Needing a win to keep hope alive for a share of the Mid-American Conference West title, the Eastern Michigan women’s basketball team saw the game slip away in the final minute of a 65-64 loss to Toledo.

The victory clinched the outright MAC West Championship for the host Rockets (21-6, 13-1 MAC).

With the game tied at 62, Toledo’s Naama Shafir hit a 3-pointer with two second left of the shot clock, giving the Rockets a 65-64 lead with 57 seconds left in the game.

The Eagles’ Kristen Thomas cut the deficit to one point with a layup with 37 seconds left, but Eastern Michigan (18-10, 9-5 MAC) never got the ball back.

Shafir led all scorers with 32 points, as the junior guard knocked down 14 of 15 free throw attempts.

Cassie Schrock had 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for Eastern Michigan, and Tavelyn James scored 21.

The Eagles led by as many as 15 points in the first half, and led 36-31 at halftime. Shafir gave the Rockets their first lead of the game, 45-44, hitting two free throws with just over 12 minutes remaining.

The Eagles, however, still have a chance at a first-round bye in the MAC tournament. Four byes are awarded—two to the division winners, and two to the the teams with the next best records.

The Eagles stay on the road on Saturday against Central Michigan, another top MAC team that is fighting for a bye, then return home to finish the season on March 2nd against Western Michigan.

MORE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Concordia 77, Siena Heights 51: Five players reach double figures, led by Marion Rodriguez' 15, as the Cardinals advance to play Cornerstone in the second round of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. (Boxscore)

MEN'S BASKETBALL

The Eastern Michigan men’s basketball team suffered prolonged offensive droughts in the second half Wednesday, as the Eagles lost 64-49 on the road at Ball St.

EMU led 26-24 at halftime, then quickly extended the lead to 32-26 early in the second half when J.R. Sims and Antonio Green each hit 3-pointers.

But the Eagles were outscored 16-4 over the next five and a half minutes, and Eastern Michigan (8-19, 4-9 Mid-American Conference) went scoreless for another six and a half minutes later in the half, as Ball St. pulled away.

Brandon Bowdry turned in his 37th career double-double, scoring 17 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. No other player scored more than six points for the Eagles.

Jarrod Jones scored 18 for Ball St. (16-11, 8-5 MAC), and Chris Bond added 16.

Eastern Michigan held Ball St. to 10 of 33 shooting (30 percent) in the first half with its typically stingy defense, but the Cardinals had better offensive success after halftime, connecting on 11 of 22 shots (50 percent).

EMU shot just 8 of 29 (28 percent) in the second half.

The Eagles return home on Sunday to host Western Michigan, where former Eastern Michigan standout, and current Milwaukee Buck Earl Boykins will have his jersey retired during a halftime ceremony.

COLLEGE BASEBALL

Kentucky 5, Eastern Michigan 2: Joe Battistelli takes the loss, lasting 3.2 innings in his first start of the season. Ben Magsig drove in both runs for EMU with a two-run homerun in the seventh inning. (More at EMUEagles.com)