Eagles Hit the Road to Face Rival Broncos Tuesday

Men's Basketball at Western Michigan
Date	Tuesday, Jan. 10 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Kalamazoo, Mich. \| University Arena
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

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team returns to action Tuesday, Jan. 10, with a trip to Kalamazoo, Mich., where it will face Western Michigan University at 7 p.m. inside University Arena. The Eagles (4-11, 1-1 MAC) will be playing a rival for the second game in a row after their gritty, come-from-behind, 62-56 victory over Central Michigan University, Jan. 7, while the Broncos (4-11, 0-2 MAC) will be looking to snap a two-game skid that opened conference play as they play their first come MAC game of the season.
    The game will air live on ESPN+ with Conor Clingen and Wayne Hinton will have the call with Lexi Ayala reporting from the sideline. Tom Helmer, the Voice of the Eagles, and Greg Steiner will have the radio call on WEMU (89.1 FM) and the Varsity Network app.

OPENING TIPS:
» Eastern came back from 14 points down to defeat Central Michigan, 62-56. It is the largest comeback this season (was 12 at Florida International, Nov. 30) and the largest since coming back from 16 down to Illinois State, Nov. 12, 2021, a 103-98, double-overtime win for the Eagles.
» CMU's 56 points scored are the fewest allowed by EMU this season and 25.5 points under EMU's average.
» The Eagles' win over CMU marked the 675th victory as a member of NCAA Division I (since 1974-75).
» Eastern was held to just 18 points in the first half, the fewest since trailing Kent State, 26-17, Jan. 18, 2022.
» EMU forced 23 CMU turnovers, Jan. 7, the most this year and the most since forcing Florida International into 25 turnovers, Dec. 11, 2021. It also is the most the Eagles have forced on a MAC foe since Jan. 31, 2017, when they turned Kent State over 23 times.
» Eastern's defense recorded a season-best 15 steals, the most for EMU in a conference game since recording 17 thefts at Ohio, Jan. 17, 2020.
» Emoni Bates recorded his second career double-double as he tallied 26 points and 10 rebounds against Central Michigan. His first came at home against UC San Diego, Nov. 27, with 17 points and 13 boards.
» Bates' 26 points marked his 13th game this year with double-digit scoring (in 14 games), his 12th with at least 15 points, and his sixth game with 20-or-more points.
» EMU has made at least one three-pointer in 566 games in a row after going 3-of-22 against CMU.

MILESTONE REACHED: With its win over Central Michigan, Jan. 7, Eastern recorded its 675th all-time after moving up to NCAA Division I, which came ahead of the 1974-75 season. The Eagles can add to their milestones list this season with more victories, as well. With 12 more wins, Eastern would secure the 1,350th win in program history while four more home wins would be 225 inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center, which opened for the 1998-99 season.

MICHIGAN MAC TROPHY: Eastern reclaimed the Michigan MAC Trophy last year with a 3-1 record against both Central Michigan (2-0) and Western Michigan (1-1), bringing the trophy to Ypsilanti for the fourth time. Created by the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2005, the trophy is given annually to the winner of the three-time basketball series. Should the Eagles retain the crown, it would mark the second time Eastern has won the title in back-to-back seasons with the first coming with Eastern's first two wins; the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. Additionally, retaining the title would mark the first time the Eagles would capture the title in both football and basketball in the same academic year. Through Jan. 7, the Eagles are 1-0, CMU is 0-1, and WMU is 0-0.

SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN: The Broncos enter their game with Eastern with a 4-11 record and stand 0-2 in the MAC after road losses at both Kent State and Toledo to open the conference slate. Western Michigan is 3-2 in home games this year with their last home victory coming Dec. 21 in a 61-41 victory over Siena Heights. Lamar Norman Jr., leads the way for the Broncos as he is averaging 17.0 points per game while dishing out a team-best 2.4 assists per game. Tray Maddox Jr., also is scoring in double figures with an average of 12.2 points per game while Markeese Hastings leads the team with 10.1 rebounds per game, the second-best average in the league.

