Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team fell to 5-4 on the season with a 76-54 loss to unbeaten Loyola University Chicago (7-0) at Gentile Arena.
Christian Henry (Chicago, Illinois/The Skill Factory/Panola College) led the Eagles with 21 points on 8-for-17, marking his second consecutive 21-point game on his 22nd birthday. Da’Sean Nelson (Toledo, Ohio/Robert S. Rogers/Kilgore College/DePaul) added 13 points and a career-high six steals, continuing his streak of four straight games with at least 13 points.
Eastern opened the game with a basket by Nelson, but Loyola responded with a dominant 15-0 run. The Eagles briefly narrowed the gap with a 7-0 surge led by two buckets from Arne Osojnik (Ljubljana, Slovenia/Dream City Christian), but the Ramblers closed the first half strong, taking a 39-26 lead into the break. Loyola extended its advantage to 26 points in the second half before Yusuf Jihad (Farmington Hills, Michigan/North Farmington/Oakland) hit two late three-pointers for Eastern.
The Eagles shot 42.2% from the field (19-of-45) and 35.0% from three-point range (7-of-20), the highest shooting percentage against Loyola Chicago this season. However, the Ramblers out-rebounded Eastern 42-15 and dominated second-chance points, 20-2. Cooper Smith (Mio, Michigan/Catholic Prep/Michigan) debuted for Eastern, scoring his first points and recording two assists in under six minutes of play.
Eastern now holds a 4-2 record against Loyola Chicago. The Eagles extended their streak of consecutive games with a three-pointer to 622, dating back to 2004.
The Eagles return home to face Purdue Fort Wayne on Sunday, Dec. 15, at 2 p.m. in the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
