The Eastern Michigan University men’s basketball team stunned the University of Cincinnati and the college basketball world with a 64-56 victory, the program's first win over a "Power 4" conference opponent since defeating the University of Michigan on Dec. 9, 2014.
On Nov. 26, 2025 the Eagles took on the Bearcats for their second of three games during the Thanksgiving break as Eastern returned to the court following the blowout loss against No. 6 ranked University of Louisville on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.
Cincinnati, coming off the win against the New Jersey Institute of Technology, entered the night 5-1 with their only loss coming from the same Louisville team that the Eagles had faced just two days prior.
First Half
The Eagles started off incredibly fast, stunning the Bearcats by shooting 56% from the field and 50% from the three point line, building a double-digit lead halfway through the first half. The Eagles took a 25-10 lead going into the under-8 media timeout with all five starters scoring points for Eastern.
Mak Manciel and Jon Sanders II were leading the way early with their shooting from beyond the arc, but the key to the flow of the game was the Eagles’ offensive gameplan. It was a drive and kick game that kept the Bearcats off-balance and unable to keep track of the high-flying Eagle team.
The defense was much improved for the Eagles as they held the Bearcats shooting percentage to just 23% while forcing five turnovers. However, the Eagles eventually hit a cold streak which allowed Cincinnati to speed the pace of the contest up and slowly climb back into the game. The Eagles were still holding a 10 point lead at this point, but the momentum had clearly shifted.
After three straight buckets by the Bearcats, Eastern Michigan head coach Stan Heath had seen enough and called a timeout to try and rally his Eagles. After the timeout, the Bearcats earned an and-1 bucket but missed the free throw, keeping the Eagles ahead by double digits.
Godslove Nwabude made his presence felt throughout the first half on both sides of the ball. On offense he had two clutch layups to keep the Eagles out in front while on the defensive side he earned four rebounds, two blocks and a steal. The big men for the Bearcats could not find any success in the paint and it was because of Nwabude.
A foul on the Bearcats with .7 seconds to go in the first half was called, sending Mak Manciel to the free throw line where he knocked down both shots. The free throws would put the Eagles up 36-23 — the first time Cincinnati had trailed all season going into halftime.
Second Half
Cincinnati returned from the halftime break with a renewed sense of urgency and drive. Both defenses tightened up, making it extremely difficult for either team to get anything going on the offensive end. The Bearcats were hustling to loose balls, diving on the floor and grabbing rebounds to keep themselves in the game.
With Cincinnati playing much more aggressively in the second half, they also earned more fouls. By the 12 minute mark in the half the Bearcats had already racked up seven fouls, putting the Eagles on the free throw line for the rest of the game.
After Cincinnati went down the floor and scored, Mehki Ellison drove right back down and hit a one handed fadeaway bank shot that put the Eagles lead back up to 14 after the two made free throws by Carlos Hart.
With ten minutes to go in the second half, the Eagles led 43-29. After a deep three by the Bearcats, Hart once again raced up the floor but slowed up to bleed the shot clock and then with a burst of speed hit a floater while also getting fouled, earning him a trip to the free throw line and adding some momentum.
The Eagles maintained a 46-34 lead with just under eight minutes to play as the Bearcats defensive pressure continued to give the Eagles trouble. Consistency on offense wasn’t easy for Cincinnati either, as the 2-3 zone that the Eagles defense was in seemed to be unbreakable for the Bearcats.
The Bearcats talent would not be denied forever as three straight threes for the Bearcats brought them within five. A controversial foul call gave the Bearcats two from the free throw line and a missed travel call brought Cincinnati within one point. However, Addison Patterson would earn a trip to the free throw line and knocked down his two attempts, pushing the Eastern lead back up to three.
A big time three by Carlos Hart pushed the lead to eight after he made two free throws. But another contested loose ball foul by the refs gave the Bearcats two shots, allowing them to drop the lead to six with just over two minutes to go.
Up to that point in the game, the Bearcats had done a great job defending Mo Habhab. They forced him to give up the ball, turn the ball over and miss shots, but he could not be denied forever. A spin move to the inside allowed him to get past his defender and drop in a layup, pushing the lead back to eight with a minute and a half left in the game.
With a minute left, the Eagles were up five after being forced to take a timeout to avoid an inbound violation. Head coach Stan Heath picked up his clipboard and got the Eagles ready for the next inbound. The inbound was successful and the Bearcats quickly fouled, putting Patterson back on the free throw line where he went one-of-two and pushed the lead back to six.
With 24 seconds left in the game all Cincinnati could do was foul and hope that the Eagles would miss their free throws but Habhab was in no such mood. The big man knocked down all four free throws and iced the game for the Eagles in the final minute.
Stats
Carlos Hart led the scoring for the Eagles with 15 points while also dishing out three assists. He shot 4-of-8 from the field and hit all of his free throws to help the Eagles fend off the Bearcats.
Cincinnati averaged 78 points coming into the game but the Eagles held them to 56 points on 34% shooting from the field. The Eagles shot 43% from the field, becoming just the second team to knock off the Cincinnati Bearcats.
The Eagles lost the turnover battle 17-12 but managed to hold on for a quality win, returning home for a Thanksgiving day feast.
What’s Next
Eastern will return to the George Gervin GameAbove Center on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, as they take on NJIT on ESPN+. The game can also be followed on the 89.1 WEMU radio station.
