Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
4-14,1-4MAC
Kent State
15-3,5-0MAC
Eastern Falls in Battle with Kent State, 77-63
1/17/2023 9:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bates scores 24 while Acuff (12), Jihad (11) chip in double-figures
Stan Heath Postgame Press Conference
Photo Gallery | Postgame Video
YPSILANTI, Mich (EMUEagles.com) - Emoni Bates (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Ypsi Prep-Memphis) collected 24 points as the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team fell to the Kent State University Golden Flashes, 77-63, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center Tuesday, Jan. 17.
The Eagles (4-14, 1-4 MAC) had three players score in double figures, led by Bates, who posted 24 points and six rebounds. Tyson Acuff (Detroit, Mich.-Cass Technical-Duquesne) added 12 points while Yusuf Jihad (Farmington Hills, Mich.-North Farmington-Oakland) chipped in with 11 points off of the bench, the second-highest scoring output of his career and only his second time scoring 10+ in a game.
Led by Javantae Randle's (Detroit, Mich.-Frederick Douglass) two offensive rebounds, Eastern Michigan crashed the offensive glass, pulling down 12 boards that resulted in 16 second chance points. Additionally, all nine players that logged 11 minutes or more in the game pulled down at least two boards and added at least two points.
How It Happened
After falling behind 27-20, Eastern Michigan went on an 8-0 run with 5:39 left in the first half that culminated in a bucket from Jihad, to take a 28-27 lead. The Eagles then surrendered that advantage and entered halftime down 38-33.
Kent State continued to widen its lead after intermission, constructing a 61-46 advantage before the Green and White went on a 6-0 run to shrink the deficit to 61-52 with 6:07 to go in the contest. The Golden Flashes responded and outscored the Eagles the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 77-63. Eastern Michigan made the most of five offensive rebounds to tack on five second chance points out of 30 total in the period.
Game Notes
» Bates scored 24 points tonight, marking the ninth time this year he has tallied 20-or-more points in a single game and his first since scoring 23 at Western Michigan, Jan. 10. Bates led the Eagles at the charity stripe, converting six of nine. He has attempted at least two free throws in 16-of-17 games this season and has made at least one attempt in 15 of those 16 contests.
» Jihad scored 11 points on the night, the second-highest total of his career behind the 17 he scored at Detroit Mercy, Dec. 18, marking just the second time he has scored in double figures in his career.
» Noah Farrakhan (Hillside, N.J.-The Patrick School-East Carolina) finished the game with three points, bringing his career total to 649 and moving him up to 78th on the program's all-time scoring ledger, surpassing Ty Toney (2015-17), who finished his EMU career with 648 points. Next up on the list is Steve Pettyjohn (2001-03), who scored 656 points for the Eagles.
» Farrakhan kept his individual assist streak alive as he finished the game with one assist to tally at least one helper in all 18 games this year and 30 games in a row dating back to last season. For his career, Farrakhan has recorded at least one assist in 40-of-43 games he has suited up for the Eagles and 47-of-54 games in his collegiate career, including the 2020-21 season with East Carolina.
» Acuff drained a three-point shot at the 16:12 mark in the first half to extend the Eagles' streak to 569 games in a row with at least one made triple. The last time Eastern failed to hit a three-point basket in a game came Jan. 24, 2004, when the Eagles were 0-of-7 at Miami.
» On the glass, the Eagles out-rebounded the Golden Flashes 38-37. It is the just the third time this season that Eastern Michigan has had at least 38 rebounds in a game. Individually, nine of the 10 players that saw action in the game recorded at least two rebounds with five pulling down at least four.
» In the game, 10 players saw minutes with nine logging at least 11. All nine of the players scored at least two points on the night to go along with at least two rebounds as well.
» The Eagles shot 9-of-17 from the free throw line, seeing their streak of four games in a row with at least 20 attempts in a game, matching the longest streak in a MAC for the Eagles since the 2016-17 season. Through five conference games, the Eagles are third in the league, converting 77.2 percent from the line while leading the conference with 123 attempts and second in makes with 95.
Historical Notes
» With the loss, the Eagles fall to 35-48 all-time in their series with the Golden Flashes and have dropped five in a row overall. The last time the Eagles won a game in the series was Feb. 18, 2020, in a 70-49 home win.
» Eastern fell to 25-14 when hosting the Golden Flashes in Ypsilanti and have dropped two in a row on its home court after winning two in a row.
Up Next
The Eagles return to action Saturday, Jan. 21, in the back-half of an EMU women's-men's doubleheader against Northern Illinois University inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. The women's game between the Eagles and Huskies is set to begin at 1 p.m. with two men's teams meeting in a projected 3:30 p.m. tip. Both games will air live on ESPN3, WEMU (89.1 FM) and the Varsity Network app. Former EMU head coach Ben Braun will return to campus and will serve as an analyst on the men's ESPN3 broadcast with Ryan Wooley.
