Eastern Michigan Athletics
Men's Hoops Readies for Brown
11/27/2008 8:56:33 AM | Men's Basketball
Eagles and Bears to tangle Saturday afternoon, Nov. 29
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EMU REWIND: After beginning the 2008-09 with a 119-48 win over Marygrove on Nov. 14, the Eagles have come up short in their last five contests, despite outscoring opponents 399-398 this season. The Green and White fell, 87-58, to then No. 11 ranked Purdue in their first game of the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off, and have been upended by Georgia, Detroit, St. John’s, and Cornell since.
STAYING IN THE IVY LEAGUE: Today’s contest against Brown marks back-to-back games against teams from the Ivy League for the Eagles. The team fell, 67-54, to last year’s Ivy League champions, Cornell, on Nov. 25 in their final game of the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off. EMU’s bench outscored the Cornell reserves, 21-3, in the loss, but Cornell outscored EMU in the paint, 32-18.
EMU-BROWN MEET FOR SECOND TIME: Not only are the Eagles looking to snap a five-game losing streak, but the team will look to redeem themselves against the Bears, who spoiled EMU’s home opener last season by handing the Eagles a 74-55 loss in Ypsilanti. Forward Wendale Farrow had a career-high 15 points for the Eagles on 3-of-5 shooting from the field and 9-of-12 shooting from the free throw line in last year’s meeting.
FRESHMAN SUCCESS: Several EMU freshmen have made solid contributions this season, including forward Branden Harrison and point guard L.J. Frazier. Harrison recorded a career-high four blocks at St. John’s on Nov. 24 and is averaging 7.2 points per-game so far this season. Since taking over duties as the starting point guard after Carlos Medlock’s season ending foot injury, Frazier, a redshirt freshman, is averaging a team-high 31.3 minutes per-game this season and is shooting a team-best 45.8 percent (11-of-24) from beyond the arc.
FOR THE 112th TIME: The 2008-09 season is the 112th of intercollegiate basketball for the Eastern Michigan University Eagles. Eastern played its first season in 1897-98 and split games with Detroit, losing a 2-0 decision before coming back for a 4-0 victory. The 2007-08 season will also be the 34th for the Eagles in 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 tournament title in 1997-98.
RECORD-SETTING OPENER: The EMU men’s basketball team set several records in Friday’s, Nov. 14, 2008-09 season opener at home against Marygrove College. Eastern’s 71-point winning margin (119-48) broke the mark of 59 against Western Ontario (100-41) set on Dec. 3, 1966. The win also gave the Eagles seven consecutive victories in the Convocation Center, dating back to the last six games of the 2007-08 season.The record for a winning streak in the home confines of the Convo was six games, something that has been done four times since the arena opened in time for the 1998-99 season. Three of the four six-game winning streaks have been over a two-season period. The 1998-99 team won its last home game and the 1999-2000 won five in a row before losing. The 2002-03 squad won six straight during that season before losing. The 2003-04 team won its last game and the 2004-05 team followed up with five consecutive wins to start the season.
BOWDRY ON THE DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Sophomore Brandon Bowdry (St. Louis, Mo.-Taylor (Mich.) Truman) shook off a year’s rust by turning in the first double-double of his career when he scored 26 points with 14 rebounds in the Eagles’ 119-48 win over a visiting Marygrove College team Friday, Nov. 14. Bowdry, a Mid-American Conference All-Freshman Team member after the 2006-07 season, missed the entire 2007-08 campaign with a broken foot.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: All 12 EMU players that saw action in Friday’s, Nov. 14, 119-48 season-opening win over a visiting Marygrove College team made it into the scoring column.
NEW LOOK: The 2008-09 Eastern Michigan University men’s basketball team has five new faces on the roster and six that will be seeing their first NCAA Division I basketball action. Five of those players saw their first action in the season opener, Nov.14, against Marygrove College.
