The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team made the long flight to Miami, Florida for a showdown with Florida International University on Wednesday, Nov. 30, inside the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. The Eagles snapped a six-game losing streak behind an electric second-half effort where EMU outscored FIU 53-33 fueled by sophomores Emoni Bates’s and Noah Farrakhan’s combined 40 points to come from behind and secure the 80-68 victory over the Panthers.
Fans of EMU men’s hoops will remember the FIU Panthers from last year's campaign when these two teams matched up in the George Gervin Convocation Center and put on quite the show as the game went to four overtimes before the Eagles came away with a hard-fought 92-88 victory behind Farrakhan’s 27 points.
In this year’s rematch, Bates led all scorers with a game-high 26 points while pulling down eight rebounds off the glass and converting seven of eight shots at the foul line. Farrakhan was hot on Bates’s heels, posting a season-high 25 points of his own on a team-high 61.1 percent shooting percentage from the floor. Junior guard Tyson Acuff continued to settle into his role within the Eagles' offensive scheme and was all over the stat sheet, joining his aforementioned teammates in double-digit scoring figures with 13, and adding four dimes, four steals, and six rebounds in an impressive all-around performance.
In the first half of the game, the Eagles faced the same struggles that had plagued them in the throws of their six-game skid as 11 of the team’s 14 turnovers came in the initial 20 minutes of play and had a tough time finding consistent offense, shooting only 34.5 percent from the floor compared to a much more efficient 62.5 percent in the second half. EMU would tie the game four times early in the opening half but were never able to grab the lead as FIU would stretch the gap to 11 points on a 15-4 scoring run that would help the Panthers go into the break with a 35-27 advantage.
Coming out of intermission the Eagles slowly but surely fought back. After being held to just four points in the first half, Farrakhan led the team in second-half points with 21 and Bates added 19 of his own while going 2-3 from three-point range to give him three total on the evening. Emoni has now hit at least three triples in every game wearing an Eagles jersey.
Junior Kevin-David Rice was cleared to play after dealing with an off-season injury and made his 2022 debut. Rice added seven points and one dime off the bench in 21 minutes of game time and made a significant impact when he hit a crucial three-point shot with 9:08 to go in the second half that brought EMU to within one point from tying the game.
The Eagles took their first lead of the game with only 7:18 remaining on the clock when Farrakhan cashed in a jumper to give EMU the 59-58 edge. On the ensuing possession, FIU guard Javaunte Hawkins would make the Panthers’ lone three-point shot of the night to reclaim the lead, but with ice in his veins, Noah Farrakhan calmly orchestrated the offense to perfection and matched the Panthers’ triple with a three of his own to give the Eagles a 62-61 lead back that they would never surrender.
From that point, EMU would end the game on an 18-7 run, continuing to showcase just how good this squad can be offensively when Bates and Farrakhan are at their best and finishing with the 80-68 win. Wednesday night marked the team’s first win in over three weeks and the first since their season opener against Wayne State on Nov. 7.
Next on deck, the Eagles come home to Ypsilanti on Sunday, Dec. 4 for a matchup with a Florida Atlantic University team who is boasting a five-game win streak that includes a victory over the University of Florida. Tip-off for this game will occur at approximately 2:30 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
For more information on the Eastern Michigan men’s basketball team, you can visit EMUeagles.com, as well as listen to "TheBlockE Podcast" weekly for updates on all Eastern Michigan University Athletics here.
