East Michigan News

The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team faced a setback against Kent State University, losing 70-49 at the George Gervin GameAbove Center on February 4. Despite several attempts to close the gap, the Eagles were unable to overcome the Golden Flashes' strong performance.

Senior players Yusuf Jihad and Jalen Terry each contributed 10 points, as did Christian Henry. The game began with Kent State taking an early lead with a 13-2 run. Eastern Michigan responded with a 7-0 spurt but could not maintain momentum, trailing 33-24 at halftime.

In the second half, Eastern started with a promising 9-3 run but was soon overtaken by Kent State's decisive 25-8 rally. This pushed the Golden Flashes to their largest lead of the game at 66-44 before concluding with a final score of 70-49.

Eastern Michigan's overall record moved to 10-12 and their Mid-American Conference (MAC) standing to 4-6, while Kent State improved to an overall record of 14-8 and a conference record of 5-5.

The Eagles struggled with shooting efficiency, hitting only 28.3% from the floor and making six out of twenty-three three-point attempts. In contrast, Kent State achieved a field goal percentage of 44.3% and successfully made seven out of eighteen three-point shots.

Notable performances included Nelson achieving a career-high four blocks, marking his third consecutive game with multiple blocks. His contributions also included four assists. Arne Osojnik matched his career high with four steals for the second time in his career.

Looking ahead, Eastern Michigan will host Old Dominion on February 8 as part of the MAC-SBC Challenge.