Eagles Try to Snap Skid in MAC West Contest at WMU

Men's Basketball at Western Michigan
Date	Saturday, Feb. 18 \| 4 p.m.
Venue	Kalamazoo, Mich. \| University Arena (5,421)
Game Notes	EMU Game Notes \| WMU Game Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN 3
Listen	89.1 FM WEMU
Twitter	@EMUHoops \| @EMUAthletics

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- After losing five in a row, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team hits the road for a Mid-American Conference West Division battle Saturday, Feb. 18, at 4 p.m. The Eagles (13-13, 5-8 MAC) will travel west across the Great Lakes State to square off with in-state rival Western Michigan University. The Broncos (10-15, 6-7 MAC) are currently riding a three game winning streak as they look to win their second home game in a row.

The Green and White most recently welcomed Ohio to the Convocation Center Tuesday night, Feb. 14, for a Valentine's Day match up with the Bobcats. Eastern Michigan struggled from the field and dropped its fifth straight, 79-71. In addition to being the Eagles' fifth loss in a row, it was their fourth consecutive setback inside the Convocation Center.

The Broncos are riding high, winning three in a row, including a 10-point, 89-79, victory at University Arena in Kalamazoo on Tuesday, Feb. 14. Not only was it Western Michigan's third consective win but their fourth win in five games after coming off of a four-game losing streak.

FINDING THE GAME AT HOME: The Eastern Michigan versus Western Michigan matchup will have both audio and video on Saturday afternoon. Fans can dial into 89.1 FM or listen over the internet at WEMU.org to hear the smooth sounds of veteran play-by-play voice, Chad Bush. Joining Bush on the call this season will be analyst Assistant Athletic Media Relations Director Sean Hostetter. Coverage on 89.1 WEMU will begin 10 minutes prior to the tip of each game this year.

For those wishing to watch the Eagles' game live, tune into ESPN3, where Mike Monaco will call the WMU versus EMU contest. Brian Snider will join Monaco on the broadcast to provide analysis. Fans can also stream the game on their WatchESPN app as well.

ALL-TIME VERSUS WESTERN MICHIGAN: The Eagles trail the all-time series with Western Michigan by an 11-game margin, 48-59. EMU split a pair of contests with the Broncos a year ago, but got the best of WMU earlier this season, 86-80, at home, Jan. 17. That game was the seventh consecutive win over Western inside the Convocation Center.

In that game, James Thompson IV had his finest game of the season, going 10-of-12 from the floor, scoring a season-high 26 points and pulling down 11 rebounds, marking his 10th double-double of the season. Additionally, the 26 points was the best mark of his career against an NCAA Division I opponent. Ty Toney also had another solid game, scoring 16 points, while Willie Mangum IV scored 15, including a pair of big three-pointers.

LIKELY LOOK FOR THE BRONCOS...

#	Name	Pos.	Cl.	Ht.	Wt.	ppg	rpg	apg	Hometown-Previous School
0	Bryce Moore	G	So.-So.	6-2	197	5.1	1.5	1.3	Indianapolis, Ind.-Park Tudor
1	Tucker Haymond	G/F	Sr.-Sr.	6-6	214	14.3	4.8	2.8	Seattle, Wash.-Garfield
10	Thomas Wilder	G	Jr.-Jr.	6-3	192	19.1	4.2	3.6	Montgomery, Ill.-Quakerdale
35	Brandon Johnson	F	Fr.-Fr.	6-8	225	7.8	5.2	0.8	Chicago, Ill.-Thea Bowman
50	Seth Dugan	C	So.-So.	7-0	242	6.6	5.4	0.6	Ostego, Mich.-Ostego

LAST TIME OUT: Eastern Michigan took on the Ohio Bobcats, Tuesday night, Feb. 14, and walked away on the wrong end of a 79-71 decision. Despite a solid defensive effort from the Eagles', holding Ohio to a 39.6 field goal percentage, the Bobcats were able to connect on 78.6 percent of their free throws, going 33-of-42 en route to their 16 win of the season.

Willie Mangum IV led the Eagles in scoring with 19 points, including five three-pointers and four rebounds. Ty Toney also had a solid offensive game with 16 points and a trio of long balls, as well as three boards and two steals. Finally, James Thompson IV notched his 14th double-double of the year with 14 points and 12 rebounds. The double-double was also the 33rd of his career, tying him with E-Club Hall of Fame and former MAC Player of the Year, Grant Long, for fourth in career double-doubles at EMU.

