Eastern Michigan Athletics
Wednesday, January 7
Convocation Center
7 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
vs
Ball State
Photo by: EMU Athletics/Chloe Smith
Eastern Opens Up MAC Play with Ball State at Home
1/5/2015 4:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EMU will host the Cardinals Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tip
| Game Notes | Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats |
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Eastern Michigan University's men's basketball team has closed out the record setting 2014-15 non-conference slate with a record of 11-2, but now sets its sights toward the 2015 Mid-American Conference Championship. The Eagles have won their most victories in non-conference since joining the MAC and hope that the success continues on into the conference season. Eastern opens up the 2015 MAC slate with a 7 p.m. battle with the Cardinals of Ball State University Wednesday night, Jan. 7. BSU (5-6) comes into the contest after a 51-48 victory over Bethune-Cookman, Jan. 3.
FINDING THE GAME AT HOME: The Eastern Michigan versus Ball State contest can be found on both 89.1 FM WEMU and Eagle All-Access. 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 and on-site producer Assistant Athletics Director for Media Relations Greg Steiner.
For those who prefer to watch the game, it will be broadcast on Eastern's live webstreaming service Eagle All-Access. Subscriptions for Eagle All-Access start at just $6.95 and can be purchased at EMUEagles.com/watch. The pregame show and analysis will begin at 6:50 p.m. on Wednesday evening.
ALL-TIME VERSUS BALL STATE: Wednesday's 7 p.m. contest will be the 98th all-time meeting between the Eagles and Cardinals. Eastern trails in the series, 41-56, against the MAC West foe, but has won five of the last six meetings with the Cardinals, including a decisive 72-58 win on Senior Night last season, March 4, 2014.
In that win, Darell Combs and Raven Lee both scored 12 points off the bench to lead the Green and White in scoring. Mike Talley was the other Eagle in double digits with 10 points. Daylen Harrison added nine points while Glenn Bryant tallied nine as well along with a team-high eight rebounds. As a team, the EMU bench outscored Ball State's bench, 45-2. The Eagles made 26-of-64 from the field for 40.6 percent. Eastern's defense also forced 18 turnovers that led to 20 points on the other end of the floor.
LIKELY LOOK FOR BALL STATE...
| # | Name | Pos. | Cl. | Ht. | Wt. | ppg | rpg | apg | Hometown-Previous School |
| 1 | Zavier Turner | G | So. | 5-9 | 168 | 11.4 | 3.1 | 4.1 | Indianapolis, Ind.-Pike |
| 2 | Matt Kamieniecki | F | Sr. | 6-8 | 228 | 8.9 | 7.0 | 0.6 | Clarkston, Mich.-Clarkston |
| 15 | Franko House | F | So. | 6-6 | 234 | 7.6 | 5.3 | 3.2 | Elkart, Ind.-Concord |
| 22 | Jeremie Tyler | G | Fr. | 6-2 | 160 | 12.0 | 3.8 | 1.3 | Indianapolis, Ind.-Arsenal Tech |
| 34 | Sean Sellers | F | Fr. | 6-6 | 195 | 12.1 | 3.5 | 1.7 | Greensburg, Ind.-Greensburg |
A LOOK AT BSU: Despite a 5-6 record, the Cardinals' top-five scorers all crack the starting lineup, including 2014 All-MAC Freshmen Team member Zavier Turner. Freshmen Seans Sellers and Jeremie Tyler lead the Cardinals in scoring at 12.1 and 12.0 points, respectively.
41st MAC SEASON: With Eastern's home contest against the Cardinals, EMU will begin its 41st for the Eagles in the Mid-American Conference. The first year of MAC play for the Green and White was 1974-75 when the then-Hurons went 12-14 and 4-9 in league play.
Eastern has won three Mid-American Conference championships: 1987-88, 1990-91 and 1995-96. The Green and White captured MAC Tournament crowns in all three of those seasons, in addition to winning the tournament title in 1997-98. In 2011-12, the Eagles captured their first-ever Mid-American Conference West Division title.
MAKING HISTORY: In the battle of the Eagles, Eastern's men's basketball team soared past Coppin State University, 87-64, Tuesday night, Dec. 23. Returning to the Convocation Center for the first time since Dec. 1, following a four-game road trip, EMU improved to 10-2 on the 2014-15 campaign. The 10 victories in non-conference play are the most in program history since joining the Mid-American Conference in 1974. The Green and White then extended the record to 11 wins by defeating Concordia, 100-42, Sunday, Dec. 28.
