Eastern Returns Home to Host Northwood Sunday Afternoon

Men's Basketball vs. Northwood
Date	Sunday, Dec. 5 \| 4 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Media Guide.
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN3
Listen	WEMU (89.1 WEMU-FM) \| The Varsity Network App \| Eastern Insider Podcast
Twitter	@EMU_MBB \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team opens its longest homestand of the 2021-22 season when it hosts Northwood University Sunday, Dec. 5, inside the Convocation Center. Tip is scheduled for 4 p.m.
   Eastern (2-5, 0-0 MAC) is coming off a 2,311-mile trek to California that saw the squad come up short at UC San Diego, 83-74, Dec. 2. Meanwhile, Northwood (3-3, 1-0 GLIAC) edged Northern Michigan, 81-72, and will battle Michigan Tech Saturday, Dec. 4, before scooting the 123 miles south for the non-conference affair with EMU.
   The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Ryan Wooley (pxp) and Reggie Butler (analyst) on the call. There will be no radio coverage of the Sunday matinee.

HOME SWEET HOME: EMU puts its unblemished home court record on the line Sunday, as the stats prove that the Convocation Center has treated it well. In two games, EMU has averaged 87.5 points per game while giving up 83.0. Furthermore, the Eagles have shot 45.5 percent.
   Conversely, on the road, the Green and White are 0-5 and being outscored by nearly 16 points per game (EMU 66.2, OPP 81.8). EMU is shooting 39.9 percent from the field compared to 48.6 for the opposition, to go along with being on the short side of the rebounding margin (EMU 35.0, OPP 38.8).

WELCOME HOME!: Sunday's game features a pair of Eastern Michigan alums squaring off on the sidelines. EMU Head Coach Stan Heath is a 1988 graduate of Eastern, while Northwood's Lonnie Griffin earned his degree from the University in 2001. Griffin has spent time coaching at Central Michigan, Alma, Grand Valley State, and Delta College.

VERSUS THE NON-DIVISION 1 RANKS: Eastern Michigan has played a non-Division I school in every season since 2008-09, posting a 39-0 record in those games. EMU has won the contests by an average of 29.5 points per game (EMU 85.3, OPP 56.0) with just one decided by 10-or-fewer points (W, 79-70 vs. Madonna - Nov. 17, 2010). Additionally, Eastern has won 17 games by 30-or-more points, including a 71-point margin versus Marygrove (W, 119-48), Nov. 14, 2008, and a 62-point differential against Siena Heights (W, 117-55), Dec. 11, 2016.
   EMU has only played three Division II teams during that streak, posting a 16-point win over Ferris State (76-60 - Jan. 4, 2011), a 14-point triumph against Northwood (72-58 - Dec. 30, 2009), and a 20-point decision over Wayne State (67-49 - Dec. 8, 2008).
   EMU's last loss to a non-D1 team was during the 1983-84 season which the then-Hurons fell to Grand Valley State, 66-60, at Bowen Field House, Jan. 2, 1984.

CHECKING THE SERIES WITH NORTHWOOD: The Eagles and Timberwolves will be meeting for the fifth time in a series that has been dormant since the 2009-10 campaign. EMU holds a 4-0 lead, including a 72-58 victory at the Convocation Center in the teams' last get-together, Dec. 30, 2009. The schools also met in an exhibition game prior to the 2007-08 campaign with Eastern notching a 76-56 win.

CLOSE CONNECTIONS: Separated by just 123 miles, Eastern Michigan and Northwood share a few close connections. EMU's Senior Director of Ticket Sales, Service, and Operations, Jeff Czachowski, is a Northwood University graduate, where he earned his bachelor's in Business administration in 2008.
   Northwood also has two EMU alums among its ranks. Second-year Head Coach Lonnie Griffin is a 2001 graduate of Eastern Michigan, while Northwood's Assistant Professor and Department Chair for Sport Management and Esports Management, and former NU Director of Athletics (2013-21), Dave Marsh, owns a bachelor's in Business computers from EMU.

