Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
6-7 (1-1MAC)
Ball State
7-7 (2-1MAC)
Eastern Michigan Falls to Ball State on Saturday Night
1/8/2022 6:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Colin Golson Jr. ties a career-high with 16 points on Saturday night
Postgame Press Conference | Photo Gallery
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team fell 78-72 to Ball State University tonight, Jan. 8, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
The Eagles (6-7, 1-1 MAC) had three players score in double figures, led by freshman Colin Golson Jr. (Detroit, Mich.-Ferndale (Siena)), with 16 points. Freshman Noah Farrakhan (Newark, N.J.-The Patrick School (East Carolina)) tacked on 13 points and four steals while senior Darion Spottsville (Phoenix, Ariz.-Shadow Mountain (South Mountain C.C.)) chipped in 12 points off the bench.
Led by Spottsville's two offensive rebounds, Eastern Michigan did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 11 boards that resulted in 19 second-chance points. Senior Nate Scott (Naperville, Ill.-Naper Valley (Northern Illinois)) finished with nine rebounds. The Eagles forced 19 Ball State turnovers on the night. Eastern turned those takeaways into 16 points on the other end of the floor. Additionally, Farrakhan's four steals led the way for Eastern Michigan.
How It Happened
After playing to a 15-15 tie, Eastern Michigan went on a 5-0 run with 12:34 left in the first half, culminating in a three from N. Scott, to take a 20-15 lead. The Eagles then surrendered that lead and entered halftime down 39-34.
Ball State kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 60-52 advantage before Eastern Michigan went on a 9-0 run to seize a 61-60 lead with 6:40 to go in the contest. Ball State regained control, outscoring the Eagles 18-11 the rest of the way to hand Eastern Michigan the 78-72 loss.
Game Notes
» The Eastern Michigan bench made an impact by scoring 22 points.
» The Eagles' defense forced 19 turnovers, scoring 16 points off of those turnovers.
» EMU cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game to BSU's four.
» Golson led the Eagles, tying a career-high 16 points, including an exceptional seven of nine from the field (77.8%).
» Additionally, Golson has scored 16 points in three contests this season (vs. Illinois State, Nov. 12; at UC San Diego, Dec. 2).
» Eastern Michigan got a game-high nine rebounds from N. Scott to go along with nine points.
» The nine rebounds is the most for N. Scott since the forward tallied 10 boards in the season opener at Indiana, Nov. 9.
» Eastern shot 42.2 % (27-for-64) from the field as a team.
» Eastern Michigan had three players score in double-digit points for the ninth time this season (13 games).
» Spottsville recorded a season-high 12 points for the Eagles. The guard continues to increase his scoring output, tallying double-digits in his last three games (at Valparaiso, 10; at Western Michigan, 11).
» Three Eastern Michigan players each had one block, as Farrakhan, Spotsville, and Yusuf Jihad (Farmington Hills, Mich.-North Farmington (Oakland)) all recorded one rejection for the Green and White.
» Eastern Michigan falls at home for the first time this season after starting 5-0 in Ypsilanti.
» EMU edged the Cardinals in the paint 34-30.
» Farrakhan tied his season-high with four steals (4; vs. FIU, Dec. 11)
» Eastern Michigan led Ball State in second-chance points, 19-4.
Historical Notes
» This was the 112th all-time meeting between the Eagles and the Cardinals. Ball State pushes the all-time series lead to 67-45.
Up Next
The Eagles stay in Ypsilanti to wrap up a quick two-game homestand against in-state rival Central Michigan University Tuesday, Jan. 11. Tip is set for 7 p.m. inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
