After a late game push by the Falcons, they could not overcome Central Michigan, losing 73-67 on Wednesday in the Mid-American Conference season opener.

The Falcons went into halftime down 37-20, but Central Michigan lead the Falcons by 23 in the second half.

Senior Jordan Crawford had different plans for the Chippewas. After a slow first half, he answered by putting up 25 points in the second half. Crawford set a new career-high in points with 29 on the night.

Sophomore Anthony Henderson recorded a career high in points as well, with 13 points against the Chippewas including three 3-point baskets.

Sophomore Richaun Holmes had a stellar night on defense, recording nine rebounds and five blocks. Now, Holmes has a total of 40 blocks on the season and is averaging 2.9 blocks per game, which places him in the top 20 in the nation in blocks per game.

After the loss tonight, the Falcons drop to 5-9 on the season and 0-1 in conference play. Central Michigan jumps to 8-6 on the season and 1-0 in conference play.

The next team up on BG’s schedule is another MAC-West team: Eastern Michigan. The Eagles are currently 7-8 (0-1) after a 60-58 loss to Ball State Wednesday night. Eastern Michigan has dropped seven of their last 10 games and are on a three-game losing streak.

BG will tip-off against the Eagles on Saturday at the Stroh Center at 6 p.m. and the game will be televised by SportsTime Ohio as well.