Eastern Michigan Athletics
Wednesday, January 14
Kent, Ohio
7 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Kent State
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Eastern Michigan Looks to Rebound at Kent State
1/12/2015 3:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
After an 0-2 start in MAC play, the Eagles looks to knock off the Golden Flashes
| Game Notes | Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats |
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team is currently 0-2 in Mid-American Conference play following a pair of overtime losses at home to Ball State University and on the road at Miami University during the first week of conference action. The Eagles (11-4, 0-2 MAC) will attempt to pick up their first victory in MAC play Wednesday, Jan. 14, when they travel to Kent State University to square off with the Golden Flashes (10-5, 1-1 MAC) for a 7 p.m. contest at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center. Kent State is coming off a two-point victory, 67-65, on the road at Northern Illinois University.
FINDING THE GAME AT HOME: The Eastern Michigan versus Kent State contest can be found on both 89.1 FM WEMU. Fans can dial into 89.1 FM or listen over the internet to the smooth sounds of veteran play-by-play voice, Chad Bush. Joining Bush on the call will be analyst Assistant Athletic Media Relations Director Sean Hostetter. The pregame show and analysis will begin at 6:50 p.m. on Wednesday evening.
For those who prefer to watch the game, it will be broadcast on Kent State's live webstreaming service at KentStateSports.com.
ALL-TIME VERSUS KENT STATE: The Eagles are behind in the series with Kent State as Eastern trails by a tally of 31-39. While the Golden Flashes own the eight-game lead in the history of these programs, EMU got the best of KSU in their most recent tango on the hardwood.
Last season, Eastern snapped a 17-game losing streak to Kent State by knocking off the Flashes at home, 70-53. Guards Darrell Combs and Raven Lee each recorded 15 points apiece to pace the Eagles in scoring. Karrington Ward also reached double figures with 10 points while grabbing five rebounds. Eastern shot 21-for-47 for the game at a 44.7 percent clip. The Green and White lived at the foul line in the second half, draining 20-of-27 from the stripe to add to its 69.7 percentage (23-33) for the entire 40 minutes. EMU's bench outscored the reserves of Kent State, 29-13, and the Eagles dominated the paint, 30-18.
LIKELY LOOK FOR KENT STATE...
| # | Name | Pos. | Cl. | Ht. | Wt. | ppg | rpg | apg | Hometown-Previous School |
| 0 | Devereaux Manley | G | Sr. | 6-4 | 200 | 12.6 | 2.3 | 1.4 | Oakland, Calif.-Castlemont |
| 1 | Kris Brewer | G | Sr. | 6-3 | 185 | 10.6 | 2.1 | 0.7 | Memphis, Tenn.-Brehm Prep (Ill.) |
| 21 | Khaliq Spicer | F/C | Jr. | 6-9 | 220 | 5.1 | 5.9 | 0.4 | Detroit, Mich.-Robichaud |
| 23 | Derek Jackson | G | Sr. | 6-1 | 170 | 9.4 | 3.2 | 3.6 | Cleveland, Ohio-Central Michigan |
| 35 | Jimmy Hall | F | R-So. | 6-7 | 235 | 14.9 | 7.5 | 1.4 | Brooklyn, N.Y.-Hofstra |
A LOOK AT KENT STATE: Kent State enters Wednesday's contest with a 10-5 record (1-1 MAC) and is coming off a slim 67-65 win at NIU. The Golden Flashes run their offense through redshirt-sophomore Jimmy Hall, who is averaging 14.9 points and 7.5 rebounds. Devereaux Manley and Kris Brewer each post double-digits in the points column at 12.6 and 10.6, respectively.
OVERTIME AGAIN: After not playing in an overtime game through the first 13 games of the 2014-15 campaign, Eastern Michigan has played back-to-back overtime games to begin MAC play, falling on both occasions. The Eagles first were on the wrong end of a 60-59 decision versus Ball State, Jan. 7, before falling 82-81 against Miami, Jan. 10.
The last time that EMU played in back-to-back overtime contests was during the 2001-02 campaign. In similar fashion, Eastern Michigan dropped both of those games in Mid-American Conference play, first falling at Western Michigan in double overtime, 101-94, on Feb. 6, before dropping a 90-85 decision at home against Northern Illinois, Feb. 9.
