The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team traveled to Normal, IL on Wednesday, Dec. 7, for a matchup with Illinois State University inside Redbird Arena. After trailing by six points at halftime, the Eagles fought back in the second half making it a back-and-forth game before ultimately falling by the same deficit they found themselves in at halftime as the Redbirds defeated the Eagles 87-81.
In total, the Redbirds converted 27 free throws on 35 attempts at the line compared to the Eagles’ 18 made free throws on 25 attempts.
Emoni Bates tied the game at 71-71 with 5:39 remaining to play in the contest on a three-point shot.
Unfortunately, personal fouls ended up being a major factor in the outcome of the game following the even score. 12 of the 16 points scored on the Redbirds’ 16-10 closeout scoring run came from free throws, and both sophomore Jalen Billingsley and Noah Farrakhan fouled out late in the game for the Eagles as Illinois State used this advantage in their favor.
Junior Tyson Acuff led all Eagles in the scoring column with 14, while also dishing out 4 assists and grabbing 4 rebounds. Sophomore Legend Geeter scored 13 in a career-high effort, while true freshman Orlando Lovejoy and sophomore Noah Farrakhan added 11 points and 10 points respectively to round out the four double-digit scorers for EMU.
Lovejoy was also responsible for a team-high three steals off the bench, which also ties his personal best set on Nov. 19, against Oakland University in the 92-90 overtime loss.
Wednesday night marked the first game that sophomore Bates did not tally double-digit scoring as an Eagle. Bates only attempted six shots from the floor compared to his average of 16.5 attempts per game this season.
The Redbirds matched the Eagles with four double-digit scorers but had two players that EMU could not seem to stop, who both scored over 20 points. Illinois State senior Kendall Lewis scored 22 while fellow senior Colton Sandage added 28 points as the pair got to the free throw line at will and combined for 21 free throw attempts.
Next up, the EMU Eagles are flying east to the scenic Niagara Falls, NY to take on the Niagara University Purple Eagles on Sunday, Dec. 11. Coverage from inside the Gallagher Center can be streamed via ESPN+ starting at 1 p.m.
For more information on the EMU men’s basketball team, visit EMUeagles.com and listen to TheBlockE Podcast weekly for updates on all EMU Athletics.
