Men suffer hard-faught loss

A season-high crowd of over one thousand fans packed Yoder Arena for Saturday's men's basketball game against cross-county rival Bridgewater College. The atmosphere reflected the stakes as the teams battled for a share of first place in the ODAC.

Senior guard Ricky Easterling scored a game-high 27 points, overcoming a slow start and despite constant chanting from the student section of the gym, to lead the Eagles to victory.

Host EMU (10-7, 6-5 ODAC) jumped out to an 11-0 lead at the 15:54 mark and maintained a lead of at least five points for the rest of the half, leading 40-32 at the break. The Royals held onto the lead until BC (14-4, 9-2 ODAC) took over momentum in the final minutes.

With EMU leading 65-60 with 6:05 remaining, sophomore guard Josh Maupin pulled the Eagles within one with a three-pointer and ensuing free throw. On the next possession, senior guard Ashby Tarkington connected on a three-pointer for a two-point BC lead.

The teams battled back-and-forth for several minutes until Maupin hit another key three-point field goal with 51 seconds remaining for a 76-74 Bridgewater advantage. EMU sophomore forward Jason Sager missed a three-pointer and teammate Jason Lentz grabbed the rebound before being called for a critical offensive foul with 22 seconds remaining. BC hit four free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the victory.

Easterling's 27 points marked the ninth time this season he has broken the 20-point barrier and the 14th time leading the Eagles in points. Junior forward Clay Michael had his ninth double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Bridgewater, which gave coach Bill Leatherman his 300th career victory, shot 50.9% from the floor and hit 7-of-13 three-point field goals. The Eagles went 17-for-18 from the free-throw line, their best performance of the season with at least 10 attempts. They also tied a season-low with 10 turnovers.

Sager led four players in double figures for EMU with his 10th double-double of the season with 26 points and 10 rebounds. It was his sixth time with at least 20 points and ninth time leading the team in scoring. Lentz, a sophomore center, had his second double-double with 12 points and 10 boards. Freshmen Korey Whiting and Brad Parkes had 12 points apiece for the Royals.

EMU shot 53.8% from the floor but went just 4-for-15 from the three-point arch. The Royals made 15-of-20 free throw attempts. EMU set a season-high with 20 assists, led by five apiece from sophomore guards Chris Ropp and JoMorrae Gordon.