It was a tale of two halves as Eastern Michigan fell to Bowling Green in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, 47-63.
The Eagles started off strong as they dominated on both sides of the ball. With their defensive pressure, they gave the Falcons fits as they shot 4-for-16 by the end of the first quarter. By halftime, the Eagles only gave up 21 points, looking primed for the win.
On the of offensive side, the Eagles started off slow, but picked it up after finally getting their first score at the 6:15 mark. They continued to outscore the Falcons and had a 10-point lead by the end of the first half.
By the third quarter, the Falcons exploded offensively and began to toughen up on defense. The Eagles started to play sloppy on offense, giving the ball away numerous times, and getting into foul trouble on the defensive end. The Falcons slowly chipped away at the lead until ultimately changing the momentum of the game. By end of the quarter, the Falcons went on a 16-2 run and stunningly took the lead by the score of 37-41. The Eagles were outscored 6-20.
The fourth quarter decided the fate for the Eagles as they continued to struggle on offense. The Falcons started on a 7-0 run to balloon the lead up to 11. The Eagles could never get back the spark they had in the first half, and they were outscored 22-10 in the fourth. Both teams shot poorly from the field and from three. However, the Falcons had a significant advantage at the free-throw stripe, having 23 free-throws made to the Eagles’ five.
Despite the loss, redshirt sophomore forward Ce’Nara Skanes had a solid game with 13 points and 9 rebounds, and tallied a steal and a block on defense. Redshirt senior guard Areanna Combs had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds with two three-pointers made.
Coach Castro had high praises for his seniors, especially Combs that had a great season. Castro was proud of his team, as they managed “to get incrementally better” over the last five seasons he has coached.
The Eagles finished eighth in the Mid-Atlantic Conference with an overall record of 10-10. Combs earned Second Team All-MAC honors, and was also named to the MAC All-Defensive Team. Skanes with her amazing play this season, collected Third Team All-MAC honors. The Eagles are headed into the offseason, where they look to get healthy and improve from the 2020-21 season.
