Eastern Michigan Athletics
Men's Hoops Flies South for Flint Resources Islander Invitational
12/27/2007 12:48:04 PM | Men's Basketball
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Comparing the Teams: EMU enters the first game of the Flint Resources Islander Invitational with a 4-5 record. The Eagles lost a heartbreaking 58-55 decision at Temple (Dec. 22) on a three-point shot with just 1.2 seconds left in the game. Rhode Island has an 11-1 record and the Rams are fresh from an easy 88-69 win over Hofstra (Dec. 22). Rhode Island is ranked 25th by both the Associated Press and ESPN-USA Today.
Comparing the Teams: Georgia Southern enters the Islander Invitational with an 8-2 record. The Eagles handed Asbury an 82-51 loss (Dec. 20). Texas A&M C.C. has a 2-7 record, with the latest decision a 95-70 loss to Mississippi State. Saturday’s, Dec. 29 games, will be at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. EST. The Texas A&M Corpus Christi game Saturday is set for 8:30 p.m.
FOR THE 111th TIME: The 2007-08 season is the 111th year of men’s intercollegiate basketball at Eastern Michigan University. EMU played its inaugural season in 1897-98 and split games with Detroit, losing a 2-0 decision before coming back for a 4-0 victory. This year will also be the 33rd for the Eagles as a member of the Mid-American Conference. The first year of MAC play for EMU was 1974-75 when the then-Hurons went 12-14 overall and 4-9 in league play. EMU has won three Mid-American Conference titles: 1987-88, 1990-91, and 1995-96, and the Green and White captured MAC Tournament crowns in all three of those years in addition to winning the MAC tourney title in 1997-98.
EAGLES 4-5: A last-second three-point field goal by Temple’s Mark Tyndale broke a 55-all tie and gave the Owls a 58-55 non-conference win over the Eagles Saturday (Dec. 22) in Philadelphia, Pa. Eastern lost the heartbreaker after junior point guard Carlos Medlock (Detroit, Mich.-Murray Wright) tied the game at 55-55 on a driving lay-up with just 13.2 seconds left in the game. The loss dropped EMU to 4-5 heading into the Flint Hills Resources Islander Invitational, Dec. 28-29, in Corpus Christi, Texas. The opening game of the invitational, Friday (Dec. 28) at 6 p.m. (EST) will see EMU square off against a Rhode Island team that is currently 11-1 on the season. The second game Friday will have host Texas A&M Corpus Christi (2-7) match up with Georgia Southern (8-2) at 8:30 p.m. Friday’s losing teams will meet in the consolation game with the winning squads squaring off in the championship contest. The host school is scheduled to play in the second game Saturday, against either EMU or Rhode Island.
MATTHEWS SEES FIRST ACTION: Senior forward James Matthews (Detroit, Mich.-Denby) saw his first action of the 2007-08 season at Temple Saturday (Dec. 22) and responded with two points and three rebounds in 11 minutes of action. Matthews missed the first eight games of the year.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Dec. 28
EMU (4-5)
F 21 Wendale Farrow (6-7, 210, Jr.)
C 25 Justin Dobbins (6-8, 236, So.)
G 3 Carlos Medlock (6-0, 186, Jr.)
G 23 Jesse Bunkley (6-5, 208, Sr.)
G 32 Travis Lewis (6-2, 200, Sr.)
RHODE ISLAND (11-1)
F 25 Will Daniels (6-8, 225, Sr.)
F 33 Kahiem Seawright (6-8, 235, Jr.)
F 54 Jason Francis (6-9, 280, Jr.)
G 14 Parfait Bitee (6-2, 190, Sr.)
G 20 Jimmy Baron (6-3, 195, Jr.)
GEORGIA SOUTHERN (8-2)
F 33 Matthew Fields (6-7, 195, Sr.)
F 40 Louis Graham (6-8, 200, Sr.)
G 1 Dwayne Foreman (5-10, 170, Sr.)
G 24 Julian Allen (6-4, 200, Jr.)
G 50 Willie Powers (6-2, 180, Fr.)
TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI (2-7)
F 23 Justin Reynolds (6-9, 230, Fr.)
C 54 Chris Daniels (7-0, 265, Sr.)
G 10 Kevin Perkins (6-1, 160, Fr.)
G 11 Shannon Shorter (6-4, 200, Fr.)
G 12 Tim Green (6-3, 190, Jr.)
HALFTIME LOOK: In EMU’s four wins, the Eagles have led at the half in just two games. In its five losses, the Eagles have led at the half in two games.
BIG ON THE BOARDS: Senior guard Travis Lewis (Kalamazoo, Mich.-Loy Norrix) gained the first start of the 2007-08 season when the Eagles traveled to Temple Saturday (Dec. 22) and he responded with a team-leading 10 rebounds against the Owls.
MAC TELEVISION SET: The EMU men’s basketball team will have five, and possibly six, games on the 2007-08 Mid-American Conference Basketball Television Package. EMU home games with Toledo (Jan. 22 at 7 p.m.) and Bowling Green (Feb. 13 at 7 p.m.) along with road games at Central Michigan (Jan. 6 at 2 p.m.) and at Ball State (Jan. 19 at 2 p.m.) will all be televised live on Comcast Local. The EMU at Western Michigan game (Feb. 20 at 9 p.m.) will be shown on ESPNU. In addition, the EMU at Toledo game (March 4 at 7 p.m.) could also be picked up as part of the MAC package.
WORKING THE LEAGUES: EMU has played teams from eight different leagues in its first nine games of the year. The Eagles have played teams from the Ivy League (Brown), the Horizon League (Detroit Mercy), the Missouri Valley (Illinois State), the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (Manhattan), the Big East (Notre Dame), the Summit (Oakland), the Big South (Radford) and the Atlantic 10 (St. Bonaventure and Temple). Eastern will meet another Atlantic 10 team in Rhode Island in the first round of the Flint Hills Resources Island Invitational, Dec. 28, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Eastern is also slated to play an independent (Chicago State), and could play a team from the Southland Conference (Texas A&M Corpus Christi or a squad from the Southland, Georgia Southern, in the Islander Invit.
MAC RANKINGS: The latest Mid-American Conference statistical report shows EMU at the top of several categories. Eastern is the leading free-throw shooting team in the league (.737; 123-of-167) and the third-best three-point shooting team (7.89 per game). The Eagles’ Jesse Bunkley (Detroit, Mich.-CMA-Mott C.C.) is the leading three-point shooter in the league at 3.50 per game while junior point guard Carlos Medlock (Detroit, Mich.-Murray Wright) is second in assists (4.56). Medlock is ninth in scoring (13.9
