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Men's Basketball Falls to Northern Kentucky in Last-Second Heartbreaker
11/18/2021 8:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Monty Scott and Noah Farrakhan each dropped 21 points in the setback
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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (EMUEagles.com) -- Freshman Noah Farrakhan (Newark, N.J.-The Patrick School (East Carolina)) and senior Monty Scott (Union, N.J.-Benedict's Prep (Portland State)) each dropped 21 points, but the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team fell to the Northern Kentucky University Norse, 74-73, on the road Thursday, Nov. 18.
The Eagles (1-2) had four players score in double figures. Senior Nate Scott (Naperville, Ill.-Neuqua Valley (Northern Illinois)) helped add 15 points and two blocks to go along with the pair of 20+ performances.
Eastern Michigan did a great job disrupting Northern Kentucky shots in the contest, coming away with five blocks. Nate Scott's two rejections led the way individually for the Eagles.
How It Happened
After falling behind 17-16, Eastern Michigan went on a 9-0 run with 8:32 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Monty Scott, to take a 25-17 lead. The Eagles then added three points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 35-24 advantage. Eastern Michigan did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 18 of its 35 points close to the basket.
Eastern Michigan kept its lead intact before going on a 5-0 run, finished off by senior Darion Spottsville (Phoenix, Ariz.-Shadow Mountain (South Mountain C.C.)'s three, to grow the lead to 60-53 with 5:38 to go in the contest. Northern Kentucky then outscored the Eagles 21-13 the rest of the way to earn the one-point victory. Eastern Michigan made the most of five offensive rebounds to tack on nine second chance points out of 38 total in the period.
Game Notes
» Farrakhan, Monty Scott, and Nate Scott combined to account for 78 percent of the Eagles points.
» The Eastern Michigan defense forced 13 turnovers.
» The Eagles were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying five blocks as a team.
» Eastern Michigan got a team-high seven rebounds from freshman Mo Njie (Centerville, Ohio-Centerville (DME Sports Academy)).
» Nate Scott earned his first start with the Green and White in tonight's contest. He finished with EMU-career-high marks in numerous categories, including: points (15), minutes (31), field goals (5), three-pointers (1), free throws (4), and blocks (2).
» EMU took a 35-24 lead into the halftime intermission. Tonight's game was the first for EMU in which it held a halftime lead this season.
» EMU held a 13-point advantage (35-22) with just under one minute remaining in the first half of the contest, it's largest lead at any point during this 2021-22 season. EMU's previous best advantage was eight, a margin it held for a brief period over Illinois State, Nov. 12.
» Monty Scott had the hot hand in the first half of the game for EMU. The first-year Eagle dropped a team-best 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Both totals are a season-best in the first half for Scott this season.
» Monty Scott finished tied for the team lead with a 21 points on 10-of-15 (67%) shooting. Both of those numbers are good for his second-best efforts of the season. Scott has now led EMU in scoring in two of the Eagles first three contests.
» Monty Scott was more than EMU's best scorer in the contest. He also paced the Eagles with an EMU-career-best three assists in the contest.
» Farrakhan had another big outing in tonight's game against the Norse. Farrakhan tied Monty Scott for the team lead with an EMU-career-best 21 points and 44 percent shooting clip (8-of-18). He also finished with season-best mark in three-point makes (3). That number led all Eagles in the contest.
» EMU's 35 first-half points are the most for the team in a first half, and fourth most in any half this season for the Eagles. EMU's previous best first half total was 32, which is put up vs. Illinois State, Nov. 12.
» Eastern was red hot from the floor in the first half. The Green and White shot 51 percent overall (15-of-29), including 50 percent from deep (3-of-6). Both those totals are first-half bests this season. Prior to the NKU game, EMU had not shot better than 32 percent in a first half, which it did against Illinois State, Nov. 12. Overall, the 51 percent is the second-best single half effort for the team this season, falling just short of the 54 percent effort (15-of-28) it recorded in the same game against the Redbirds. The Eagles shot a season-best 55 percent (6-of-11) from deep in the second half of its game at Indiana, Nov. 9.
» EMU scored 32 points in the paint against the Norse. That total is the second-most this season, and most in a game that ended in regulation this season.
» EMU shot its best overall percentage from the floor this season in tonight's game. The Eagles converted on 29-of-58 shots, good for an even 50 percent ledger. EMU's previous best mark of 44 percent came against Illinois State, Nov. 12. Additionally, Eastern shot its best percentage of the year from deep, where it drilled 44 percent (7-of-16) of its triple tries.
» Despite the setback, EMU tied for its season low in turnovers tonight (3).
» The Eagles combined for a season-high five blocks in the contest. Nate Scott led the way with two, while three other Eagles each added one of their own in the contest.
Historical Notes
» EMU's 50 percent shooting from the field is the best for the team in a single game since Feb. 27 of this year, when it shot at a 51-percent clip (31-of-61) in a game against Northern Illinois. EMU's 44 percent from deep is also the team's best effort since the same game (EMU shot 57%; 12-of-21 in that game).
» Tonight's setback drops the Eagles to 79-95 all-time against Horizon League foes. Following tonight's contest, Wright State is now the only team from the Horizon League that EMU has never played. EMU has a winning record against each horizon league opponent it has battled, with the exception of Detroit Mercy (21-62), and NKU (0-1).
Up Next
» EMU returns to the Mitten State for a battle with nearby Michigan State University Saturday, Nov. 19. The game is set to tip off at 5 p.m. inside the Breslin Center. WEMU 89.1 FM will bring you all the action live.