IN THE SERIES WITH WESTERN MICHIGAN:
» Heading into their 118th all-time meeting, the Broncos lead the all-time series, 63-54, over the Eagles. Since joining the MAC and NCAA Division I (1974-75), the Eagles lead the series, 50-49, while WMU is 31-17 when hosting EMU.
» The series dates back to the 1914-15 season with Eastern winning the first meeting, 37-24, in Kalamazoo. The date of the game is unknown at this time.
» WMU won the last meeting, 71-60, March 1, 2022, in Ypsilanti, to snap EMU's two game winning streak.
» The Broncos lead, 35-19, when the game is played in Kalamazoo with Eastern having won the last two meetings inside University Arena, including an 85-79 decision, Jan. 4, 2022.
» The Eagles are 6-4 in their last 10 games with the Broncos and 4-6 in their last 10 games in Kalamazoo.
» B. Artis White, who has not played this year for WMU, is the son of former EMU assistant coach Benny White, who was on the Eastern sideline from 2011-16.

NEW FOR COACH: When the Eagles take the floor at Western Michigan, Jan. 10, it will mark the first time Stan Heath will be on the sideline leading Eastern against the Broncos after COVID forced him to miss last year's visit to Kalamazoo. In that game, EMU Assistant Coach Bob Simon held it down against the Broncos, serving as the bench boss for the night and beating Western Michigan 85-79, Jan. 4. The contest was the first time in 7,978 days that Simon had served as the head coach in a collegiate basketball contest. He last led the Wayne State University women's team against Ferris State University in the first round of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, March 2, 2000.

TOP SCORERS: Two of the top scorers in the MAC will share the court in Kalamazoo, Jan. 10, when Emoni Bates and Lamar Norman Jr., meet. The two players are tied for the highest single-game point total this season as both scored 36 in one game with Bates scoring his at South Carolina, Dec. 30, and Norman Jr., tallying 36 at Houston Christian, Nov. 18. They are two of only five MAC players to record at least two games with more than 30 points this season, joining Mekhi Lairy of Miami (three games) and two each from Sincere Carry of Kent State and Xavier Castaneda of Akron.

BACK-TO-BACK: EMU is looking to tally a few firsts with a win at WMU this week. With a victory, the Eagles would post back-to-back wins for the first time this season and the first time since Eastern won its final three home non-conference games last season. A defeat of the Broncos would also give the Eagles their first winning streak in conference play under Stan Heath.

QUICK REVIEW • CENTRAL MICHIGAN: The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team, behind a double-double effort from Emoni Bates, overcame a slow start and 14-point deficit to claim a 62-56 victory over the Chippewas of Central Michigan University Saturday, Jan. 7, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. Bates scored 26 points and added 10 rebounds to help the Eagles (4-11, 1-1 MAC) avoid an 0-2 start to the conference slate while handing the Chippewas (6-9, 1-1 MAC) their first conference loss of the year.
    Bates, who recorded his first career double-double at home against UC San Diego, Nov. 27, scored over 20 points for the sixth time this year to help spark the comeback. Tyson Acuff also added seven points and three steals while Noah Farrakhan helped out with eight points.
    Led by Javantae Randle's three offensive rebounds, Eastern Michigan crashed the offensive glass, pulling down 12 boards that resulted in 17 second-chance points. The Eastern Michigan defense held Central Michigan shooters to only 37.3 percent from the field, including 27.8 percent from three-point range.