HOT FIRST HALF: EMU dropped 39 points in the first half at UC San Diego, Dec. 2. That number is the best by the Eagles this season, and the most by the team since it scored 42 in the opening frame against Northern Illinois, Feb. 27, 2021. The Green and White shot an impressive 56.3 percent (18-of-32) in the first 20 minutes against the Tritons. That number is the best by the team in the first half of any game this season, and the second-best overall shooting percentage in a half. Eastern's only better performance came in the second half of its game against Western Illinois, Nov. 24, when the Eagles shot 61.5 percent (16-of-26).

SHARP SHOOTING ALL AROUND: The Eagles shot 49.2 percent from the field (31-of-63) against UC San Diego, Dec. 2, the team's second-best shooting percentage of the season. Unfortunately, it fell victim to the second-best shooting clip (55%; 28-of-51) and best three-point percentage, 52 percent (12-of-23) by an opponent this season in the loss.

FIVE IN UNDER FIVE: It took just 4:40 for all five EMU starters to find the scoring column in EMU's game at UC San Diego, Dec. 2. Eastern Michigan has now gotten points from each of its five starters in five of its seven games this season.

QUICK HITTER: EMU got on the board just 14 seconds into its game at UC San Diego when freshman guard Colin Golson Jr. found the bottom of the net on a driving layup. That bucket is the fastest to open a game for the Green and White this season.

NOT SO COLD OPEN: Eastern and UC San Diego combined to hit the first eight shots of the contest, Dec. 2, the most made shots in a row in any game EMU has played in this season. The Eagles hit their first four shot attempts of the game, which included two makes from deep. The stretch is the best to start a game for the team this season. Prior to the game at UC San Diego, EMU had opened just two of its first six games with a make.

FIRST FOR SAVICEVIC: Freshman guard Luka Savicevic continues to elevate his role for EMU as the season progresses. The first-year Eagle played in his fourth game and earned his first start against UC San Diego. Savicevic finished the game with five points, his third game with at least that point total.

BOUNCE BACK FOR BRYCE: After failing to score for the first time in 2021-22 in EMU's most recent game, at DePaul, Nov. 28, junior guard Bryce McBride had a nice bounce-back game at UC San Diego, Dec. 2. McBride tallied 16 points, which tied for the team lead and is good for his second-most of the season. Additionally, he finished with multiple three-point makes (2) for the third time this season and the first time since he knocked down three versus Illinois State, Nov. 12.

BOB ROSS BALLERS: Like Bob Ross, EMU was all over the paint in its most recent game, against UC San Diego, Dec. 2. The Green and White finished with an inside advantage for just the second time this season, outscoring the Tritons, 46-30, down low. The 16-point margin is the best in any game for Eastern this season. EMU's previous best was a +8 paint points total over Western Illinois (32-24), Nov. 24. Additionally, EMU's 46 points in the paint is a season-high for the Green and White. EMU averages 29.1 ppg from the paint this season.

TRIPLE THREAT: EMU got double-digit scoring from a trio of scorers against UCSD, Dec. 2. Senior Monty Scott, junior Bryce McBride, and freshman Colin Golson Jr. each dropped 16. The performance marked the fifth time this season that at least three EMU players have scored 10+ in a game. Additionally, it marks the third time that EMU has gotten 15+ from a trio of players.

BENCH BOSS(ES): EMU's bench was dominant in the game against UC San Diego, Dec. 2. The Eagles' bench outscored the Triton's non-starters, 24-2. Eastern has now gotten 20+ points from its bench in six games this season. Additionally, EMU is averaging 23.4 points per game from its bench this season, a significant advantage over its opponents, which average just 16.7 points per game from their non-starters this season.

BALLARD ON THE BOARDS: Redshirt junior Derek Ballard Jr. averages 2.3 rebounds per game (tied for eighth on the team), but no one on the EMU roster is more effective on the boards on a per-minute basis. Advanced metrics show that when Ballard is on the court, he collects 24 percent of all the possible rebounds that occur. That number is the best of any Eagle. The only other Eagle to have a number over 20 percent is redshirt freshman Yusuf Jihad, who collects 20.2 percent of all available rebounds when on the floor.

