Men’s Basketball Swoops Into San Diego for a Thursday Night Contest

Men's Basketball at UC San Diego
Date	Thursday, Dec. 2 \| 7 p.m. PT
Venue	La Jolla, Calif. \| RIMAC Arena
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Media Guide.
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	WEMU (89.1 WEMU-FM) \| The Varsity Network App \| Eastern Insider Podcast
Twitter	@EMU_MBB \| @EMUAthletics

LA JOLLA, Calif. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team travels to the West Coast for a first-time match-up against UC San Diego Thursday, Dec. 2. The contest will begin at 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET) inside RIMAC Arena.
   Eastern (2-4, 0-0 MAC) flies to the Golden State after a 101-63 road setback at undefeated DePaul, Nov. 28. UC San Diego's (4-2, 0-0 Big West) most recent action was a 56-55 loss to Southern Miss as a part of the Zootown Classic in Missoula, Mont, Nov. 25. UCSD was scheduled to play UNC Wilmington, Nov. 26, before the Seahawks dropped out of the classic due to a flu outbreak and the game was canceled.
   The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Steve Quis (pxp) and Ted Mendenhall (analyst).

FIRST TIME FOES: The meeting between the Eagles and Tritons, Dec. 2, will be the first-ever basketball game Eastern Michigan and UC San Diego have played against one another. The former NCAA Division II school entered the Big West in July 2020, making the jump to Division I.

LAST TIME IN CALI: Eastern's last trip to California ended in a 77-56 loss to UC Irvine, Dec. 1, 2019. Senior Darion Spottsville is the only remaining member of the 2019-20 team to have played in the contest. Spottsville scored four points, grabbed three rebounds, and an assist.
   Eastern's last road triumph in the state came during the 2017-18 campaign, when the squad rallied from nine down for an 85-80 win at Long Beach State, Dec. 16. The game had 11 lead changes and 10 ties in a thrilling 40 minutes of action, as the Eagles withstood a fast and furious final charge from the 49ers to pull out the victory. Elijah Minnie led Eastern Michigan with 23 points.

MO PROBLEMS: Freshman Mo Njie continues to show the threat he is to the opposition after hitting the first three of his collegiate career at DePaul, Nov. 28. The 6-10 center had attempted one previously, against Illinois State, Nov. 12. Njie is now 50 percent (1-2) from deep on the season.

SPLASHING IN THE DEEP END: Eastern is currently hitting at a 36.7 clip from deep this season, which ranks third in the Mid-American Conference and 83rd in the nation. The Eagles are led by senior Monty Scott who is shooting 44.4 percent (12-of-27) from three. Scott sunk three triples at DePaul, Nov. 28, and has now hit that number in three consecutive games. Additionally, EMU hit seven treys as a team in the most recent contest, continuing the streak of at least six made threes in every game this season.

CONTRIBUTION OFF THE BENCH: Eastern Michigan's bench has contributed heavily through the team's first six games. The Eagles are averaging more than 23 points per game from their bench – netting 30 off the bench against both Illinois State, Nov. 12, and DePaul, Nov. 28.

CAPITALIZE AT THE LINE: Eastern Michigan shot 80 percent (12-of-15) from the free-throw line at DePaul, Nov. 20. Eastern's seven makes in the first half of the contest were the most by the team in a first half this season. Furthermore, EMU shot 87.5 percent (7-of-8) from the charity stripe in the first half, the best shooting percentage from the line in a half this season (minimum of eight attempts).
   The Green and White are led by senior Nate Scott (minimum eight attempts) through the first six games of the season, shooting 100 percent (9-of-9). Freshman Noah Farrakhan is hitting 85.7 percent (18-of-21), and had shot 100 percent from the line in the last three games he has played in, NKU: 2-for-2, MSU: 4-of-4, and WIU: 2-for-2. Farrakhan's 85.7 percent is third in the Mid-American Conference.

HITTING THE FREEBIES: The Eagles saw four players shoot 100 percent from the free-throw line at DePaul, Nov. 28. Freshman Colin Golson Jr. was 3-of-3, while seniors Darion Spottsville, and Nate Scott, and freshman Yusuf Jihad went 2-of-2.
   The last time Eastern had four-or-more players or more hit perfectly from the charity stripe was at Central Michigan, Jan. 15, 2021. Four former Eagles and junior Bryce McBride remained perfect from the line: Ty Groce: 4-4, Noah Morgan: 3-3, Miles Gibson, Yeikson Montero, and McBride: 2-2. Furthermore, the game at CMU was the only time last season the feat of four-or-more was achieved.