QUICK NOTES • CENTRAL MICHIGAN GAME:
» Emoni Bates led the charge for the Eagles once again as the sophomore collected a game-high 26 points and 10 rebounds to post his second career double-double. Bates, who recorded his first career double-double, Nov. 27, at home against UC San Diego with 17 points and 13 rebounds, finished the game with CMU with 10-of-20 shooting, including 2-of-9 from three. He also added three steals and two blocks.
» Bates, who entered the game with a league-best 20.3 points per game average, reached double figures in the scoring column for the 13th time in the 14 games he has played in this season while scoring at least 15 for the 12th time. He also reached the 20-point marker for the sixth time this year.
» Bates' double-double is the third of the season for EMU. Legend Geeter was the first to record one this year when he tallied 12 points and 10 boards against Winthrop, Nov. 23, at the Cancun Challenge.
» Tyson Acuff hit a three-point shot with 12:58 remaining in the first half to extend the Eagles' current streak to 566 games in a row with at least one made triple. The last time Eastern failed to connect on a long-distance shot was Jan. 24, 2004, after going 0-of-7 against Miami. Eastern finished the game 3-of-22 from deep.
» Javantae Randle made his first collegiate start today after seeing action off the bench in 12 previous appearances this year. The redshirt freshman finished the game with four points on 1-of-2 shooting from the floor and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. He also added four rebounds and one block.
» Jalin Billingsley recorded a team-best four steals in the game, doubling his career high. Twice this year, he tallied two thefts, with the most recent occurrence coming Nov. 27, against UC San Diego. That also was the fifth time he recorded two in a game dating back to last season when he played for Georgetown.
» As a team, the Eagles recorded 15 steals in the game, the most on the season, surpassing the 12 thefts tallied against Detroit Mercy, Dec. 18. The last time Eastern recorded more steals in a game was Dec. 28, 2022, when it stole the ball 22 times from Olivet.
» Eastern was held to just 18 points in the first half, the lowest total this season behind the 21 scored on the road at Bradley University, Nov. 15. The last time the Eagles were held under 20 points in the opening stanza came at home last year, Jan. 18, 2022, when EMU trailed Kent State University, 26-17.
» Despite scoring just 18 points in the first half, the Eagles were able to secure the win. The last time the Eagles accomplished the feat was Jan. 14, 2017, when Eastern was held to 19 first-half points before winning, 53-49, on the road at Ohio.
» The 14-point deficit the Eagles erased on its way to victory is the largest of the season, surpassing the 12-point deficit Eastern overcame in its 80-68 road victory at Florida International, Nov. 30.

DOWN, NOT OUT: The Eagles struggled in the first half of their game with Central Michigan, trailing by as many as 14 points, including a 12-point deficit at halftime, 30-18. The 14-point comeback is the largest of the season for the Eagles after coming back from 12 down on the road at Florida International, Nov. 30, 80-68. The deficit also is the largest comeback since Nov. 12, 2021, when the Eagles were down 16 to visiting Illinois State before bouncing back to win in double overtime, 103-98, in Stan Heath's home coaching debut with Eastern.

UNDER 20: The 18 points the Eagles were limited to in the first half against Central Michigan, Jan. 7, were the fewest of the season, surpassing the 21 points Eastern was held to at Bradley, Nov. 15, in EMU's 89-61 loss. The 18 points are also the fewest the Eagles scored in the opening stanza in a home game since Jan. 18, 2022, a 56-47 loss to Kent State.

THE BAKERY IS OPEN: The Eagles forced the Chippewas into 23 turnovers, Jan. 7, the most for an opponent this season and the most since Florida International coughed up the ball 25 times, Dec. 11, 2021, in Ypsilanti. Additionally, the 23 miscues by CMU are the most for a MAC foe against Eastern since Kent State also turned it over 23 times Jan. 31, 2017.

THIEVERY: While forcing 23 Central Michigan turnovers, Jan. 7, the Eagles were credited with a season-best 15 steals, surpassing the 12 steals Eastern recorded Dec. 18, against Detroit Mercy. The total thefts are the most in a conference game for the Eagles since Jan. 17, 2020, when Eastern stole the ball 17 times against Ohio.

ROBIN HOOD: Through 15 games this year, the Eagles are averaging 7.2 steals per game as a team and have a trio of Eagles ranking among the top 20 individually in the conference statistics. Those players include Tyson Acuff, who is tied for sixth at 1.5 steals per game (21 steals in 14 games); Orlando Lovejoy, who is tied for 12th at 1.3 (19 in 15 games); and Legend Geeter, who is tied for 20th at 1.1 (16 in 15 games).

SEEING DOUBLE: Emoni Bates recorded his second career double-double, Jan. 7, as he scored 26 points and pulled down 10 points against Central Michigan. Bates recorded his first double-double at home, Nov. 27, against UC San Diego when he scored 17 points and recorded a career-high 13 rebounds. Bates' double-double against CMU is the third recorded this year by an EMU player as Legend Geeter was first on the list when he scored 12 points and recorded 10 rebounds against Winthrop, Nov. 23, at the Cancun Challenge.

TEN OR MORE: In all but one game so far this season, Emoni Bates has scored in double figures as the sophomore is making his case for one of the top scorers in the MAC and the NCAA. With his 26 points against Central Michigan, Jan. 7, Bates reached double-figure points for the 13th time in the 14 games he has played while scoring at least 15 points for the 12th time. Additionally, he reached the 20-point mark for the sixth time this year and the second time in three games. All told, Bates leads the MAC at 20.7 points per game and ranks tied for 14th nationally.

