 (24 percent) before halftime and made 2-of-10 (percent) from long distance. Free throws kept Michigan on top, going 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) from the charity stripe in the first period.
The Eagles banked in a three to open the second half and then hit another three on their next possession to take a 25-23 lead. U-M responded with back-to-back triples by LeVert and Irvin to go up 29-25. Irvin drained a baseline jumper to make the score 31-27, but EMU answered with seven straight points to take a 34-31 lead and force a Michigan timeout with 11:24 left in the game. Talley hit two free throws after the stoppage, and Doyle dunked at the other end to stop the 9-0 Eagle run and cut the Wolverine deficit to 36-33 with less than 10 minutes to play.
Michigan shot 14-of-43 (32.6 percent) on the night and made only four of its 21 attempts from beyond the arc (19 percent). EMU finished the game shooting 15-of-46 (32.6 percent) and went 6-of-19 (31.6 percent) from three. The Eagles won the rebounding battle, 36-27, and their bench outscored the Wolverine reserves, 26-11.
Price led all scorers with 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting from three. Michigan did not attempt a single free throw in the second half.
The Maize and Blue next travels to Tucson to play No. 3 Arizona on Saturday (Dec. 13) inside the McKale Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. MST (5:15 p.m. ET), and the game will be televised on ESPN.
Communications Contact: Tom Wywrot, Chad Shepard (734) 763-4423
