Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
4-15,1-5MAC
Northern Illinois
7-12,3-3MAC
Farrakhan Scores Season-High 26 in Loss to NIU
1/21/2023 6:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Acuff added 18 points with three steals as well
Highlight Video | Postgame Press Conference
Photo Gallery
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - Noah Farrakhan (Hillside, N.J.-The Patrick School) and Tyson Acuff (Detroit, Mich.-Cass Technical-Duquesne) combined to score 44 points as the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team fell to the Northern Illinois University Huskies, 88-67, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center, Jan. 21.
The Eagles (4-15, 1-5 MAC) had two players score in double figures, led by Farrakhan, who recorded 26 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Acuff added 18 points and two steals while Derek Ballard Jr. (Southfield, Mich.-Southfield, Mich.-Southfield-Lathrup) added four points, his first of the season.
Eastern Michigan grabbed 30 rebounds in the game compared to Northern Illinois' 28, led by Farrakhan's eight boards. The Eagles also put in work on the offensive glass, turning 11 rebounds into eight second chance points. It marked the second contest in a row in which Eastern recorded more rebounds than its opponent.
The Green and White forced 13 Northern Illinois turnovers and turned those takeaways into 13 points on the other end of the floor. Farrakhan's three steals led the way for Eastern Michigan.
How It Happened
Eastern Michigan struggled out of the gate, falling behind 50-31 heading into halftime. Northern Illinois kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 67-45 advantage before the Eagles went on a 5-0 run, finished off by Farrakhan's three, to shrink the deficit to 67-50 with 9:10 to go in the contest. The Huskies responded and outscored EMU the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 88-67. Eastern Michigan got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 24 of its 36 total points in the second half.
Game Notes
» Noah Farrakhan tallied a season-high 26 points on the night on 10-of-15 shooting, including 2-of-3 from three, while also leading the team with a career-high eight rebounds and team-best three steals. With his point total, Farrakhan scored 20+ points for the third time this year and the first time since he scored 21 at Niagara, Dec. 11. His previous season best was 25 points at Florida International, Dec. 4. He now has 13 career games with 20-or-more points scored.
» Noah Farrakhan finished the game with a game-high 26 points against Northern Illinois, Jan. 21. With those points, Farrakhan moved into a tie for No. 76 on the program's all-time scoring list with Calvin Warner (1998-00), who scored 675 points for the Eagles in his career. Farrakhan, who moved past both Steve Pettyjohn (2001-02), 656 points, and Marcus Kennedy (1990-91), 659 points, on the list, will need six more points to tie Jessie Evans (1982-84) for No. 74 on the charts with 681 points.
» With his one assist, Noah Farrakhan extended his streak to record at least one assist in all 19 games he has played this year and, dating back to last season, has recorded one in 31 games in a row. For his career, he has assisted on at least one basket in 41-of-44 games played for the Eagles and 48-of-56 games in his career, including games with East Carolina.
» Along with his scoring, Noah Farrakhan led the team with eight rebounds and three steals, both of which are season highs. The eight rebounds surpassed the six he pulled down three times this year, the most recent coming Nov. 27 at home against UC San Diego, while the three thefts surpass the two he recorded twice, most recently at Akron, Jan. 13. For his career, the rebounds tie for the most he has posted in one game (home vs. FIU, Dec. 11, 2021) and his steal total is one shy of his career best.
» Tyson Acuff also reached double-digits on the night as he finished the game with 18 points, including a team-best 7-of-9 from the free throw line, while adding a team-high-tying three assists (with Luka Savicevic) and two steals. For his career, Acuff has now scored 10+ points in a game 19 times, including 11 times this year, while recording three-or-more steals for the fourth time this season.
» Derek Ballard Jr. scored played 12 minutes and scored his first four points of the season, including draining his lone shot of the game, a three-pointer from the corner. Not only did he score his first points of the season, he more than doubled his playing time of the previous games he appeared (eight minutes total) and added three rebounds, one steal, and one block. His steal is the first he tallied since Jan. 15, 2022, at Northern Illinois, while his block is his first since Jan. 26, 2021, at Akron.
» Emoni Bates drained a deep shot with 2:43 remaining in the opening half to help the Eagles extend their consecutive games streak to 570 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.
» The Eagles' bench combined to score 36 points, the second-best total accumulated this season. The most it has scored in a game this year was 38 at Akron, Jan. 13.
» EMU Hall of Fame head coach Ben Braun made his return to campus, serving as an analyst for the ESPN3 broadcast. The winningest head coach in program history, Braun was a three-time MAC Coach of the Year and guided the Eagles to three MAC regular season and three MAC tournament titles during his tenure. Braun, who led the Eagles to the 1991 NCAA Sweet 16 and two more NCAA appearances, was recognized by the crowd during the 12-minute timeout in the first half of the game.
Historical Notes
» With the loss, the Eagles fell to 46-57 in their all-time series with the Huskies and have traded victories in the last five games played (EMU is 2-3).
» The Eagles slipped to 31-23 when playing host to the series and saw their two-game home winning streak in the series snapped.
» The attendance for the game with Northern Illinois, Jan. 21, was 4,719, the most to see a game in Ypsilanti this year, surpassing the 4,677 fans who showed up for the Season Premiere against Wayne State, Nov. 7, a 75-66 win for Eastern. The attendance also ranks as the most to see a MAC contest this year, the second-most for a MAC game behind the 5,423 fans that saw EMU defeat Central Michigan, 79-72, Feb. 12, 2005, and the fourth-most overall in the history of the George Gervin GameAbove Center (1998-99 season).
Up Next
Eastern returns to action Tuesday, Jan. 24, when it travels to face the University of Toledo inside Savage Arena. The game is slated for a 7 p.m. tip and will air live on CBS Sports Network, WEMU Radio (89.1 FM), and the Varsity Network app.