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS: Despite just a 10-15 record, Western Michigan is coming into Saturday's game riding as high as it has all season. Winning three games in a row for the first time this season, the Broncos are led by a high scoring duo in Thomas Wilder and Tucker Haymond. Wilder averages 19.1 points per game this year, ranking fourth in the MAC, while Haymond's 14.3 points per contest are 15th-best in the league. Wilder shoots at a scorching 43.2 percent clip from downtown, which is third-best in the conference. The tandem of Haymond and Wilder is coming off of a game in which the two combined for 54 points versus Bowling Green, Feb. 14, on their way to grabbing their sixth MAC win of the year for Western and moving into a tie for second in the MAC West Division. In addition, Haymond pulled down 10 rebounds on his way to a 16 point double-double.

OH THE MEMORIES: It was his first season, 2011-12, that Head Coach Rob Murphy saw his only win at University Arena in Kalmazoo. The then-first year bench boss saw his senior point guard Darrell Lampley hit a four-foot teardrop floating jumper on the right side of the lane with one second left to give the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team a 54-53 win over Western Michigan. With the win, the Eagles captured their first ever Mid-American Conference West Division title.

TROUBLES AT THE STRIPE: Despite having the second-best team free throw percentage in the Mid-American Conference (73.8 percent) and being on pace to set a new EMU single season record for free throw percentage, the Eagles have struggled at the charity stripe as of late. Over the last five games at the line, the Green and White own a free throw percentage of just 64.6 percent. In fact, Eastern Michigan has not shot better than 68.4 percent from the free throw line in that span, despite connecting on 75 percent-or-better of its free throws on 13 separate occasions this year.

CHECK OUT THIS CREW: Eastern Michigan has seen the offensive numbers pick up this season and a large part of that outburst has to do with the fact that EMU has five of the top-100 all-time scorers in EMU history on the roster. Ray Lee is sixth all-time with 1,702 points, while James Thompson IV comes in tied at 41st with 850 points. Willie Mangum IV's 812 points is good for 47th, while Tim Bond is 70th with 985 points and Ty Toney's 592 is good for the 87th-most points scored in a career.

TIM B, PLAYING D: After being named to the All-MAC Defensive Team a season ago, EMU junior guard Tim Bond has continued to prove why he is such a hot defensive commodity through the 2016-17 season. The Baltimore, Md. native is currently leading the Mid-American Conference in steals with 56 and an average of 2.2 per game. Last year, Bond racked up 67 steals, which ranked third all-time in a single season. Bond is on pace to surpass that total this season. Currently, the 6-foot-7 guard has amassed 140 steals in almost three seasons, which ranks eighth in the EMU career record book.

It's not just Bond's ability to pick the opponent's pocket that shows his defensive prowess. He is also a stellar shot blocker. With 20 blocks this year, the junior has racked up 62 blocks in his career, a number that puts him just seven blocks away from the EMU career top-10.

IN RARE COMPANY: Earlier this year James Thompson IV became just the 26th EMU student-athlete to record 500-or-more rebounds in a career. The sophomore currently has 637 career rebounds and sits at No. 12 on the all-time list. Thompson is on pace to pull down 341+ rebounds this season. That number, coupled with his 352 from a year ago, would give him 693, which would rank 10th in EMU history.

In addition to his rebounding, Thompson is on his way to becoming the 30th player to record 1,000 career points in EMU history. The Baton Rouge, La. native currently has 850 career points. He is one of just 13 student-athletes at EMU to notch 800 points and 600 rebounds in a career.

WILLIE TAKES IT DOWNTOWN: Senior guard Willie Mangum IV is on pace to have one of the best three-point shooting seasons in Eastern Michigan history. Averaging nearly three three-point makes per game, Mangum is on pace to knock down 90 triples. That number would be the most in EMU single season history. Additionally, the Richmond, Va. native needs to connect on just seven more long balls to enter the EMU top-10 for career three-point field goal makes. He currently has 138 three pointers in his two seasons at Eastern.

WHERE THEY STAND: If the 2017 Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Tournament were to start today, the Eagles would hold the No. 10 overall seed. With a 5-8 record in Mid-American Conference play, the Green and White would be in a tie with Bowling Green for the 10th overall seed. With a 28-point victory over the MAC East opponent, the Eagles own the tiebreaker and would get the nod for the 10th spot. If the current standings hold true until the end of the season, the Eagles would be heading to Northern Illinois for a first round MAC Tournament game, Monday, March 6, in DeKalb, Ill.

ON THE HORIZON: Following their Saturday contest with Western Michigan, the Eagles continue Mid-American Conference action on the road, Tueday, Feb. 21. Eastern Michigan will travel to Muncie, Ind. to square off with Ball State. The Eagles and Cardinals will take the court at 7 p.m. from Worthen Arena.

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Players Mentioned

Tim Bond

Ray Lee

Willie Mangum IV

James Thompson IV

Ty Toney

Eastern Michigan Athletics