Eastern Plays Host to Florida Atlantic Sunday

Men's Basketball vs. Florida Atlantic
Date	Sunday, Dec. 4 \| 2:30 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| George Gervin GameAbove Center
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF) \| Media Guide (PDF) \| Digital Game Programs
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

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team, coming off its first road win of the season that snapped a six-game overall losing streak, will look to make it two in a row Sunday, Dec. 4, as the Eagles are set to play host to Florida Atlantic University inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. The game between the Eagles (2-6) and the Owls (6-1) will be the second part of a doubleheader that will see the EMU women take on the University of North Dakota at noon. The men's game is slated for a 2:30 p.m. tip-off.
    The game will air on ESPN+ with Ryan Wooley and Justin Rose on the call. Tom Helmer, the Voice of the Eagles, will have the radio call on WEMU (89.1 FM) and the Varsity Network app.

OPENING TIPS:
» With its 80-68 victory at Florida International University, Nov. 30, Eastern recorded its first road victory of the season (1-2) and snapped a six-game losing skid overall to move to 2-6 on the year
» At FIU, Emoni Bates (26) and Noah Farrakhan (25) became the first teammates to score 20-or-more in the same game since Jan. 29, 2022, in a home game against Miami University when Farrakhan (28) and Nate Scott (25) accomplished the feat.
» As of Nov. 30, Bates is the league leader at 20.4 points per game and also ranks 19th in the NCAA. Bates, who has hit at least two triples in every game this year, is 17th in the NCAA at 3.4 3FGM/game.
» Through eight games, the Eagles have tallied 606 points with 72.6 percent of the points (440 total) coming from in-state players, which is among the top five nationally for homegrown talent according to College Basketball Reference.
» The Eagles connected on eight treys at FIU, extending a streak of consecutive games with at least one made triple to 589 games. The last time EMU failed to hit from distance was Jan. 24, 2004, when it was 0-of-7 at home against Miami.
» Eastern's defense held FIU to just 6.7 percent shooting from three, Nov. 30, as the Panthers connected on just 1-of-15 shooting. That is the lowest conversion percentage allowed by Eastern since holding Northern Illinois University to 1-of-33 shooting and 3.0 percent, Jan. 26, 2013, in a home win, 42-25.

WELCOME BACK: The Owls are led by Head Coach Dusty May, who is in his fourth season at Florida Atlantic and his fourth year overall as a collegiate head coach, sporting a record of 72-57. May is no stranger to the sidelines of the George Gervin GameAbove Center as he spent the 2005-06 season with Eastern as an assistant coach under Charles Ramsey.

SCOUTING FLORIDA ATLANTIC: The Owls enter Sunday's contest with a 6-1 record and have won four in a row, a streak that started with a 76-74 road victory at the University of Florida, Nov. 14, and most recently saw FAU grab an 84-59 home win over visiting University of South Alabama, Nov. 30. Dusty May's team features a trio of players averaging double figures with six total averaging at least 7.5 points per game. Michael Forrest leads the way offensively with his 13.8 points per game average while Alijah Martin (12.6) and Vladislav Goldin (11.1) each are hitting for 10-or-more points per game. The Owls are tough on the glass as well as they average 40.1 boards per contest with 11 different players averaging at least 2.4 rebounds per game.

IN THE SERIES WITH FAU:
» The game Sunday, Dec. 4, will be the first meeting in the all-time series.

STREAKING AGAINST CUSA: For the second game in a row, the Eagles will face a current member of Conference USA after defeating Florida International, 80-68, Nov. 30 in Miami, Fla., Eastern's first win on the road against a CUSA member. Prior to its 56-51 win over the University of North Texas, Nov. 16, 2019, at the Jamaica Classic, the Eagles had been 0-14 against the current league members, which excludes games played against Marshall University when it was a member of the Mid-American Conference.

