Eagles Clash with Golden Grizzlies in Pre-Holiday Showdown

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team will take on another in-state rival Oakland University Saturday, Dec. 22. Eastern and the Golden Grizzlies have squared off 12 times before Saturday's showdown. The Green and White holds an 8-4 record all-time against Oakland.
   This is the first meeting between the two teams since the 2009-10 campaign. The last episode in this rivalry was Nov. 14, 2009, when Eastern defeated the Golden Grizzlies, 81-77, in a season-opening affair at the Convocation Center.

FINDING THE GAME AT HOME: The Eagles' matchup with the Golden Grizzlies will be broadcast on WEMU (89.1 FM). Veteran play-by-play voice Chad Bush will be on the call with EMU Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations Greg Steiner as the color commentator for the game.
   However, the game will also be available for viewing on Eagle All-Access. Eagles All-Access is a subscription-based format in which subscribers can pay for 24-hour access, a monthly pass or a yearly pass to watch all EMU athletic events streamed live.

ALL-TIME VERSUS OAKLAND: The Eagles and the Golden Grizzlies have squared off 12 times before Saturday's showdown. The Green and White holds an 8-4 record all-time against Oakland. Most recently, Nov. 14, 2009, when Eastern defeated the Golden Grizzlies, 81-77, in a season-opening affair at the Convocation Center.
   Brandon Bowdry paced the Eagles with 9-of-14 shooting from the field in the win, while also grabbing a team-best 13 boards to notch the eighth double-double of his career. His 26 points tie a career high, while Carlos Medlock tallied 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting to help the Eagles escape with the win.

LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN: EMU will enter Saturday's game against Oakland looking to win their seventh-straight game at home to start the season. The last time the Green and White accomplished this feat was the 1997-98 season in which the Eagles rattled off ten straight home wins en route to qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Eastern has won six straight at home to start a season twice since then, but has not been able to get to the lucky number seven.

FIRST HALF DROUGHTS: In the past two road contests, the Eagles have gone through major scoring droughts in the first twenty minutes of play. In the Windy City against UIC, the Green and White went over nine minutes without finding the basket. Against No. 2-ranked Michigan, Eastern got off to an early 6-2 lead before going nearly eight minutes until scoring its next points.

EARLY SEASON TESTS: The non-conference schedule has not been kind to the Eagles this season. Coach Rob Murphy's squad has had to face two top-five teams on the road in No. 4 Syracuse, Dec. 3, and No. 2 Michigan, Dec. 20. Since games against ranked teams have been recorded (1995-96 season), Eastern Michigan has never faced a pair of the nation's top-ten teams, let alone two top-five teams.

CAREER-HIGHS AGAINST COUNTY RIVAL: True freshman Jalen Ross and sophomore Antoine Chandler both registered career-high in scoring against Washtenaw County rival Michigan, Dec. 20. Ross tallied nine points in the loss while Chandler added eight.

BURNED BY THE THREE: In the last two games, the Eagles have been torched by the three-point ball, surrendering 24 made baskets from beyond the arc. Both Michigan and Illinois-Chicago made a dozen three-balls in those contests.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: When playing at home this season, the Eagles are a perfect 6-0. Eastern shoots a blistering 40.9 percent within the friendly confines of the Convocation Center, while holding its opponents to just 35.0 percent shooting from the floor. The Eagles also hold their opponents to 49.8 points per game when playing in Ypsilanti.
   Conversely, the Green and White is 0-3 outside of the Convo this season. EMU is shooting just 34.5 percent on the road, while its opponents are hitting 43.1 percent of its shots. EMU scores just 50 points per game away from Ypsilanti and the opposition is posting 73 points per game in those three contests.

THOSE ARE SOME FORMIDABLE FOES: Eastern has made a habit of traveling to top-notch teams over the past five seasons. EMU has played a team ranked in the top-25 each of the last seven seasons, including matchups with top-five teams in the last three-consecutive seasons.
   In 2010-11 the Eagles opened the season with No. 2-ranked Michigan State. In 2011-12 EMU traveled to Syracuse to take on the No. 3/4-ranked Orange. This year the Eagles took on No. 4 Syracuse and now square off with No. 2 Michigan.

SIENA HEIGHTS ON THE HORIZON: The Eagles will take on another in-state competitor Friday, Dec. 28. Eastern will take on the Siena Heights University Saints. This is the first time that EMU and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) institution have faced off on the hardwood.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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