Chippewas Beat EMU in MAC Tourney, 62-49

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Thirteen second-half points by Robbie Harman led Central Michigan University to a 62-49 victory over Eastern Michigan in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament Tuesday afternoon at Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena.

The Chippewas now advance to play No. 2 seed Ball State on Thursday, March 12, at Noon in Quicken Loans Arena.

Robbie Harman dominated the second half, scoring all 13 of his points and dishing out five of his game-high seven assists. Harman was 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-3 at the line in the second frame. Marcus Van lead CMU with 17 points, 11 in the first, and five rebounds, hitting 7-of-11 shots. Jacolby Hardiman had 11 points, four boards and two steals while Jordan Bitzer added nine points.

The Eagles were led by Brandon Bowdry with 13 tallies and a game-high six rebounds. Antonio Green chipped in 11 points and five boards, including three three-pointers.

The contest was close over the first seven minutes as EMU led 10-9 at the 13:15 mark. That is when CMU put together a 9-1 run to grab a seven-point lead with eight minutes to go in the half. Eastern Michigan answered back with a 6-0 run to pull within one, 18-17, but CMU tightened up and led 26-21 at the half.

A 8-2 run to begin the second half gave the Chippewas a nine-point lead four minutes into the frame, 32-23. Again EMU answered with a 6-0 run to pull within one possession at 32-29. That is when Harman took over, scoring 11-straight points to give CMU a 43-33 lead with 9:26 on the clock.

A Jeremy Allen three boosted CMU’s lead to 13 but EMU made one more run as the Eagles scored seven-straight points. That cut CMU’s lead to six at 48-42 with 6:41 left but EMU would get no closer as Central Michigan outscored the Eagles 14-7 down the stretch. Hardiman led the game-ending run with six of his 11 points during the stretch with Harman dishing out four assists.

The Chippewas finished the game shooting 51.1 percent for the game, keyed by a 56.5 mark in the second half. CMU was also solid at the line, going 11-for-13 (84.6) including 9-for-9 in the second half. EMU shot just 39.0 percent for the game and was 14-for-19 (73.7) at the line. Neither team shot well from three as CMU went 3-for-9 (33.3) and EMU was 3-for-12 (25.0).

Central Michigan also controlled the boards, outrebounding the Eagles, 30-22. CMU also had more assists, 13-8, steals, 8-6 and had fewer turnovers, 13-15, while EMU tallied more blocks, 3-1.