QUICK REVIEW • FIU: The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team rode the hot hands of Emoni Bates and Noah Farrakhan as the duo combined for 51 points to help the Eagles grab an 80-68 road victory at Florida International University in Miami, Fla., Nov. 30. The Eagles (2-6) halted a six-game slide as the Eagles scored 53 second-half points, 40 of which came from Bates and Farrakhan, to turn an eight-point deficit into a 12-point win over the Panthers (4-3).
    Bates finished the night with a game-high 26 points, including three treys, to go along with eight boards, leaving him two shy of his consecutive double-doubles, while Farrakhan, who was limited to just four points in the first half, exploded for a season-high 25 points on an 11-of-18 shooting performance. Eastern also saw Tyson Acuff join the duo in double-figure scoring as he added 13 points to go along with six rebounds, four assists, four steals and one block.
    Kevin David-Rice made his season debut and chipped in seven big points, including a three-pointer that drew the Eagles to within one point in the second half before a Farrakhan jumper gave the Eagles the lead for good one play later. Overall, the difference in the game came behind a pair of lines. Eastern was 8-of-24 from three and 12-of-14 from the free-throw line while the hosts struggled, hitting just 1-of-15 from behind the arc and 11-of-24 at the charity stripe.

Game Notes
» The win snapped a six-game losing streak for the Eagles and also gave them their first road victory of the 2022-23 season.
» Bates continues to hit from deep as he connected on three treys for the sixth time in seven games this season and the ninth time in his career. Additionally, Bates has scored at least one triple in all seven games with Eastern while also hitting at least one in 11-consecutive games dating back to his final four games with Memphis last year.
» Through seven games, Bates has tallied 24 made threes, which is one shy of his season total in 18 games with Memphis last year.
» With his 26 points, Bates reached the 20-point mark for the third time this year and the first time since he hit for 20 at Bradley University, Nov. 15. He also has scored no fewer than 15 points in any game this year.
» Farrakhan was on fire in the second half as he scored 21 of his 25 points. The total is his highest of the season, surpassing the 19 he scored against the University of Michigan at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Nov. 11, and marks the 11th time in his career he has scored 20-or-more. The last time he scored 20+ was Feb. 26, 2022, at Ball State University, just one game after scoring his career-high 31 points at home against Northern Illinois University, Feb. 22, 2022.
» Acuff recorded a career-high four steals in the game, doubling his previous record of two that he tallied on seven different occasions. The last time he posted two thefts was Nov. 22 at the Cancun Challenge against Purdue University Fort Wayne.
» Eastern is now 2-0 in the all-time series with FIU after winning, 92-88, in quadruple overtime last year, Dec. 11, 2021, at home.
» After starting 0-14 against current members of Conference USA, the Eagles have now won three in a row and stand 3-14 against the league with a chance to make it four in a row, Dec. 4, when Eastern faces FAU.

SNAPPING STREAKS: The 80-68 win at FIU, Nov. 30, snapped several streaks for the Eagles. The win not only was the first road victory of the year for the Eagles, it also halted a two-game slide in road games played this year. Additionally, the win snapped a four-game skid dating back to last season. Eastern's previous road victory came Feb. 15, 2022, in a 75-70 conference win at Central Michigan University.

FINISHING THE COMEBACK: Eastern trailed by as many as 12 points in its game with Florida International, Nov. 30, and came back to win the game, also by 12. It marked the first time in six games this year that Eastern was trailing at the half and came back to score the win.

MILESTONE WATCH: Heading into the season, several wins can help the Eagles reach several milestone victories. With the win at Florida International, Nov. 30, Eastern now needs 14 more wins to bring its all-time victory total to 1,350 while two more wins would mark 675 all-time wins as an NCAA Division I member. On the home front, the Eagles are now six wins from 225 victories inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.

HOME COOKING: Ahead of the Nov. 30 game at Florida International, College Basketball Reference made note that the Eagles are among the top five nationally in regards to points scored per game by in-state players with Eastern currently ranking third at 55.0 points per game. Additional research shows that those same in-state players have accounted for 72.6 percent of the team's scoring through eight games with Michigan-born Eagles having collected 440 of the team's 606 points scored so far in 2022-23.

LONG DISTANCE: In the game at Florida International, Nov. 30, the Eagles connected on 8-of-24 shooting from behind the arc. With those treys, Eastern has tallied at least one made triple in each of the last 589 games played. The last time the Eagles failed to hit from downtown came Jan. 24, 2004, when Miami held Eastern to 0-of-7 from three.

