Eagles Close Out 2016-17 Versus Toledo on Senior Night

Men's Basketball vs. Toledo (Senior Night)
Date	Friday, March 3 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center (7,784)
Game Notes	EMU Game Notes \| Toledo Game Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN 3
Listen	89.1 FM WEMU
Twitter	@EMUHoops \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- With a convincing victory on Tuesday night over Central Michigan University, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team returns to the court for its regular season finale and Senior Night this Friday, March 3, when it hosts the University of Toledo at 7 p.m. from the Convocation Center. The win over CMU gave the Eagles (15-15, 7-10 MAC) their second win in a row after dropping seven straight.

The Green and White heads into the game with the Rockets (15-15, 8-9 MAC) following a 109-81 victory over Central Michigan, Feb. 28. That victory gave EMU its fourth win over CMU in as many games and won the Michigan MAC Trophy for the first time in the Rob Murphy era.

Toledo has lost two of its last three games, most recently falling on its Senior Night, Tuesday, Feb. 28, to Ball State, 82-74.

EMU AUCTIONING OFF SPECIAL AUTISM AWARENESS UNIFORMS: As we near "March Madness" and the end of the basketball regular season, the EMU men's basketball team's regular season is coming to a close as well, and for its final home game and Senior Day, March 3, the team will wear a commemorative uniform with proceeds being donated to the Autism Collaborative Center (ACC) on the campus of Eastern Michigan University. These special uniforms are designed with individual puzzle pieces that reflect the complexity of the Autism Spectrum and have been used nationally to support services and early intervention. In addition, all uniforms will include the Autism Awareness Ribbon, the most enduring and recognized symbol of the autism community that represents diversity, inclusion, and acceptance.

In addition to the team wearing these uniforms for the game, they will be made available to the public in a special auction style purchase. Bidding will take place online and fans can do so by clicking here. Bids will begin at $200 and each following bid will be increased $25 more than the previous. Select jerseys will also be available for a set purchase price as well.

FINDING THE GAME AT HOME: The Eastern Michigan versus Toledo matchup will have both audio and video on Friday evening. 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 for the conference road game will be analyst Assistant Athletic Media Relations Director Sean Hostetter as well as on-site engineer and Associate Athletic Director Greg Steiner. 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 Buckey Cable Sports Network, where Mason Lowry will call the UT versus EMU contest. Jay Gast will join Lowry on the broadcast to provide analysis. Fans can also stream the game on ESPN3 or the WatchESPN app.

ALL-TIME VERSUS TOLEDO: The Eagles trail in the series with Toledo, as Eastern looks at a tally of 52-49 in favor of the Rockets. Recent history shows that EMU and UT have tended to trade wins back and forth. However, last season the Green and White swept Toledo, winning both regular season matchups before knocking off the Rockets in the first round of the 2016 MAC Tournament at the Convocation Center. Earlier this year, the Rockets defeated EMU, 73-57, at Toledo.

In that game, Ty Toney paced the Eagle offense, scoring 13 points on 6-of-16 shooting, while Willie Mangum IV poured in 11. James Thompson IV notched nine points and led the game with 11 rebounds, while Tim Bond and Jordan Nobles each contributed eight points each, respectively.

LIKELY LOOK FOR THE ROCKETS...

#	Name	Pos.	Cl.	Ht.	Wt.	ppg	rpg	apg	Hometown-Previous School
1	Jonathan Williams	G	Sr.-Sr.	6-3	200	19.9	3.1	3.1	Southfield, Mich.-Lathrup
13	Jaelan Sanford	G	So.-So.	6-4	195	13.6	2.1	3.2	Evansville, Ind.-Reitz
23	Steve Taylor Jr.	F	Sr.-Sr.	6-9	240	15.8	12.4	3.7	Chicago, Ill.-Marquette
25	Jordan Lauf	G	Sr.-Sr.	6-5	200	8.0	6.3	1.8	Napoleon, Ohio-Napoleon
30	Luke Knapke	C	So.-Fr.	6-11	235	6.8	3.9	1.1	Maria Stein, Ohio-Marion Local

LAST TIME OUT: On the back of a 50 point performance by Ray Lee, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team defeated Central Michigan University, 109-81, Tuesday night, Feb. 28, at McGuirk Arena. In the victory, the Eagles scored the most points in a single game against an NCAA Division I team since they notched 109 against Ball State University, Jan. 20, 1996.

Eastern Michigan set a multitude of records in the victory over CMU. Lee's 50 points set a single game record for any student-athlete in EMU history, while his 10 three-point makes were the most by a player donning the Green and White. The Eagles connected on 16 three-point field goals, which ranked as the most in single game history.

Outside of Lee's 50 points, he added four assists, a steal, and a block, while Willie Mangum IV added 24 points, connecting on five triples. James Thompson IV added his 36th career double-double by grabbing 18 points and 14 rebounds. Tim Bond was a sound distributor for EMU, dishing out seven assists to go along with zero turnovers and two steals.

SCOUTING THE ROCKETS: The Toledo offense is not only one of the best in the Mid-American Conference, but one of the best in the country as well. The Rockets average 80.1 points per game, which is second best in the league. A large part of their success is based on their senior duo of Jonathan Williams and Steve Taylor Jr. From the backcourt, Williams averages 19.6 points per game while shooting at a 44.6 percent clip. In the front court, Taylor is one of the best bigs in the country. He pours in 15.8 points per contest while pulling down a MAC-best 12.4 rebounds per game. In addition to leading the league in rebounding, Taylor holds down the number three spot in the country in that category.

