Recap: Eastern Mich vs. Eastern Ill

Ypsilanti, MI (Sports Network) - Derek Thompson led the way with 22 points and four assists as the Eastern Michigan Eagles downed the Eastern Illinois Panthers, 60-52, at the Convocation Center as part of the first ever EMU "Ice Man" Classic.

The Eagles continue play in the Iceman Classic against IPFW on Saturday, while the Panthers next face Texas-Pan American.

Daylen Harrison added 18 points for the Eagles (2-1). Da'Shonte Riley made his mark with a game-high seven rebounds while Jamell Harris came off the bench to block four shots in 18 minutes of action.

Sherman Blanford led the Panthers (0-3) with 14 points and Josh Piper got into the mix by tallying 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field.

Both teams struggled from the field in the first half. Eastern Michigan hit just 28.6 percent of its shots from the floor. Eastern Illinois made 33.3 percent of its field goal attempts to take a 26-23 lead into halftime.

Both sides heated up after the break. The Eagles drained 50 percent of their field goal attempts while the Panthers made 10-of-24 field goal tries, including 4-of-11 from three-point range. Trailing 48-42 with 6:33 left in the game, the Eagles produced an 18-4 run to close out the game and secure the comeback victory.

Eastern Michigan had a 18-5 scoring advantage at the free-throw line. The Panthers dominated in the paint, outscoring the Eagles 22-11.