YPSILANTI, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Memphis transfer and Ypsilanti native Emoni Bates made his debut to start the 2022-23 season in an exhibition win over NCAA Division II Grand Valley State, 85-69. He finished with 27 points making four three-pointers shooting almost 60 percent from the floor.

Three other players scored in double figures in Noah Farrakhan (22 points), Tyson Acuff (15 points), and Legend Geeter (11 points). The team shot 53 percent from the floor, 38 percent from the arc, and only 54 percent from the line. They held GVSU to 40 percent shooting and out rebounded them, 42-33.

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“We are trying to figure out who we are and how we play together as a group. We have individual talent but we need to become a team of talent. We can’t be a team that turns it on and then turns it off,” says head coach “I thought our team in the second half figured some things out as we got lots more aggressive on the defensive end. We got a lot of great pressure on the ball. This was a learning experience and we will take all the games as they come.”

EMU was only up by two at the half, 35-33, but then scored 50 points in the second half. Bates scored 14 of his 27 points in this half as EMU pulled away. GVSU, though, did take the lead momentarily, 45-44, with 14:30 to go but a 8-0 run by Farrakhan and Geeter put EMU back in front by seven, 52-45.

GVSU brought the lead down to two points, 54-52, but Farrakhan nailed a three-pointer at the 8:07 mark that sparked a 10-0 run moving the lead to 12-points, 64-52. GVSU didn’t go away as they cut the lead to five-points, 64-59, only to see EMU go on a 10-3 run for a 12-point lead, 74-62. EMU’s lead didn’t dip below 10 points after that point as they finished up with the 16-point exhibition win.

EMU will next play on November 7 against Wayne State.