THE CENTURY MARK: The Eagles reached the century mark in points for the first time in the Rob Murphy era versus Concordia, Dec. 28. The previous high of an Eastern ballclub coached by Murphy was 95 points, coincidentally against Concordia last season, Nov. 12, 2013. The last time EMU recorded 100 points in a game was Nov. 14, 2008 in a 119-48 victory over Marygrove, a span of 197 games.
OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER: EMU shot a season-best 55.0 percent from the floor by converting 33-of-60 from the field in the Dec. 28 victory over Concordia. The Green and White also improved its season free throw percentage by knocking down 25-of-30 from the line for an impressive 83.3 percent clip. The Eagles forced 20 turnovers, leading to 32 points, including 18 on the fastbreak. The paint was controlled by the home squad as well, 46-10, and the Eastern bench contributed with 47 points.
BALL SECURITY: Eastern Michigan continued to show its strength in holding on to the rock. In the EMU win versus Concordia, the Eagles coughed up the ball on just four occasions, a season low. It was the fifth time this season that the Green and White has turned the ball over 10-or-fewer times. In fact, the Eagles have only flipped the possession more than 15 times on two separate occasions this year.
LEE AGAINST THE NCAA: Raven Lee has shown that he deserves to play with some of the best in the country. In fact, his numbers are better against NCAA Division I opponents than against non-NCAA Division I foes. Lee is posting 14.8 points per game on the season, but averages 17.3 versus D-I oppositions while shooting 50 percent from the floor versus high quality opponents.
SHARING THE WEALTH: In EMU's win over Concordia, five Eagles reached double figures in scoring on the afternoon. Karrington Ward led all scorers with 15 points along with eight boards, while Mike Samuels added a career-high 12 points. Guards Raven Lee and Mike Talley had 10 points each as Lee scored all of his in the second half. Freshman Ethan Alvano also recorded double digits for the first time in his young EMU career with 10 points.
MID-MAJOR MADNESS: After starting the season 6-0, the 31-coach panel of mid-major head coaches across the country felt that EMU had earned a spot in the Dec. 1 version of the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. The Eagles came in at No. 20, marking the second time Eastern earned a spot in the poll in the history of the mid-major top 25. Not only is it the second year in a row that the Eagles earned a spot in the poll, but as of the Dec. 29 poll the Eagles are ranked 14th, the highest in school history.
20/20: Eastern Michigan has seen its duo of Raven Lee and Karrington Ward put together big games this season as individuals, but against Coppin State we saw the two Eagle stars put it on display in a single game. Both scored over 20 points in the contest. It was the second time the duo has accomplished the feat in the same game this season, also reaching the scoring total versus Oakland, Nov. 17.
MERRY CHRISTMAS: Instead of a stocking-stuffer a few days before Christmas versus Coppin State, Raven Lee was a stat-stuffer throughout the night, chalking up 21 points (7-of-11), six rebounds, six steals and five assists in just 20 minutes of play off the bench. The six swipes was a new career high for the Detroit, Mich. native, while his five dimes became a new season best for the Eastern guard.
WARD SAYS "NO, NO, NO": EMU senior Karrington Ward has been known for his high flying ability on the offensive end, but Tuesday, Dec. 23, against Coppin State the Lockport, Ill. native showed off his defensive skills. The 6-foot-7 forward skied above all other defenders to block six different shot attempts which tied nine other performances for the 10th-most in a single game by an EMU student-athlete.
EASTERN FINDS ITS STROKE: The Eagles had struggled on the offensive side of the ball in their road games prior to the 77-65 win over Missouri State. Eastern was shooting 30.5 percent from the floor and 25.4 percent from beyond the arc, while averaging just 51.7 points per game before exploding for 77 points on 51 percent shooting and connecting at a 39.1 percent clip from three-point land. The 51 percent shooting percentage is the second-best mark on the season for the Eagles, while their nine three-pointers were tied for the most in a single game this year.
HE'S BAAAACK: EMU senior Karrington Ward hit quite the four-game slump prior to a breakout performance on Saturday. Through the previous four games, Ward was shooting just 25 percent from the floor and 21.7 percent from beyond the arc. During that stretch, Ward averaged just 8.3 points from the floor. Prior to that shooting slump, Ward had been averaging 15 points per game while connecting on 41.7 percent of his shots.
The Lockport, Ill. native returned to form versus Missouri State, Dec. 20, when he went for 18 points and nine rebounds on 7-of-13 shooting, including 2-for-5 from beyond the arc.
