Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
8-22,5-12MAC
Bowling Green
11-19,5-12MAC
Eagles Fall at Bowling Green, 88-68
2/28/2023 9:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Five players score in double figures on the road in the loss
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) -- Five Eagles scored in double digits, but the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team fell to the Bowling Green State University Falcons, 88-68, on the road, Feb. 28, inside the Stroh Center. Orlando Lovejoy (Detroit, Mich.-Summit Academy North) was the leading scorer for the Eagles as he tallied 15 points, three shy of his career high.
The Eagles (8-22, 5-12 MAC), who were looking to clinch a berth in the 2023 MAC Tournament with a win, will now look to rebound on the road at Northern Illinois University, March 3, and receive a little help from other teams.
How It Happened
After falling behind, 2-1, Eastern Michigan went on a 7-0 run with 18:54 left in the first half to take an 8-2 lead. The Eagles then surrendered that lead and entered halftime down, 35-31. Bowling Green kept widening its lead after intermission, building a four-point advantage into a 20-point win.
Game Notes
» Five Eagles finished the game with 10-or-more points scored, marking the fourth time that has happened the season. Orlando Lovejoy led the way with 15 points with 11 points each from both Legend Geeter (River Rouge, Mich.-River Rouge-Providence) and Tyson Acuff (Detroit, Mich.-Cass Tech-Duquesne and 10 apiece from both Emoni Bates (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Ypsi Prep-Memphis) and Yusuf Jihad (Farmington Hills, Mich.-North Farmington-Oakland). The last time came at home against Ohio, Jan. 31, when Acuff (29), Bates (19), Kevin-David Rice (Flint, Mich.-Grand Blanc-Delta College) (11), Jalin Billingsley (Cleveland, Ohio-Lutheran East-Georgetown)(10), and Jihad (10) accomplished the feat.
» Orlando Lovejoy finished the game with team-high 15 points, reaching double figures for the fourth time this season and the first time since scoring 11 at Illinois State, Dec. 7, which came 19 games prior. Lovejoy, who was three points off his career-best 18 points scored in the opener against Wayne State, Nov. 7, led the team in scoring for just the second time this year with the first coming against WSU in his collegiate debut.
» Yusuf Jihad tallied 10 points, marking the fourth time this year and in his career, he has scored 10+ in a game. The last time he reached double digits came at home against Ohio, Jan. 31, when he scored 10. His points against Bowling Green are also the most he has scored in a road contest, surpassing the eight he scored at Toledo, Jan. 24.
» Legend Geeter also scored 10+ points in the game as he finished the night with 11 points. Geeter, who reached double-figure scoring for the fourth time this year, tied his second-best point output of 11 points that he scored Jan. 13 at Akron. He finished the game with one assist, one steal, and one block.
» Emoni Bates tallied 10 points, hitting double figures for the 25th time in 29 games and collected two made three pointers. With his triples, Bates now has 76 on the season, which ranks eighth in a single season in program history. He is four makes from becoming the fifth player in Eastern history to drain 80+ in a season. Additionally, his 10 points brought his season total to 571, which ranks him 94th on EMU's all-time scoring list.
» Big man Legend Geeter connected on just his second three-point basket (entered the game shooting 1-of-4 from three) of the season with 17:38 remaining in the first half of play to keep the Eagles' streak going as Eastern has now hit at least one triple in 581 games. Eastern, who finished 3-of-12 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.
Historical Notes
» With the loss, the Eagles fell to 43-56 in the all-time series with the Falcons with Bowling Green having now won eight in a row in the series. The last time Eastern defeated BGSU came Jan. 10, 2017, with an 81-53 decision at Bowling Green.
» Eastern fell to 16-34 all-time when BGSU plays host to the game with the Falcons having now won five in a row on their home court against the Eagles.
Up Next
Eastern returns to the road Friday, March 3, when it travels to DeKalb, Ill., to close out the regular season at Northern Illinois University. The game is scheduled to tip at 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET) and will be streamed live from inside the Convocation Center on ESPN3. Tom Helmer, the Voice of the Eagles, will have the call on the WEMU (89.1 FM) and the Varsity Network app.
