Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
4-10,1-9MAC
Bowling Green
13-9,9-7MAC
Men's Basketball Drops MAC Contest to Bowling Green
2/23/2021 9:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Four Eagles posted double-figure scoring performances
Recap Video | Press Conference | Photo Gallery
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team fell to its Mid-American Conference foe Bowling Green State University, 82-69, Tuesday, Feb. 23, inside the Convocation Center.
Redshirt senior Ty Groce (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Lincoln) paced the Eagles' attack, finishing the contest with 23 points and seven rebounds. Junior Bryce McBride (Jackson, Tenn-Southside (Dyersburg State C.C.)) assisted in carrying the scoring load ending the game with 15 points.
Complimenting Groce and McBride were Yeikson Montero (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic-Redemption Christian Academy (Pensacola State)) and Noah Morgan (Mount Vernon, N.Y.-Mount Vernon (Northwest Florida State)). Montero added 12 points, a career-high six assists, four rebounds and five steals, while Morgan tallied 14 points and seven rebounds.
It was a tale of two halves for the Green and White (4-10, 1-9 MAC), as the Eagles came out hot to open the game. After falling behind 5-2 early in the first half, the Eagles embarked on a 27-7 run and held a 17-point lead (29-12) with 6:41 remaining in the first half. The Eagles were helped during their scoring run by Groce, who led the way with 12 points during the stint, and finished as the leading scorer in the first half among all scorers with 14 points. During their run, the Eagles were aided by three big threes, including two from McBride who provided a key spark off the bench.
From that moment on, it was all Falcons (13-9, 9-7 MAC), as they closed the first half on a 16-2 run to pull to within three at the half, 31-28. That run continued into the second half, with Bowling Green eventually grabbing hold of its first lead, 34-33, since the 3-2 advantage it held at the 16:53 mark of the first half.
The Falcons outscored the Eagles 54-38 in the second half, thanks in large part to knocking down nine shots from deep. BGSU finished the game with 15 3-point makes. Comparatively, EMU knocked down five threes at a 38.5 percent clip. The Eagles would hang around late in the second half, and a Groce flush off an alley-oop from Montero would cut the lead to single digits and kick-start a 6-1 run to close the distance to seven (72-65), but Bowling Green was able to close strong at the free throw line to clinch the 82-69 victory.
Statistically, the Eagles were able to lead the Falcons in field goal percentage (47.3-45.8), bench points (29-14), points in the paint (40-20), and free throw percentage (70.6-61.9).
EMU will head to Athens, Ohio and play Ohio University Thursday, Feb. 25. The contest is scheduled for 2 p.m. on ESPN3. The Eagles are 26-51 all-time versus the Bobcats and have lost four of the last five meetings.
For more information on Eastern Michigan men's basketball, visit EMUEagles.com or follow the team's official Twitter at Twitter.com/EMU_MBB, on Facebook at Facebook.com/EMUMBB, or on Instagram at Instgram.com/emumbb.
