Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
8-9,1-4MAC
Ball State
9-8,1-4MAC
Eagles Fall to Ball State, 76-62
1/16/2024 9:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EMU off to Ohio Saturday
Box Score (pdf) | Highlights | Photo Gallery
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball dropped a 76-62 decision to Ball State University Tuesday, Jan. 16, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
Junior Tyson Acuff (Detroit, Mich./Cass Technical/Duquesne) had 21 points to lead EMU, eclipsing 1,000 career points.
How It Happened
The teams traded leads for much of the first half before Ball State took a 32-26 lead. Junior Yusuf Jihad (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington/Oakland) drilled a deep triple for the Eagles to trim the deficit to three heading into halftime.
An Acuff lay-up gave EMU a 39-38 lead early in the second half prior to a 15-5 Ball State run that helped the Cardinals push their advantage to as many as 12 before the conclusion of the game.
Game Notes
» Eastern moved to 8-9 overall and 1-4 in Mid-American Conference play while Ball State moved to 9-8 overall and 1-4 in the MAC.
» Eastern Michigan was 23-of-57 (40.4%) from the floor and 4-of-17 (23.5%) from three-point range while Ball State was 26-of-52 (50.0%) from the field and 7-of-19 (36.8%) from deep.
» Acuff surpassed 1,000 career points and sits at 1,015 career points after his 21-point performance. Acuff netted 239 points in his two seasons at Duquesne.
» Acuff recorded his 17th career game with 20-plus points.
» Acuff played all 40 minutes, marking his third game this season in which he played the entirety of the game.
» Junior Jalin Billingsley (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East/Providence) matched his season high with 11 points while matching a career high with eight rebounds. He scored 11 points against Lake Superior State, Dec. 1, and recorded eight rebounds against Northwood University, Dec. 30.
» Sophomore Orlando Lovejoy (Detroit, Mich./Summit Academy North) tallied two steals. Lovejoy has multiple steals in four of the last five games and at least one steal in each of the last seven games.
» Redshirt junior Julius Ellerbe (Fort Washington, Md./Virginia Beach Sports Academy/East Central CC) recorded six rebounds, marking his ninth game with at least six rebounds.
» Redshirt sophomore Javantae Randle (Detroit, Mich./Frederick Douglas) converted his first field goal of the season in the effort against the Cardinals. Randle has played nine games in the 2023-24 season. He last made a field goal when he made three of them on March 3, 2023, at Northern Illinois University.
» Jihad was 2-for-2 from three-point range, marking his fifth game with multiple made three-pointers this season.
» EMU outrebounded BSU, 37-31, moving to 6-2 when hauling in more rebounds than its opponent.
» Eastern, which hit four threes against Ball State, has now hit at least one triple in 599-straight games. EMU last failed to score from downtown Jan. 24, 2004, when Miami University held the Eagles to 0-of-7 from behind the arc.
Historical Notes
» The contest marked the 116th all-time meeting between the Eagles and the Cardinals. Eastern Michigan trails in the series against Ball State, 45-71.
Next Up
Eastern Michigan is scheduled to travel to Ohio University in a 4 p.m. tip Saturday, Jan. 20, as the game is preceded by the EMU women taking on OU at 1 p.m.
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For the most up-to-date information on the Eagles, continue to visit EMUEagles.com. Fans can also follow the team on social media, including Twitter (@EMU_MBB) and Instagram (@EMUMBB).
