Fresh off being named the NCAA’s Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week and the MAC Player of the Week for his career game against Toledo, Jalen Terry (Flint, Michigan/Beecher/Oregon/DePaul) backed up his efforts from Saturday with a 24 point performance tonight - him and Da’Sean Nelson (Toledo, Ohio/Robert S. Rogers/Kilgore College/DePaul) once again headlining Eastern Michigan’s scoring output in a crucial win against Miami (OH), 76-66.
The duo combined for 49 of the Eagles’ 76 points in the evening, with Nelson adding 25 points of his own to lead the scoring, while both also collected 17 rebounds in total to boot. Each player also shot over 50% from the floor, and the pair combined to tally six made three-pointers.
Terry also netted his 1,000th career point thanks to a made three-pointer in the first half.
"They’ve always been guys we’ve played through, I just think we’re playing in better space now with them and putting them in areas that we think will be most effective,” head coach Stan Heath said when asked about the rise of his team’s dynamic duo. “You get to the end of that senior year—I think the urgency personally for them has risen"
While the seniors above Nelson and Terry stole the show, Jalin Billingsley (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East/Georgetown) also contributed 12 points off the bench on an efficient 60% (6/10) shooting, while Christian Henry (Chicago, Illinois/The Skill Factory/Panola College) added nine points of his own.
Eastern Michigan boasted complete control of the game from start to finish, blasting away from the Redhawks thanks to a 9-0 run early in the first half and extending their lead to as high as 17 before the break.
The second half saw more of the same from the Eagles, their lead rising to as high as 22 points midway through the period thanks to shooting 50% (26/52) from the floor and 84.2% (16/19) from the free-throw line.
With the win, Eastern Michigan improved to 13-13 (6-7 MAC) on the campaign, while Miami (OH) fell to 19-7 (10-3 MAC) after entering the night as the second-ranked team in the conference.
Having now won three of their last four games, the Eagles hope to continue their recent hot streak and bolster their bid to make the MAC Tournament in early March as they head on the road for a doubleheader at Northern Illinois this Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Viewers can stream the game live on ESPN+.