A TALE OF TWO HALVES: The Eagles saw themselves on the wrong end of an 82-81 decision in their overtime loss at Miami, Jan. 10, but did not trail much of the game. In fact, Eastern led for 40:09 of the 45 minutes of play in the game, including holding a 25-point lead at the 5:55 mark in the first half.
The Eagles' offense was on fire in the first half as they scored 49 points on 63 percent shooting. EMU knocked down 17 of their 27 shots, including going 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. In addition, Eastern shot 81.8 percent from the charity stripe. Conversely, the Eagles cooled off in the second half, hitting just one three-pointer while shooting 35.3 percent on 6-for-17 shooting. The Eagles turned the ball over 12 times in the second half, compared to just six in the first.
TALLEY TURNS IT ON: Despite converting on just one field goal on three attempts in the loss to Miami, Mike Talley made his presence known on the floor. Talley recorded the first double-double of his Eastern Michigan career, notching 13 points and 10 assists, knocking down 11 free throws on 14 attempts in the contest. His 10 assists marked the first time an Eagle dished out 10-or-more since Michael Ross recorded 11 at Marshall, March 10, 2003.
ENDING A TREND: Prior to its Feb. 8, 2014 contest with Kent State at the Convocation Center, Eastern Michigan had lost 17-straight games to the Golden Flashes. Head Coach Rob Murphy's Eagles delivered a knockout punch by defeating KSU, 70-53, for the first time since Feb. 7, 1998 when the Green and White took down Kent State, 79-74, at the M.A.C. Center.
SCORING ALL AROUND: Eastern Michigan has seen an increase in its offensive production since Head Coach Rob Murphy's first season when the Green and White averaged just 53.2 points per game. Currently averaging over 70 points, the Eagles have made it easy as nearly every contest has seen two-or-more student-athletes score in double figures with the exception of EMU's games at Michigan and Michigan State. Eastern has seen five student-athletes score in double figures on two occasions this season. The first time was in their 100-42 victory over Concordia, before five Eagles hit that mark in the Green and White's loss to Miami, 82-81.
KENT STATE TIES: The Eastern Michigan coaching staff has a few ties to Kent State. Two of the four coaches on staff at EMU have served on staff at KSU. Head Coach Rob Murphy was an assistant coach for the Golden Flashes for two seasons from 2002-04, his first job at the collegiate ranks. In his two years at KSU, the Golden Flashes won a pair of MAC East titles. Associate Head Coach Mike Brown served the 2007-08 season as the Director of Basketball Operations at Kent State. That year, KSU won the MAC regular season and tournament titles, making an appearance in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
OFFENSIVE ANEMIA: At times Eastern Michigan has had trouble finding the net on the offensive side, including the Eagles home setback to Ball State when the Green and White shot just 27.9 percent from the floor. It was the second time that Eastern has not connected on at least 30 percent of its attempts in a game. Overall on the season, EMU is shooting 40.9 percent from the floor and has been held underneath 40 percent in seven of its 14 games.
MOVING UP THE LIST: Although its unlikely that an Eagle will catch him anytime soon, Kennedy McIntosh leads the all-time list with 78 double-doubles. Karrington Ward, however, is moving up that list. Ward has eight in his career, four during 2013-14 and four during 2014-15, which is tied for ninth.
THE PRICE IS RIGHT: The Eagles struggled out of the game going zero for their first 11 shots in the loss to Ball State, Jan. 7. Head Coach Rob Murphy turned to his bench and checked redshirt-sophomore Jodan Price into the game. Immediately, Price made an impact scoring the first five points for the Green and White's, helping claw the Eagles to within one point, 12-11, after trailing by as many as six. Price finished the game 4-for-9 with 10 points off of the bench.
OVERTIME AGAIN: After not playing in an overtime game through the first 13 games of the 2014-15 campaign, Eastern Michigan has played back-to-back overtime games to begin MAC play, falling on both occasions. The Eagles first were on the wrong end of a 60-59 decision versus Ball State, Jan. 7, before falling 82-81 against Miami, Jan. 10.
