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ATHENS, Ohio -- Freshman forward Jason Carter (Johnstown, Ohio) scored 14 points and netted his first career double-double with a career-high 11 rebounds, but the Ohio men's basketball team (11-4, 3-1 MAC) suffered its first Mid-American Conference setback of the 2016-17 season, falling to West Division foe Eastern Michigan (11-6, 3-1 MAC), 53-49, on Saturday (Jan. 14) at the Convocation Center.

Sophomore guard/forward Gavin Block (Lincoln, Ill.) was fouled with 4:06 remaining and sank the second of his two free throw attempts to give the Bobcats a 49-48 edge. It proved to be Ohio's final point of the game as the Eagles shut the 'Cats out down the final stretch.

A layup by senior guard Ty Toney gave Eastern Michigan a 50-49 lead with 3:44 to go. With nine seconds left, junior guard Tim Bond hit a three-pointer from the right corner of the court to give the Eagles a four-point lead with 10 seconds left. The final 4:06 saw Ohio suffer through five missed shots -- including four missed three-point attempts -- and a pair of missed free throws.

The Bobcats shot just 30.4 percent (14-of-46) from the field -- including just 25 percent (5-of-20) from beyond the arc. Ohio also struggled from the free throw line, converting only 16 of 29 attempts from the charity stripe.

"Frustrating night to say the least," said third-year head coach Saul Phillips. "We never got into any type of rhythm offensively. We did find gaps, but we didn't make plays and far too often ended up with a tough play at the end of a possession."

Ohio took a 26-19 lead into halftime, but Eastern Michigan outscored the Bobcats by 11 in the second half, shooting 50 percent from the field (13-of-26).

Senior forward Antonio Campbell (Cincinnati, Ohio) played just three minutes for the Bobcats after suffering an injury. Carter played 28 minutes in his absence, shooting 4-of-7 from the field and 6-of-9 from the free throw line. Sophomore forward Doug Taylor (Columbus, Ohio) grabbed seven boards, scored three points and posted a block in 16 minutes.

Sophomore guard Jordan Dartis (Newark, Ohio) finished with 12 points and four rebounds in 34 minutes.

Redshirt senior forward Kenny Kaminski (Medina, Ohio) finished in double figures for the sixth game in a row with 10 points. He also added two assists and a team-high two steals over 34 minutes.

"We just didn't get a lot of movement going in our offense, and we kinda got a little stagnant and some turnovers killed us," said Block, who finished with eight points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal in 32 minutes.

Toney led all scorers with 17 points for Eastern Michigan. He also chipped in four rebounds, three assists and a game-high three steals in 37 minutes.

Bond totaled 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds to go along with three assists and two steals in 38 minutes.

Sophomore forward/center James Thompson IV recorded 11 points, six rebounds and an assist over 22 minutes before fouling out.

An and-one layup by Carter with 13:40 to play gave the Bobcats a 37-30 lead -- their largest of the second half. Thompson IV and Block got tied up going for a rebound underneath the basket after a miss by Thompson IV and tempers flared, resulting in four technical fouls being assessed. Momentum seemed to swing in favor of the Eagles after that as Eastern Michigan 7-0 run to tie the score at 37-all.

Kaminski sank a trey with just over 10 minutes to go to put the Bobcats back up by three, but a 9-3 run by Eastern Michigan that was capped by a Toney three put the Eagles in front, 46-44, with 6:44 remaining.

Ohio managed to tie the score twice thanks to a pair of free throws by Kaminski and a layup by Block. Block's made freebie with just over foul minutes left proved to be all the points Ohio could muster, though, as Eastern Michigan took advantage of the Bobcats' missed opportunities down the stretch to post its first victory in the Convo since 2003.

Ohio, which will play four its next five games away from Athens, hits the road again for a critical MAC East Division showdown against rival Akron (14-3, 4-0 MAC) next Tuesday (Jan. 17) at James A. Rhodes Arena. The opening tip is slated for 7 p.m. ET. The contest will be broadcast on American Sports Network and ESPN3 and is being streamed live nationally on WatchESPN and the ESPN app.

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