TAKING HOME THE MAC TROPHY: With their 109-81 victory at Central Michigan, the EMU men's basketball team locked up the Michigan MAC Trophy for the first time since its inception in 2006. Prior to Eastern winning the trophy this season, the Eagles saw WMU come away with the trophy 11 times, while CMU has held the hardware on four occasions.

MR. LEE DROPPING 50: It was a historic night for EMU men's basketball and redshirt senior Ray Lee in the Eagles' 109-81 win at CMU, Feb. 28. The Detroit, Mich. native not only led the Green and White to its first ever Michigan MAC Trophy in men's basketball, but he poured in a record breaking 50 point performance in the win. The 50 points were the most scored by an EMU student-athlete in single game history, while he also connected on 10 triples, which marked the most in a single game as well. Lee went 17-of-26 from the floor, recording a tie for the fourth-most field goal makes in a game, while his 26 shot attempts were tied for the second-most (since 1998-99). Additionally, his 65.4 shooting percentage in the contest was the sixth-best in a game for an EMU student-athlete since 1998-99.

The 50 point performance has added to his tear as of late. After scoring 24 points versus Ball State, Jan. 24, Lee had struggled, scoring in single digits for six-straight games. However, over the last four, Lee has turned up the offensive firepower, scoring 20-plus points in each. At Western Michigan, Lee notched 27, before re-entering the starting lineup and recording 22 and 21 points in back-to-back games. Finally we saw the historic game versus CMU. Over the last four games, Lee is averaging 30 points per game and shooting 54.5 percent from the floor and 52.6 percent from beyond the arc. He has been no slouch in other departments either, posting 2.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and two steals per game over that span as well.

MANGUM MAKES HISTORY: With his five three-pointers in the EMU win over Central Michigan, senior Willie Mangum IV etched his name in the Eastern Michigan history books as one of the best three-point shooters of all-time. The Richmond, Va. native broke the single season three-point record by notching his 91st three point make during the 2016-17 campaign. Mangum's five threes moved him past Carl Thomas' (1990-91) single season previous three point record of 89 for the most in at Eastern Michigan history.

Although Mangum has already broken the single season three-point record for Eastern Michigan with 91 triples made this year, the 6-foot-1 combo guard is also on pace to become one of the top long ball chuckers in EMU laurels. With 156 career three-point makes, Mangum ranks ninth on the career list. Additionally, Mangum is shooting at a 37.4 percent clip from beyond the arc for his career. That number ranks eighth for any EMU men's basketball student-athlete.

HONORING OUR SENIORS: Friday night's game will serve as the 2017 senior class' Senior Night. The EMU Athletics Department will honor seniors Quaran Jones, Ray Lee, Willie Mangum IV, and Ty Toney. For a complete honors list, turn to page 10 of these notes.

DUAL GUARD SHOW: EMU's senior guards Ray Lee and Willie Mangum have teamed up to showcase the EMU offense over the last three games. Both have had back-to-back-to-back 20-plus point performances and have been lights out shooting from three. In the last two games, the duo has combined for 217 points and 35 three-point field goal makes. The two guards have shot a combined 52.3 percent from the floor, while scorching the nets from beyond the arc, notching a 53 three point field goal percentage over the last two games.

EAGLES OFFENSE ROLLING: The EMU men's basketball team has turned up the offensive firepower at just the right time as we roll toward the 2017 Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Tournament. The Green and White have averaged 86.2 points per game on the offensive end over the last four games, shooting at a blazing 48.6 percent, while also connecting from downtown at a 41.8 percent clip. In those four contests, the Eagles are outscoring their opponents by 7.2 points per game.

MAKING MOVES: With the regular season coming to a close, the Eagles currently control their own destiny in terms of hosting a first round Mid-American Conference Tournament game Monday night, March 6. The Green and White holds the No. 8 seed right now with one game to go. However, there are multiple scenarios that could take place for EMU after the final game of the year.

With an EMU win (8-10)
    EMU claims the seventh seed if:
        EMU would host BGSU if: NIU and BGSU lose/wins
        EMU would host NIU if: NIU loses and BGSU wins
    EMU claims the eighth seed if:
        EMU would host NIU if: NIU wins and BGSU loses/wins

With an EMU loss (7-11)
    EMU claims the eighth seed if:
        EMU would host NIU if: NIU and BGSU lose
    EMU claims the ninth seed if:
        EMU would play at NIU if: NIU wins and BGSU loses
        EMU would play at BGSU if: BGSU wins and NIU loses
    EMU would claim the 10th seed if:
        EMU would play at Toledo if: NIU and BGSU win

ON THE HORIZON: Following their Friday evening Senior Night contest with Toledo, the Eagles will have completed the regular season and will await their fate depending on the outcome of their game and the games played by Northern Illinois at Ball State and Bowling Green at Buffalo. The Eagles could host NIU or Bowling Green, while they could also end up playing at Bowling Green, Northern Illinois or Toledo, depending on how the three games pan out.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tim Bond

Quaran Jones

Ray Lee

Willie Mangum IV

Jordan Nobles

James Thompson IV

Ty Toney

Eastern Michigan Athletics