Saturday, November 11
Ypsilanti, Mich.
12:00 p.m.
Georgia Southern University
0-2,0-0Sun Belt
60
at
70
Eastern Michigan
1-1,0-0MAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ga. Southern | 23 | 37 | 60 |
| Eastern Mich. | 40 | 30 | 70 |
Photo by: Tyler Gallo / Georgia Southern Athletics
Men’s Basketball Drops First Leg of MAC/SBC Challenge at Eastern Michigan
11/11/2023 2:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Dean's 20 not enough as Eagles fall by ten
YPSILANTI, Mich.– Thanks to shooting woes in the first half, Georgia Southern men's basketball (0-2) fell in Ypsilanti on Saturday afternoon, dropping the initial MAC/SBC matchup with Eastern Michigan (1-1) 70-60.
"[The first half] put us way behind the eight-ball," head coach Charlie Henry said. "We didn't answer the bell out of the gate, and we didn't have the same defensive intensity that we had in the first half at Georgia Tech. We also carried over the struggles offensively from the first game."
Georgia Southern had trouble making baskets early on, however, Avantae Parker sunk all four of his free throws to trail by just one at the first media timeout.
EMU began to run away with it late in the first half, extending the lead to six by the second media timeout and to 17 before the half wrapped up. The Eagles shot just 19.4 percent overall and 15.8 percent from three in the first frame.
The Eagles nearly came back early in the second, using a 14-2 run to make it a four-point game after a Cam Bryant three-pointer.
This would be as close as the Eagles got, as Deuce Dean got it back to six points late, scoring 20 in his first game as an Eagle. The deficit proved to be too much, as the Eagles fell 70-60.
Dean's 20 points led the way, while Bryant notched 12 points and nine rebounds. Nate Brafford chipped in nine off the bench, going 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and setting a new career-best in points and three-pointers made..
The Eagles shot 44.8 percent in the second half in the loss.
Georgia Southern will be back in action on Tuesday for the first of a home-and-home with Jacksonville, heading on the road again.
"[The first half] put us way behind the eight-ball," head coach Charlie Henry said. "We didn't answer the bell out of the gate, and we didn't have the same defensive intensity that we had in the first half at Georgia Tech. We also carried over the struggles offensively from the first game."
Georgia Southern had trouble making baskets early on, however, Avantae Parker sunk all four of his free throws to trail by just one at the first media timeout.
EMU began to run away with it late in the first half, extending the lead to six by the second media timeout and to 17 before the half wrapped up. The Eagles shot just 19.4 percent overall and 15.8 percent from three in the first frame.
The Eagles nearly came back early in the second, using a 14-2 run to make it a four-point game after a Cam Bryant three-pointer.
This would be as close as the Eagles got, as Deuce Dean got it back to six points late, scoring 20 in his first game as an Eagle. The deficit proved to be too much, as the Eagles fell 70-60.
Dean's 20 points led the way, while Bryant notched 12 points and nine rebounds. Nate Brafford chipped in nine off the bench, going 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and setting a new career-best in points and three-pointers made..
The Eagles shot 44.8 percent in the second half in the loss.
Georgia Southern will be back in action on Tuesday for the first of a home-and-home with Jacksonville, heading on the road again.
Team Stats
GS
EMU
FG%
.317
.481
3FG%
.250
.318
FT%
.650
.722
RB
36
39
TO
10
15
STL
5
3
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
6
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
4
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