The last time that EMU played in back-to-back overtime contests was during the 2001-02 campaign. In similar fashion, Eastern Michigan dropped both of those games in Mid-American Conference play, first falling at Western Michigan in double overtime, 101-94, on Feb. 6, before dropping a 90-85 decision at home against Northern Illinois, Feb. 9.
A TALE OF TWO HALVES: The Eagles saw themselves on the wrong end of an 82-81 decision in their overtime loss at Miami, Jan. 10, but did not trail much of the game. In fact, Eastern led for 40:09 of the 45 minutes of play in the game, including holding a 25-point lead at the 5:55 mark in the first half.
The Eagles' offense was on fire in the first half as they scored 49 points on 63 percent shooting. EMU knocked down 17 of their 27 shots, including going 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. In addition, Eastern shot 81.8 percent from the charity stripe. Conversely, the Eagles cooled off in the second half, hitting just one three-pointer while shooting 35.3 percent on 6-for-17 shooting. The Eagles turned the ball over 12 times in the second half, compared to just six in the first.
TALLEY TURNS IT ON: Despite converting on just one field goal on three attempts in the loss to Miami, Mike Talley made his presence known on the floor. Talley recorded the first double-double of his Eastern Michigan career, notching 13 points and 10 assists, knocking down 11 free throws on 14 attempts in the contest. His 10 assists marked the first time an Eagle dished out 10-or-more since Michael Ross recorded 11 at Marshall, March 10, 2003.
ENDING A TREND: Prior to its Feb. 8, 2014 contest with Kent State at the Convocation Center, Eastern Michigan had lost 17-straight games to the Golden Flashes. Head Coach Rob Murphy's Eagles delivered a knockout punch by defeating KSU, 70-53, for the first time since Feb. 7, 1998 when the Green and White took down Kent State, 79-74, at the M.A.C. Center.
SCORING ALL AROUND: Eastern Michigan has seen an increase in its offensive production since Head Coach Rob Murphy's first season when the Green and White averaged just 53.2 points per game. Currently averaging over 70 points, the Eagles have made it easy as nearly every contest has seen two-or-more student-athletes score in double figures with the exception of EMU's games at Michigan and Michigan State. Eastern has seen five student-athletes score in double figures on two occasions this season. The first time was in their 100-42 victory over Concordia, before five Eagles hit that mark in the Green and White's loss to Miami, 82-81.
KENT STATE TIES: The Eastern Michigan coaching staff has a few ties to Kent State. Two of the four coaches on staff at EMU have served on staff at KSU. Head Coach Rob Murphy was an assistant coach for the Golden Flashes for two seasons from 2002-04, his first job at the collegiate ranks. In his two years at KSU, the Golden Flashes won a pair of MAC East titles. Associate Head Coach Mike Brown served the 2007-08 season as the Director of Basketball Operations at Kent State. That year, KSU won the MAC regular season and tournament titles, making an appearance in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
OFFENSIVE ANEMIA: At times Eastern Michigan has had trouble finding the net on the offensive side, including the Eagles home setback to Ball State when the Green and White shot just 27.9 percent from the floor. It was the second time that Eastern has not connected on at least 30 percent of its attempts in a game. Overall on the season, EMU is shooting 40.9 percent from the floor and has been held underneath 40 percent in seven of its 14 games.
MOVING UP THE LIST: Although its unlikely that an Eagle will catch him anytime soon, Kennedy McIntosh leads the all-time list with 78 double-doubles. Karrington Ward, however, is moving up that list. Ward has eight in his career, four during 2013-14 and four during 2014-15, which is tied for ninth.
THE PRICE IS RIGHT: The Eagles struggled out of the game going zero for their first 11 shots in the loss to Ball State, Jan. 7. Head Coach Rob Murphy turned to his bench and checked redshirt-sophomore Jodan Price into the game. Immediately, Price made an impact scoring the first five points for the Green and White's, helping claw the Eagles to within one point, 12-11, after trailing by as many as six. Price finished the game 4-for-9 with 10 points off of the bench.
Players Mentioned
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