STREAKING AT THE CONVO: Eastern Michigan's basketball program has had great success underneath current head coach Rob Murphy in home games at the Convocation Center. The Eagles are 45-12 in games played at the Convo, including a current 16-game winning streak. Eastern has not dropped a game in Ypsilanti since it fell, 56-58, to Ohio, Jan. 25, 2014.
TRYING OUT THE TRIFECTA: It seems as though Eastern Michigan has fallen in love with taking the three-ball this season. The Eagles are attempting 22 three-point shots per contest this year. Since Rob Murphy took over prior to the 2011-12 campaign, the Green and White hoisted 15.6 triples per game in his first season, 14.7 in his second season and 16.4 last year. Jodan Price and Karrington Ward have raised from beyond the arc the most for EMU, as the duo is accounting for 10.6 three-point attempts per game. That's 48 percent of the team's three-point tries.
BOUNCING BACK: Eastern Michigan has lost just two games this season and bounced back from both quite nicely. After a 73-64 setback at the hands of Dayton, Dec. 6, the Eagles came out to top a Big Ten Conference opponent for the first time since Rob Murphy's 2012-13 squad knocked off Purdue with a 45-42 victory over Michigan. Along with that, it was EMU's first win versus Michigan since the 1997-98 campaign. Following its loss to Michigan State, Dec. 17, Eastern Michigan fired back in Springfield, Mo. posting a 77-65 victory at Missouri State.
The last time that the Green and White lost back-to-back non-conference contests is when Eastern dropped two in a row to NCAA top-10 ranked opponents last year. The Eagles fell 82-59 at No. 9 Duke, Dec. 28 before dropping a 70-48 decision at the hands of No. 2 Syracuse, Dec. 31.
41st MAC SEASON: With Eastern's home contest against the Cardinals, EMU will begin its 41st for the Eagles in the Mid-American Conference. The first year of MAC play for the Green and White was 1974-75 when the then-Hurons went 12-14 and 4-9 in league play.
Eastern has won three Mid-American Conference championships: 1987-88, 1990-91 and 1995-96. The Green and White captured MAC Tournament crowns in all three of those seasons, in addition to winning the tournament title in 1997-98. In 2011-12, the Eagles captured their first-ever Mid-American Conference West Division title.
MAKING HISTORY: In the battle of the Eagles, Eastern's men's basketball team soared past Coppin State University, 87-64, Tuesday night, Dec. 23. Returning to the Convocation Center for the first time since Dec. 1, following a four-game road trip, EMU improved to 10-2 on the 2014-15 campaign. The 10 victories in non-conference play are the most in program history since joining the Mid-American Conference in 1974. The Green and White then extended the record to 11 wins by defeating Concordia, 100-42, Sunday, Dec. 28.
THE CENTURY MARK: The Eagles reached the century mark in points for the first time in the Rob Murphy era versus Concordia, Dec. 28. The previous high of an Eastern ballclub coached by Murphy was 95 points, coincidentally against Concordia last season, Nov. 12, 2013. The last time EMU recorded 100 points in a game was Nov. 14, 2008 in a 119-48 victory over Marygrove, a span of 197 games.
OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER: EMU shot a season-best 55.0 percent from the floor by converting 33-of-60 from the field in the Dec. 28 victory over Concordia. The Green and White also improved its season free throw percentage by knocking down 25-of-30 from the line for an impressive 83.3 percent clip. The Eagles forced 20 turnovers, leading to 32 points, including 18 on the fastbreak. The paint was controlled by the home squad as well, 46-10, and the Eastern bench contributed with 47 points.
BALL SECURITY: Eastern Michigan continued to show its strength in holding on to the rock. In the EMU win versus Concordia, the Eagles coughed up the ball on just four occasions, a season low. It was the fifth time this season that the Green and White has turned the ball over 10-or-fewer times. In fact, the Eagles have only flipped the possession more than 15 times on two separate occasions this year.
LEE AGAINST THE NCAA: Raven Lee has shown that he deserves to play with some of the best in the country. In fact, his numbers are better against NCAA Division I opponents than against non-NCAA Division I foes. Lee is posting 14.8 points per game on the season, but averages 17.3 versus D-I oppositions while shooting 50 percent from the floor versus high quality opponents.
SHARING THE WEALTH: In EMU's win over Concordia, five Eagles reached double figures in scoring on the afternoon. Karrington Ward led all scorers with 15 points along with eight boards, while Mike Samuels added a career-high 12 points. Guards Raven Lee and Mike Talley had 10 points each as Lee scored all of his in the second half. Freshman Ethan Alvano also recorded double digits for the first time in his young EMU career with 10 points.