SPLASHING IN THE DEEP END: Eastern is currently hitting at a 35.0 clip from deep this season, which ranks sixth in the Mid-American Conference and 119th in the nation. The Eagles are led by freshman Luka Savicevic who is shooting 44.4 percent (4-of-9) from three (minimum eight attempts), having seen action in four games this season. Senior Monty Scott follows closely behind, hitting 12-of-30 (40.0 percent). Furthermore, the contest at UC San Diego, Dec. 2, was the first of the season for the Eagles where they did not make at least six three-pointers.

MO PROBLEMS: Freshman Mo Njie continues to show the threat he is to the opposition after hitting threes in consecutive games. The 6-10 center nailed his first three-pointer at DePaul, Nov. 28, and most recently went 1-of-1 from deep at UC San Diego, Dec. 2. The freshman has now hit 2-of-3 (66.7 percent) treys this season in six games of action.

CAPITALIZE AT THE LINE: Eastern Michigan shot 80 percent (8-of-10) from the free-throw line at UC San Diego, Dec. 2. This was the second consecutive contest where the Eagles hit 80 percent from the charity stripe. The team's 90 made free throws ranks fifth in the MAC, and the 73.8 percent (90-of-122) the squad is shooting this season is sixth in the conference, and ranks 92nd nationally. EMU got to the line once in the first half of the contest at UCSD, Dec. 2, a season-low.
    The Green and White are led by senior Nate Scott (minimum eight attempts) through the first six games of the season, shooting 100 percent (11-of-11). 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.

NEW BLOOD: A total of 72.1 percent (365-of-506) of EMU's scoring and 60.3 percent (154-of-255) of its rebounding have come from newcomers to the roster. Of that 72.1 percent of the team's total scoring, an incredible 54.7 percent (200-of-365) 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 has used his veteran experience to set up his teammates, leading the squad with 20 assists. Additionally, the Union, N.J. native leads the team with 49 made field goals, which ranks second in the Mid-American Conference and 80th in the nation. Scott's 116 total points and 53.2 field goal-shooting percentage rank fifth and 10th in the MAC, respectively.
    Furthermore, Scott has scored in double-digits in six-straight games. Most recently, the senior tied for the team lead with 16 points in the loss at UC San Diego, Dec. 2.

LUKA IN THE LIMELIGHT: Luka Savicevic continues to earn minutes in the lineup as a freshman. Savicevic played a season-high 25 minutes in his first collegiate start at UC San Diego, Dec. 2, where he recorded five points, four rebounds, and a team-leading four assists. The four boards and helpers are both career-bests. The North Macedonia native 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 seven 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 senior Monty Scott, junior Bryce McBride, and freshman Colin Golson Jr., who all scored 16 points at UC San Diego, Dec. 2.
   The Eagles continue to have at least three players score in double-digits, as it has happened in all but two games this season (5-of-7).

McBRIDE TO THE LINE: Junior guard Bryce McBride is no stranger to going to the line to shoot free throws as he led the team a season ago in attempts (86), and percentage (.837). McBride currently ranks fourth in the Mid-American Conference in free throws made (24), and attempts (31). The team captain is also seventh in the conference in free-throw percentage, at 77.4.

GOLSON KEEPS COMIN': Freshman Colin Golson Jr. scored a season-high 10 first-half points against the Tritons, Dec. 2. The performance notched him his third game in 2021-22 with double-digit points, as he finished with 16. His offensive effort ties his career-high, previously set against Illinois State, Nov. 12.

SPOTTSVILLE IN BLOCKSVILLE: Senior guard Darion Spottsville recorded a career-best two blocks at UC San Diego, Dec. 2. Spottsville now has six on the season, which ties for the team lead and ranks 10th in the Mid-American Conference. The senior captain totaled one block in his previous two seasons with Eastern. The Eagles rank sixth in blocked shots per game (3.3) in the Mid-American Conference.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern continues its homestand, welcoming Niagara to the Convocation Center Wednesday, Dec. 8. The game will begin at 7 p.m. and can be watched 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.

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Players Mentioned

Derek Ballard Jr.

Noah Farrakhan

Colin Golson Jr.

Yusuf Jihad

Bryce McBride

Mo Njie

Luka Savicevic

Monty Scott

Nate Scott

Darion Spottsville

Eastern Michigan Athletics