FRESHMAN FIRSTS: Two freshmen saw their first points as Eagles at DePaul. Nov. 28. Yusuf Jihad scored six points on 3-of-6 shooting and collected a season-high four rebounds. Kevin-David Rice saw his first significant minutes of the season, playing 13 total minutes and scoring four points (2-of-6), while also snagging his first steal.

NEW BLOOD: A total of 71.9 percent (311-of-432) of EMU's scoring and 59.3 percent (134-of-226) of its rebounding have come from newcomers to the roster. Of that 71.9 percent of the team's total scoring, an incredible 59.1 percent (184-of-311) have come from just two players: freshman guard Noah Farrakhan and senior guard Monty Scott, who happen to be half brothers.

MIGHTY MONTY: Senior transfer Monty Scott used his veteran experience to set up his teammates, as he dished out five assists at Michigan State, Nov. 20, the most yet while in a Green and White uniform. Scott once handed out seven helpers as a member of the Portland State Vikings. His 3.0 assists per game are tied for 14th in the Mid-American Conference.
   Additionally, the Union, N.J. native leads the team with a 53.2 field goal shooting percentage, which ranks fifth in the MAC and 110th nationally.
   Furthermore, Scott has scored in double-digits in five-straight games. Most recently, the senior led the Eagles with 18 points in the loss at DePaul, Nov. 28.

LUKA IN THE LIMELIGHT: Luka Savicevic continues to earn minutes in the lineup as a freshman. Savicevic played a season-high 22 minutes at DePaul, Nov. 28, while scoring six points, and recording his first assist. The North Macedonia native also sank the first two free-throws of his career and grabbed a career-high two boards.
   The freshman played his first minutes of the season at Michigan State, Nov. 20, notching a total of 11 minutes, scoring eight points, hitting 2-of-3 from deep and grabbing a steal.

PLAYING THEM TIGHT: EMU has had plenty of high-leverage moments to open the year. Four of six games this season have been decided by six points-or-less, 68-62 (at Indiana, Nov. 9), 103-98 (vs. Illinois St., Nov. 12), 74-73 (at Northern Ky., Nov. 18), and 72-68 (vs. Western Ill., Nov. 24).

DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING: EMU got double-digit scoring from senior Monty Scott (16), freshman Noah Farrakhan (14), and junior Bryce McBride (12) against Western Illinois, Nov. 24.
    The Eagles continue to have at least three players score in double-digits, as it has happened in all but two games this season (4-of-6). Only two members of the Green and White scored 10-or-more at Indiana, Nov. 9, and only Scott hit double-figures at DePaul, Nov. 28.

ALL OR NOTHING VERSUS THE BIG WEST: Eastern Michigan is currently 2-3 all-time against the Big West Conference, and it has been all or nothing. The Eagles have a 2-0 record against Long Beach State, but are 0-3 when taking on UC Irvine.

IF ATTENDING THE GAME AT UC SAN DIEGO: Per the current COVID-19 guidelines set by the state of California, the County of San Diego, and the Big West Conference, fans are permitted to attend home games at RIMAC Arena. However, all fans ages three and older are required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within 48 hours of game time. All fans must wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth at all times.

ON THE HORIZON: The Eagles begin a three-game home stand by welcoming Northwood to Ypsilanti Wednesday, Dec. 8. The game will start at 7 p.m. inside the Convocation Center and will be broadcast on ESPN3.

MAKE PLANS FOR GERVIN DAY PRESENTED BY GAMEABOVE - DEC. 11: The Iceman is returning home! E-Club Hall of Famer and NBA Legend George Gervin will be coming home as a part of the upcoming men's basketball game against Florida International Saturday, Dec. 11. The fun-filled day will be presented by GameAbove.
   Gervin will be the focal point of the afternoon with fun activities and giveaways. Be sure to wear white against FIU as we "ice out" the Convo. Fans can buy tickets to the Dec. 11 contest for 24 percent off in honor of Gervin's EMU jersey number, 24.

Men’s Basketball Swoops Into San Diego for a Thursday Night Contest

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Players Mentioned

Noah Farrakhan

Miles Gibson

Colin Golson Jr.

Ty Groce

Yusuf Jihad

Bryce McBride

Yeikson Montero

Noah Morgan

Mo Njie

Kevin-David Rice

Luka Savicevic

Monty Scott

Nate Scott

Darion Spottsville

Eastern Michigan Athletics