MID-MAJOR MADNESS: After starting the season 6-0, the 31-coach panel of mid-major head coaches across the country felt that EMU had earned a spot in the Dec. 1 version of the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. The Eagles came in at No. 20, marking the second time Eastern earned a spot in the poll in the history of the mid-major top 25. Not only is it the second year in a row that the Eagles earned a spot in the poll, but as of the Dec. 29 poll the Eagles are ranked 14th, the highest in school history.
20/20: Eastern Michigan has seen its duo of Raven Lee and Karrington Ward put together big games this season as individuals, but against Coppin State we saw the two Eagle stars put it on display in a single game. Both scored over 20 points in the contest. It was the second time the duo has accomplished the feat in the same game this season, also reaching the scoring total versus Oakland, Nov. 17.
MERRY CHRISTMAS: Instead of a stocking-stuffer a few days before Christmas versus Coppin State, Raven Lee was a stat-stuffer throughout the night, chalking up 21 points (7-of-11), six rebounds, six steals and five assists in just 20 minutes of play off the bench. The six swipes was a new career high for the Detroit, Mich. native, while his five dimes became a new season best for the Eastern guard.
WARD SAYS "NO, NO, NO": EMU senior Karrington Ward has been known for his high flying ability on the offensive end, but Tuesday, Dec. 23, against Coppin State the Lockport, Ill. native showed off his defensive skills. The 6-foot-7 forward skied above all other defenders to block six different shot attempts which tied nine other performances for the 10th-most in a single game by an EMU student-athlete.
EASTERN FINDS ITS STROKE: The Eagles had struggled on the offensive side of the ball in their road games prior to the 77-65 win over Missouri State. Eastern was shooting 30.5 percent from the floor and 25.4 percent from beyond the arc, while averaging just 51.7 points per game before exploding for 77 points on 51 percent shooting and connecting at a 39.1 percent clip from three-point land. The 51 percent shooting percentage is the second-best mark on the season for the Eagles, while their nine three-pointers were tied for the most in a single game this year.
HE'S BAAAACK: EMU senior Karrington Ward hit quite the four-game slump prior to a breakout performance on Saturday. Through the previous four games, Ward was shooting just 25 percent from the floor and 21.7 percent from beyond the arc. During that stretch, Ward averaged just 8.3 points from the floor. Prior to that shooting slump, Ward had been averaging 15 points per game while connecting on 41.7 percent of his shots.
The Lockport, Ill. native returned to form versus Missouri State, Dec. 20, when he went for 18 points and nine rebounds on 7-of-13 shooting, including 2-for-5 from beyond the arc.
STREAKING AT THE CONVO: Eastern Michigan's basketball program has had great success underneath current head coach Rob Murphy in home games at the Convocation Center. The Eagles are 45-12 in games played at the Convo, including a current 16-game winning streak. Eastern has not dropped a game in Ypsilanti since it fell, 56-58, to Ohio, Jan. 25, 2014.
TRYING OUT THE TRIFECTA: It seems as though Eastern Michigan has fallen in love with taking the three-ball this season. The Eagles are attempting 22 three-point shots per contest this year. Since Rob Murphy took over prior to the 2011-12 campaign, the Green and White hoisted 15.6 triples per game in his first season, 14.7 in his second season and 16.4 last year. Jodan Price and Karrington Ward have raised from beyond the arc the most for EMU, as the duo is accounting for 10.6 three-point attempts per game. That's 48 percent of the team's three-point tries.
BOUNCING BACK: Eastern Michigan has lost just two games this season and bounced back from both quite nicely. After a 73-64 setback at the hands of Dayton, Dec. 6, the Eagles came out to top a Big Ten Conference opponent for the first time since Rob Murphy's 2012-13 squad knocked off Purdue with a 45-42 victory over Michigan. Along with that, it was EMU's first win versus Michigan since the 1997-98 campaign. Following its loss to Michigan State, Dec. 17, Eastern Michigan fired back in Springfield, Mo. posting a 77-65 victory at Missouri State.
The last time that the Green and White lost back-to-back non-conference contests is when Eastern dropped two in a row to NCAA top-10 ranked opponents last year. The Eagles fell 82-59 at No. 9 Duke, Dec. 28 before dropping a 70-48 decision at the hands of No. 2 Syracuse, Dec. 31.
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