Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
6-20,3-10MAC
Akron
18-8,10-3MAC
Men's Hoops Drops Home Contest to Akron
2/14/2023 9:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Eagles return to action Friday, Feb. 17, with a trip to Kent State
Post Game Press Conference
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team fell, 78-51, to the University of Akron tonight, Feb. 14, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
The Eagles (6-20, 3-10 MAC) had two players score in double figures, led by Emoni Bates (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Ypsi Prep-Memphis), who had 13 points and two blocks. Fellow backcourt player Noah Farrakhan (Hillside, N.J.-The Patrick School-East Carolina) added 11 points, and Kevin-David Rice (Flint, Mich.-Grand Blanc-Delta) added four points.
How It Happened
A back-and forth affair to start, Eastern Michigan kept the game within five points for the majority of the first 20 minutes before falling behind, 29-20, heading into the half. Despite scoring 18 points in the paint over the final 20 minutes of play, Eastern Michigan could not pull any closer in the second half, losing by a final of 78-51.
Game Notes
» Emoni Bates led the team in scoring with 13 points, including a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line, while adding a team-high-tying three assists. Bates, who also tied his season-high in blocks with two, eclipsed the 500-point plateau, bringing his total to 505 on the season, which is the sixth-best in program history for sophomores. Bates is four points shy of tying Brian Tolbert for fifth place on the ledger after he scored 509 points in the 1993-94 season.
» Tyson Acuff finished with the game with three assists, marking the 14th time in 25 games played this season he has handed out at least three helpers in a game.
» Noah Farrakhan finished the night with 11 points, bringing his career total to 765 points, which moved him into 57th on the program's all-time scoring list. Farrakhan, who finished with a team-high five rebounds, moved past Chris Pipkin, who scored 759 points from 1990-93.
» With two assists tonight, Noah Farrakhan kept his consecutive games streak intact, a streak he started late last year. Through 26 games played this year, Farrakhan has tallied at least one helper in all 26 contests and has dropped at least one dime in 38 consecutive games dating back to last season. In fact, in his two seasons with the Eagles, Farrakhan has recorded at least one assist in 48-of-51 (94.1) games played for Eastern and, when including his one season with East Carolina (2020-21), he has done so in 55-of-63 (87.3) career games. Additionally, Farrakhan's streak is he fifth-longest at EMU since the 1998-99 season.
» Emoni Bates drained a three-pointer with 10:58 remaining in the second half to keep the Eagles' streak going as Eastern has now hit at least one triple in 577 games. Eastern, who finished 1-of-15 in three-point attempts in the game, last failed to score from downtown Jan. 24, 2004, when Miami held the Eagles to 0-of-7 from behind the arc.
» Eastern finished the game 12-of-14 from the free throw line, marking the seventh time this year the Eagles have attempted at least 10 free throws and converted 85 percent or better. Overall, Eastern improved to 76.5 percent on the year from the line, its best mark in a single season to date.
» The 49 combined points scored between Akron (29) and Eastern (20) in the first half is the second-lowest opening half scoring output this year, surpassed only by the 48 combined points between Central Michigan (30) and Eastern (18), Jan. 10. The 20 points scored by EMU marked just the fifth time this year the Eagles scored fewer than 30 points in the opening half and the second-lowest total behind the 18 scored at home against the Chippewas.
Historical Notes
» With the loss, the Eagles fell to 23-36 all-time in their series with the Zips with Akron extending its streak to five games in a row over Eastern. The last time Eastern was victorious came Jan. 9, 2021, in a 71-59 home win.
» The Eagles and Zips are now tied, 13-13, when the game is played in Ypsilanti with Akron winning back-to-back games on Eastern's home court for the first time since the Feb. 13, 2013 (70-63) and Jan. 22, 2014 (78-68).
Up Next
The Eagles are off to Kent, Ohio, Feb. 17, to take on the Golden Flashes of Kent State University in a 6 p.m. game that will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network. Tom Helmer, the Voice of the Eagles, will have the call on the WEMU (89.1 FM) and the Varsity Network app.
