YPSILANTI, Mich. -- Elijah Minnie scored 14 of his 25 points in the final minutes and James Thompson IV added 17 points with 12 rebounds as Eastern Michigan held off Central Michigan 79-74 for its first Mid-American Conference win on Tuesday night.
Thompson scored six points to start the second half as Eastern Michigan broke a 38-38 halftime tie to go ahead 52-46 following a 14-8 sprint. Gavin Peppers nailed a trey to tie at 56-56 with 8:59 remaining.
Minnie drilled a 3-pointer, had a tip-in and nailed two more from distance to give Eastern Michigan a 72-65 lead with 3:16 left.