Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, March 7
Kent, Ohio
7 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
16-15,9-9MAC
70
at
76
Kent State
21-10,11-7MAC
1
2
F
Eastern Mich.
36
34
70
Kent St.
31
45
76
Eastern Battles at Kent State, Set for MAC Tournament
3/7/2025 9:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Eagles came back from 13-point deficit to lead, No. 7 seed EMU to face No. 2 seed Miami
Purchase Tickets | MAC Tournament Info | Rocket Arena Bag Policies
KENT, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team rallied from a 13-point deficit before ultimately falling at Kent State University, 76-70 Friday, March 7, inside the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.
With the results across the Mid-American Conference Friday, Eastern is scheduled to play #2 Miami University Thursday, March 13, with an approximate start time of 4 p.m. in the opening round of the MAC Tournament. Click here to purchase tickets.
Christian Henry (Chicago, Ill./The Skill Factory/Panola College) led Eastern with 18 points, six assists, five rebounds, two steals, and a career-high two blocked shots.
Yusuf Jihad (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington/Oakland) produced 14 points in 19 minutes while Jalin Billingsley (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East/Georgetown) chipped in 15 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
How it Happened
A slow start for Eastern put the visitors behind, 20-7, through seven minutes.
The Eagles used a 26-7 run, which included 16-straight points, to take a 34-26 lead. During the run, Eastern held the Golden Flashes to just one field goal in a span of 11:54 as KSU had a stretch of 9:27 without a made bucket.
EMU settled for a 36-31 lead at halftime.
Eastern continued its quality play, building a 46-35 lead on a Da'Sean Nelson (Toledo, Ohio/Robert S. Rogers/Kilgore College/DePaul) layup and free throw at the 15:56 mark. The Eagles expanded their advantage to as many as 14 with a Jihad three-pointer with 11:50 left.
Kent State launched a 10-0 run to cut the Eastern lead to 57-54 with eight minutes to play. The Golden Flashes continued their positive momentum, tying the at the 6:46 mark.
Three-pointers by Billingsley and Arne Osojnik (Ljubljana, Slovenia/Dream City Christian) pushed the Eastern edge out to 67-63 with 3:46 to go.
Kent State used a 13-1 run in the final minutes to take complete control of the game before Osojnik put in a pair of free throws to make it 76-70.
Game Notes
» Eastern moved to 16-15 overall and 9-9 in the MAC while Kent State improved to 21-10 overall and 11-7 in conference action.
» Eastern Michigan was 23-of-47 (48.9%) from the floor and 7-of-20 (35.0%) from three-point range while Kent State was 24-of-55 (43.6%) from the field and 11-of-25 (44.0%) from deep.
» Eastern was an impressive 17-of-18 (94.4%) at the free throw line, its second-best shooting mark at the charity stripe in a single game in program history (minimum 10 attempts).
» Henry's 18 points, six assists, and five rebounds, marks his second game this season with at least 15 points, five assists, and five rebounds. Henry had 18 points, six assists, and six rebounds against Buffalo, Jan. 25.
» Terry, the MAC leader in minutes at 37.3 minutes per game entering Tuesday, played 38 minutes.
» Billingsley's 15 points are his most since netting 18 against Buffalo, Jan. 25.
» Billingsley entered the day ranked fifth in the MAC in field goal percentage, bumping his field percentage to .562 with a 4-of-6 showing. Billingsley drilled a career-high three three-pointers on four attempts.
» Jihad was 5-of-7 from the floor to score 14 points in his 19 minutes, his second-most court time of the season. His 14 points are his most since scoring 15 against Buffalo, Jan. 25. After his 10-point showing at Ohio, March 4, Jihad has back-to-back games in double digits for the first time this season.
» Godslove Nwabude (Anambra State, Nigeria/Mt. Zion Prep) was 1-for-1 from the floor as his two points mark his first time in the scoring column since Feb. 11 at Ball State.
» Eastern posted four blocks, marking 27-straight games with at least one block, the team's longest streak since blocking at least one shot in every game during the 2021-22 season.
» The Eagles suffered their first loss of the season when leading at halftime. EMU moves to 10-1 in such games and was the only team in the MAC without a loss when leading at the break. Eastern led, 36-31, at halftime Friday.
Historical Notes
» EMU moved to 26-51 against Kent State.
» Eastern, which hit seven threes against Kent State, has now hit at least one triple in 644-straight games. EMU last failed to score from downtown Jan. 24, 2004, when the RedHawks held the Eagles to 0-of-7 from behind the arc.The Eagles have converted multiple three-pointers in 66-straight contests, not having done so most recently in a 1-for-15 performance against Akron, Feb.14, 2023.
Next Up
With the results across the Mid-American Conference Friday, No. 7 seed Eastern Michigan is scheduled to play No. 2 seed Miami University Thursday, March 13, with an approximate start time of 4 p.m. in the opening round of the MAC Tournament. Click here to purchase tickets.
Follow Us
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).
KENT, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team rallied from a 13-point deficit before ultimately falling at Kent State University, 76-70 Friday, March 7, inside the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.
With the results across the Mid-American Conference Friday, Eastern is scheduled to play #2 Miami University Thursday, March 13, with an approximate start time of 4 p.m. in the opening round of the MAC Tournament. Click here to purchase tickets.
