Eastern Michigan Athletics
Men's Basketball Travels to Toledo
2/13/2007 11:09:15 AM | Men's Basketball
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. with the matchup televised locally on Comcast Local
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Listen to the Game via WEMU.
Gametracker.
EAGLES TRAVEL TO TOLEDO: Eastern Michigan University and the University of Toledo square off for the second time this season in a Mid-American Conference West Division men’s basketball game Tuesday evening, Feb. 13, at John F. Savage Hall. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Tonight’s matchup will be televised locally on Comcast Local (Cable Channel 8 in Ypsilanti) with Ben Holden handling play-by-play duties while former Detroit Pistons’ great Rick Mahorn will be the analyst.The Eagles enter the contest with a 9-15 (4-7 MAC) record after notching their second road win of the year in a 65-63 victory against Bowling Green, Feb. 10. Meanwhile, the Rockets are 13-10 (9-2 MAC) and currently lead the West Division after defeating Akron, 68-65, Feb. 10.
THE SERIES: This is the 78th meeting between the two teams with Toledo holding a 41-36 advantage. Toledo has a 13-5 edge in the last 18 matchups. Earlier this season, Toledo took the first game against EMU with a 66-56 win in the Convocation Center, Jan. 16. In last year’s season series, Toledo won twice, posting an 88-55 decision at Savage Hall, Jan. 26, 2006, along with a 70-59 victory at the Convocation Center, Feb. 22, 2006.
SCOUTING THE ROCKETS: Toledo was picked to finish first in the MAC West division for the third straight year by the MAC News Media Association. The Rockets are led by senior forward Keonta Howell who is leading the team in scoring at 15.6 points-per-game, fifth best in the league. Howell is shooting 46.6 percent from the field, hitting 130-of-276 shots, while knocking down 52-of-140 shots from beyond the arc. Senior guard Justin Ingram is averaging 14.7 ppg which is seventh in the league. Defensively, Ingram leads the Rockets with 48 steals. Senior forward Florentino Valencia tops the MAC with a 65.4 field goal percentage connecting on 119-of-182 shots from the field while averaging 13.3 ppg which ranks 13th in the league.
THE LAST TIME OUT, EMU CLIPS BOWLING GREEN: Solid defense and timely shooting led the Eastern Michigan University men’s basketball team to its second road victory of the season, as the Eagles defeated Bowling Green, 65-63, to snap a three-game losing skid in Anderson Arena Saturday (Feb. 10) afternoon. On EMU’s next possession, Bowdry missed two free throws but he made up for it and got his own rebound and was fouled. Bowdry stepped to the line and made the second of two free throws to put Eastern up two, 65-63, with 16 seconds left in the game. Bowling Green’s Martin Samarco, the Mid-American Conference’s leading scorer, brought the ball up court and was double teamed at the top of the three-point line which pressured him to force an off-balance three-pointer that failed to draw iron as time expired.
FILLING THE VOID: When sophomore point guard Carlos Medlock (Detroit, Mich.-Murray Wright) was lost for the rest of the season due to a broken right foot in an 89-76 win over Buffalo, Jan. 28, Coach Ramsey has called upon junior Jarred Axon (Jackson, Mich.-Jackson-Schoolcraft C.C.) and freshman Devon Dumes (Indianapolis, Ind.-Decatur Central) to help fill the point-guard void. Axon got the nod to start in the Eagles’ first game without Medlock, against MAC East Division leader Akron, Jan. 31, at the Convocation Center. Since Medlock’s absence, Dumes has come off the bench moving from shooting guard to point guard leading the Eagles twice in scoring with 12 points vs. Akron and 13 points at Kent State, Feb. 3. Axon paced EMU in scoring with 14 points against Miami, Feb. 7, and notched a career-high 17 points against Bowling Green, Feb. 10. This season, Axon is averaging 6.0 ppg with 29 assists and 13 steals while Dumes is scoring 7.1 ppg with 35 assists and 24 steals.
EMU THIS SEASON ON COMCAST LOCAL TV: Tonight’s game is the third of four televised contests for the Eagles. Comcast Local (channel 8 in Ypsilanti) is available in approximately two million households in Michigan along with the Indiana markets of Muncie, Indianapolis,and Fort Wayne.
BUY YOUR TICKETS FOR THE MAC TOURNAMENT: College basketball is back and more exciting than ever at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena when MAC Madness returns, March 4-10. In a conference first, all 12 schools will send both men’s and women’s teams to "The Q" to battle for the MAC Championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Prepare yourself for the fiercest MAC competition yet as the league boasts a field of talented and balanced teams. Be sure to catch all of the heart-pounding, slam-dunk action when all 24 teams invade Cleveland. Don’t miss your chance to be a part of this historic tournament and see which two teams fight their way to the top. To order tickets contact the EMU Ticket Office at 734.487.2282.
