Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Bowling Green
Men's Basketball Drops 79-72 Home Decision to Bowling Green
1/18/2006 9:08:44 PM | Men's Basketball
Eagles out-shoot and out-rebound Falcons in home loss
YPSILANTI, Mich.--The Eastern Michigan University men’s basketball team may have won the statistical battle, but the Eagles lost the war as a visiting Bowling Green State University team came up with a 79-72 win here Wednesday night in a Mid-American Conference game in the Convocation Center.
The Eagles (3-10; 0-5) shot 55 percent (23-of-42) from the field to Bowling Green’s (7-8; 3-2) 51 percent (26-of-51). Eastern also held a 28-24 advantage in rebounds and tied the Falcons with seven three-point shots, but in the end it was too many turnovers and too much of junior Martin Samarco as the Eagles dropped their fifth straight league tilt.
Eastern committed 23 turnovers in the game to just 14 for the Falcons and the Eagles also failed to cool the hot hand of BGSU forward Martin Samarco who led all scorers with 35 points, hitting 10-of-13 shots from the field and 5-of-7 triple tries. To make matters even worse is the fact that the 6-foot-3 Samarco is a native of Ypsilanti who played his high school ball at Belleville before transferring to BG from Schoolcraft Community College.
"He’s (Samaco) is a kid that wasn’t recruited out of high school but worked hard in two junior colleges and now is a fine young player," EMU Head Coach Charles Ramsey said of Samarco.
"The thing I like about Martin’s play was his defense," BGSU Head Coach Dan Dakich said. "I thought with his four steals and his very good defense, particularly in that stretch where we went on that late run were very important. Martin is a pleasing guy and he wants to please everybody. He had people here and he’s from here and my guess is he pleased them all."
Despite trailing by 10, 59-49, with nine minutes left, the Eagles managed to stay in the game and made several runs down the stretch.
The Eagles pulled with three several times in the late stages and were down by three, 72-69, with two minutes left on two free throws by John Bowler (Chicago, Ill.-Notre Dame) but the Eagles could not get over the hump and the Falcons went on to post the seven-point win.
Bowler paced the Eagles with 18 points while Gino Smith (Milwaukee, WI-Harmony Comm.) added 16, Carlos Medlock (Detroit, Mich.-Murray Wright) 11, and Nick Freer (Stevensville, Mich.-Lakeshore) had 10.
Samarco’s 35 led BGSU while Steven Wright added 17.
Both teams struggled to find a rhythm in the first half, with the game staying scoreless through the first three minutes before the Falcons broke the ice on a free throw by Matt Lefeld at the 16:46 mark. The Falcons continued their offensive push, building the advantage to 13-4, with 12:26 left in the half before Eastern warmed to the task.
Trailing, 16-15, midway through the first half, Craig Cashen (Cincinnati, Ohio-Xavier) ignited a brief EMU rally, hitting two of three free throws after being fouled on a three-point shot to give the Eagles their first lead of the game, 16-15, with 9:20 left. Cashen then padded the lead with a tip-in plus a foul shot to give Eastern a 19-15 lead.
Eastern continued to work on the lead, going up by eight, 26-18, at the five-minute mark. The visitors fought back into the game and trailed by just one at the half, 33-32.
The Eagles will now travel to Akron, Ohio Saturday, Jan. 21, for a 7 p.m. game against the University of Akron Zips in the James A. Rhodes Arena.
