The Eastern Michigan University men’s basketball team (8-22, 5-12 MAC) traveled to Bowling Green, Ohio, on Tuesday, Feb. 28 for a matchup against Bowling Green State University (11-19, 5-12 MAC). The game was a must-win scenario for the Eagles as they held the eighth and final spot in the MAC tournament. 

Unfortunately, the Eagles did not come away with a win as BGSU was victorious, with a final score of 88-68. 

With the loss, the Eagles will fall to 10th place in the MAC conference standings and will now need a win against Northern Illinois on Friday to continue their season, as well as losses from Miami OH, Central Michigan, and BGSU. 

Five Eagles scored double-figures as freshman point guard Orlando Lovejoy led the Eagles offensively in his start, finishing with 15 points and three rebounds. Sophomores Tyson Acuff and Legend Geeter both finished with 11 points, as fellow sophomores Emoni Bates and Yusuf Jihad added 10 points. 

In the first half, the Eagles jumped out to an early 6-2 lead with 15:55 left as the defense forced three BGSU turnovers in the first five minutes of play. BGSU would storm back from the deficit after an improved shooting performance would put them within one point, 19-18, with 10:11 left in the first half. 

It was a back-and-forth battle the rest of the half, with BGSU in the lead heading into halftime, 35-31. EMU was outrebounded by BGSU, 20-14, as well as getting themselves into foul trouble which led to the deficit at the end of the half. 

In the second half, BGSU would continue to expand their lead as EMU continued to struggle with fouls and finding the basket. The rest of the matchup would be all BGSU as they caught fire and ran away with the win, 88-68. 

The Eagles struggled all game attacking the glass with BGSU outrebounding EMU, 37-25. 

Up next, the Eagles will travel to Dekalb, Illinois, for a matchup with the Huskies of Northern Illinois University. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 8 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN3. 

For more information on the Eastern Michigan University men’s basketball team, you can listen to “TheBlockE Podcast” weekly for more in-depth analyses, statistics, and more.  

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