Christian Henry (Chicago, Ill./The Skill Factory/Panola College) led Eastern with 18 points, six assists, five rebounds, two steals, and a career-high two blocked shots.
Yusuf Jihad (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington/Oakland) produced 14 points in 19 minutes while Jalin Billingsley (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East/Georgetown) chipped in 15 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
How it Happened
A slow start for Eastern put the visitors behind, 20-7, through seven minutes.
The Eagles used a 26-7 run, which included 16-straight points, to take a 34-26 lead. During the run, Eastern held the Golden Flashes to just one field goal in a span of 11:54 as KSU had a stretch of 9:27 without a made bucket.
EMU settled for a 36-31 lead at halftime.
Eastern continued its quality play, building a 46-35 lead on a Da'Sean Nelson (Toledo, Ohio/Robert S. Rogers/Kilgore College/DePaul) layup and free throw at the 15:56 mark. The Eagles expanded their advantage to as many as 14 with a Jihad three-pointer with 11:50 left.
Kent State launched a 10-0 run to cut the Eastern lead to 57-54 with eight minutes to play. The Golden Flashes continued their positive momentum, tying the at the 6:46 mark.
Three-pointers by Billingsley and Arne Osojnik (Ljubljana, Slovenia/Dream City Christian) pushed the Eastern edge out to 67-63 with 3:46 to go.
Kent State used a 13-1 run in the final minutes to take complete control of the game before Osojnik put in a pair of free throws to make it 76-70.
Game Notes
» Eastern moved to 16-15 overall and 9-9 in the MAC while Kent State improved to 21-10 overall and 11-7 in conference action.
» Eastern Michigan was 23-of-47 (48.9%) from the floor and 7-of-20 (35.0%) from three-point range while Kent State was 24-of-55 (43.6%) from the field and 11-of-25 (44.0%) from deep.
» Eastern was an impressive 17-of-18 (94.4%) at the free throw line, its second-best shooting mark at the charity stripe in a single game in program history (minimum 10 attempts).
» Henry's 18 points, six assists, and five rebounds, marks his second game this season with at least 15 points, five assists, and five rebounds. Henry had 18 points, six assists, and six rebounds against Buffalo, Jan. 25.
» Terry, the MAC leader in minutes at 37.3 minutes per game entering Tuesday, played 38 minutes.
» Billingsley's 15 points are his most since netting 18 against Buffalo, Jan. 25.
» Billingsley entered the day ranked fifth in the MAC in field goal percentage, bumping his field percentage to .562 with a 4-of-6 showing. Billingsley drilled a career-high three three-pointers on four attempts.
» Jihad was 5-of-7 from the floor to score 14 points in his 19 minutes, his second-most court time of the season. His 14 points are his most since scoring 15 against Buffalo, Jan. 25. After his 10-point showing at Ohio, March 4, Jihad has back-to-back games in double digits for the first time this season.
» Godslove Nwabude (Anambra State, Nigeria/Mt. Zion Prep) was 1-for-1 from the floor as his two points mark his first time in the scoring column since Feb. 11 at Ball State.
» Eastern posted four blocks, marking 27-straight games with at least one block, the team's longest streak since blocking at least one shot in every game during the 2021-22 season.
» The Eagles suffered their first loss of the season when leading at halftime. EMU moves to 10-1 in such games and was the only team in the MAC without a loss when leading at the break. Eastern led, 36-31, at halftime Friday.
Historical Notes
» EMU moved to 26-51 against Kent State.
» Eastern, which hit seven threes against Kent State, has now hit at least one triple in 644-straight games. EMU last failed to score from downtown Jan. 24, 2004, when the RedHawks held the Eagles to 0-of-7 from behind the arc.The Eagles have converted multiple three-pointers in 66-straight contests, not having done so most recently in a 1-for-15 performance against Akron, Feb.14, 2023.
Next Up
With the results across the Mid-American Conference Friday, No. 7 seed Eastern Michigan is scheduled to play No. 2 seed Miami University Thursday, March 13, with an approximate start time of 4 p.m. in the opening round of the MAC Tournament. Click here to purchase tickets.
Follow Us
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).
2025 Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
March 13-15 | Cleveland, Ohio | Rocket Arena
Thursday, March 13, 2025 - Quarterfinals
Game 1: No. 1 Akron vs. No. 8 Bowling Green, 11 a.m. ET (ESPN+)
Game 2: No. 4 Toledo vs. No. 5 Ohio, Time TBA* (ESPN+)
Game 3: No. 2 Miami vs. No. 7 Eastern Michigan, Time TBA* (ESPN+)
Game 4: No. 3 Kent State vs. No. 6 Western Michigan, Time TBA* (ESPN+)
Friday, March 14, 2025 - Semifinals
Game 5: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, 5 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)
Game 6: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner, 7:30 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)
Saturday, March 15, 2025 – MAC Championship Game
Game 7: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner, 7:40 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
*30 minutes following the completion of the first game of the session.
Team Stats
EMU
KentSt
FG%
.489
.436
3FG%
.350
.440
FT%
.944
.773
RB
26
31
TO
16
13
STL
8
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
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