Eagles Travel to the Windy City for Road Contest Against UIC

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team will travel west to the Windy City, Chicago, Ill. Saturday, Dec. 15, to square off with the University of Illinois-Chicago.

This is the second-straight season that EMU will take on the Flames. Last season Eastern hosted UIC in the 2011-12 season opener, and Head Coach Rob Murphy's Eagles defeated the Flames, 68-57, in the first game of his head coaching career.

FINDING THE GAME AT HOME: The Eagles' matchup with Illinois-Chicago will be broadcast on WEMU (89.1 FM). Veteran play-by-play voice Chad Bush will be on the call.

However, the game will also air on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. Dave Wills will serve as the play-by-play announcer, while former coach of the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team Dave Kaplan will serve as as the color analyst.

ALL-TIME VERSUS ILLINOIS-CHICAGO: The Eagles and the Flames have met just four times prior to Saturday's matchup, with Eastern leading the series, 4-0. EMU and UIC squared off was last season, Nov. 11, 2011. Eastern won that game, 68-57, at the Convocation Center in Ypsilanti.

The Eagles rallied from seven points down midway through the second half to out-score UIC, 33-16, over the game's final 12 minutes to gain the victory. Eastern had three players in double figures, led by junior guard Derek Thompson with 17 followed by senior guard Darrell Lampley with 12 and junior forward Matt Balkema with 10. Senior forward Kamil Janton added seven points with seven rebounds.

MAKING THE BEST OF IT: Since the 1998-99 season when the most accurate records have been kept, the Eagles had not won a game shooting less than 32.0 percent from the field. However, in the victory over Purdue, Dec. 8, EMU shot just 30.8 percent but slid past the Boilermakers, 47-44, at the Convocation Center.

TOPPING THE BIG DOGS: With the 47-44 win, Dec. 8, against Purdue, Eastern defeated a Big Ten Conference opponent for the first time since an 89-83 overtime victory against the University of Michigan, Dec. 17, 1997, in Ann Arbor. The win was also the first home victory over a Big 10 team since a 92-76 throttling of Wisconsin, Dec. 10, 1994, at venerable Bowen Field House.

TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK: Since the 1998-99 campaign when the most accurate records have been kept, the Eagles had not turned the ball over less than six times in a single game. EMU coughed up the rock just five times against Purdue, while causing 18 Boilermaker miscues, good for a +13.0 turnover margin.

AREN'T THEY SUPPOSED TO BE FREE?: Eastern Michigan shot a dismal 8-of-19 (42.1 percent) from the free throw line in its victory against the Boilermakers. The last time EMU shot that poorly from the charity stripe was Nov. 27, 2011, when EMU hit just 5-of-13 (38.5 percent) free throws when Michigan State came to the Convocation Center and topped the Green and White, 72-40. The last time the Eagles won a game shooting less than 50.0 percent from the free throw line was back in the 2010-11 season when they hosted Jacksonville State, Feb. 19. Eastern shot 13-of-28 (46.4 percent) from the line en route to a 63-60 win.

EMU'S STIFLING DEFENSE: The Eagles have prided themselves on defense since head coach Rob Murphy took over in Ypsilanti. Eastern leads the Mid-American Conference in scoring defense (55.5 ppg), field goal percentage defense (36.9 percent) and three-point field goal percentage defense (27.0 percent). EMU is also second in the MAC in blocks (5.9 bpg).

LOW SCORING AFFAIRS: The Eagles defeated Purdue without having a player post double digit points. Eastern had not won a game without someone scoring in double figures since Jan. 21, 2012, against Toledo when Darrell Lampley was EMU's high scorer with nine points.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

Eagles Travel to the Windy City for Road Contest Against UIC

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