LIMITED RANGE: While the Eagles connected on eight treys, Florida International hit just one in the game, Nov. 30, in Miami, Fla., with the host Panthers shooting 6.7 percent from three after going 1-of-15 from long range. The last time an Eastern foe shot worse from distance was Jan. 26, 2013, when the Huskies of Northern Illinois shot 3.0 percent from three (1-of-33) in Eastern's 42-25 home victory.

TWENTY SOMETHINGS: In the win over Florida International, Nov. 30, Emoni Bates and Noah Farrakhan tallied 26 and 25 points, respectively. With those totals, the duo became the first pair of Eastern teammates to each score 20-or-more points in the same game since Jan. 29, 2022, at home against Miami. That day, Farrakhan led the way with 28 points while Nate Scott chipped in 25 in the conference victory, 85-75, over the RedHawks.

COMING OUT HOT: Eastern's top two scorers - Bates and Farrakhan - had not fared well in the opening 20 minutes of the game at Florida International, Nov. 30, as the duo had scored 11 points combined on Bates' seven and Farrakhan's four. Trailing, 35-27, at the break, the duo came out on fire and combined to score 40 of the team's 53 second-half points as Farrakhan tallied 23 points while Bates added 17.

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER: Emoni Bates scored 20-or-more points for the third time this season as he dropped a team and game-high 26 against FIU, Nov. 30. Bates, who previously scored 20-or-more with 20 points at Bradley University, Nov. 15, is currently averaging 20.4 points per game, which leads the MAC and ranks 19th in the NCAA. Additionally, Bates is one of the top three-point threats this year as his 3.4 made treys per game average ranks second in the league and sits 17th nationally through games played Nov. 30.

MORE THAN AVERAGE: Emoni Bates is currently averaging 20.4 points per game. Although the season is just getting underway, if he is able to remain near this pace, he could be the first Eastern player to average more than 20 points per contest for the season since the 2005-06 campaign when both John Bowler and Carlos Medlock accomplished the feat.

TRIPLES: In his 18 games with Memphis last year, Emoni Bates scored 25 three-point baskets, hitting at least one in 14 of those contests. Through seven games played this year, Bates has already drained 24 deep shots. Additionally, during his time with the Tigers, Bates tallied three or more made triples in a game three times, something he has done six times this year. Overall, Bates has scored at least one three-point basket in 11 games in a row dating back to his final four contests with UM.

ALL AROUND: Tyson Acuff continues to make a name for himself as the sophomore guard is one of four players in the MAC to rank in the top nine of assist-to-turnover ratio (fifth at 1.8) while also ranking in the top 10 in assists per game (ninth at 3.0), top 15 in free-throw percentage (10th at 79.2 percent), and top 25 in scoring (24th at 12.6 points per game). Additionally, Acuff's 24 total assists rank tied for eighth-best in the league while his 13 turnovers committed ranks tied for fewest among the league's assist-to-turnover top nine listing.

FREE TO THROW: "True" freshman Orlando Lovejoy has been shooting well from the free throw line as the rookie is hitting on 90.9 percent of his attempts so far this year. Lovejoy ranks third in the MAC based on free throw percentage and also ranks 30th nationally. If Lovejoy maintains this pace, he would become the first Eastern player to hit over 90 percent of his visits to the charity stripe in a single season.

MAKING BASKETS: Jalin Billingsley has been faring well from the floor as he ranks among the top 10 in field goal percentage in the MAC. Billingsley is currently ranked fourth in the conference as he is converting 61.1 percent of his shots. As it stands today, Billingsley's 61.1 percent shooting would rank seventh all-time in EMU's single-season laurels.

UP NEXT: Eastern will head west to face Illinois State University, Wednesday, Dec. 7, with the Eagles and Redbirds meeting inside CEFCU Arena in Normal, Ill., for a 7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET tip. The game will be aired live on ESPN+, WEMU (89.1 FM), and the Varsity Network.

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Players Mentioned

Tyson Acuff

Emoni Bates

Jalin Billingsley

Noah Farrakhan

Orlando Lovejoy

Nate Scott

Eastern Michigan Athletics