ON THE CHARTS: Following the conclusion of games played Jan. 7, Emoni Bates finds himself in rare company in the Mid-American Conference. According to the statistics, Bates' 20.7 points and 6.0 rebounds rank him in the top 10 of the MAC in both categories, a feat he alone can claim this season. When looking at the top 25 averages in the league currently, Bates is one of four players in the top 15, one of seven in the top 20, and one of 11 in the top 25 in both categories.

MORE THAN AVERAGE: Emoni Bates is currently averaging 20.7 points per game, which ranks him first in the MAC and tied for 14th nationally. He also is the highest scoring sophomore in the nation. If Bates is able to finish the year at or above 20.0, he would 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.

CLEANING GLASS: Following the Central Michigan game, Jan. 7, Javantae Randle has appeared in 13 games this year. In his first 10, he tallied 14 total rebounds with a then-season-best four against Purdue Fort Wayne, Nov. 22, at the Cancun Challenge. In his last three games, the sophomore has pulled down 17 rebounds, including the two best performances of his career with seven at South Carolina, Dec. 30, and six at home against Bowling Green, Jan. 3. Randle recorded four against CMU.

MORE BOARDS: With Javantae Randle's six rebounds and Yusuf Jihad's seven against Bowling Green, Jan. 3, the Eagles have now had at least two players record at least six rebounds in six games this year. Additionally, the Eagles have accomplished this feat in three consecutive games after Legend Geeter (seven) and Emoni Bates (six) did so against Detroit Mercy, Dec. 18, and Randle (seven) and Bates (six) did so at South Carolina, Dec. 30.

WAY DOWNTOWN: The Eagles connected on three shots from behind the arc against Central Michigan, Jan. 7, to extend the team's streak to 566 games in a row with at least one made triple. The last time the Eagles failed to hit from downtown came Jan. 24, 2004, when Miami held Eastern to 0-of-7 from three.

RARE AIR: Although it was a very slight margin, the Eagles were out-shot by Central Michigan, Jan. 7, 37.3 percent to 37.0 percent. With the win, it marks the second time the Eagles have won a game this year when being out-shot by its opponent with the first coming against Wayne State, Nov. 7, when EMU was out-shot, 45.1 percent to 44.8 percent. Eastern is 2-9 this year in such games.

FROM THE STRIPE: In its two home games around the turn of the year, Eastern made its way to the free throw line more than 26 times in each game and did well in converting those chances. With a 23-of-26 performance against Detroit Mercy, Dec. 18, and a 26-of-33 showing against Bowling Green, Jan. 3, the Eagles combined to shoot 49-of-59 (83.1 percent) in those two games. Against the Titans, the 88.5 percent shooting ranked as the eighth-best percentage by any team inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center while the makes and attempts recorded against the Falcons stand as the most this season.

MOVING UP: The Eagles are currently hitting at a 75.0 percent clip from the free throw line this season, which ranks fifth in the MAC and 44th nationally. As it stands, the current Eagles have the best shooting percentage from the line in program history with the 2020-21 team's 74.5 percent shooting ranking first following its 18 game, COVID-shortened season. When looking at teams that played full seasons, the 2007-08 squad leads the way at 72.9 percent following its 31-game slate.

GET TO THE LINE: Eastern was 26-of-33 from the free throw line against Bowling Green, Jan. 3, marking the seventh time this year - and 10th under Stan Heath - the Eagles have connected on 20 or more free throws in a single game. The 26 makes are the most this season, surpassing the 23 made against Detroit Mercy, Dec. 18, and are the second-most under Heath following the 32 made against Illinois State, Nov. 12, 2021, in Heath's home coaching debut with Eastern. Additionally, the 26 makes are the most for Eastern against a MAC foe since Feb. 2, 2016, when the Eagles hit on 31-of-39 shooting at home against Miami.

HOME COOKING: According to the latest update from College Basketball Reference, Jan. 4, the Eagles currently rank third nationally in regards to points scored per game by in-state players with Eastern averaging 54.9 points per game from its Michigan-born players. Northern Iowa (67.4) and Youngstown State (59.3) rank just ahead of the Eagles. Additional research through 15 games played this year shows that those same in-state players have accounted for 75.5 percent of the team's scoring with Michigan-born Eagles having collected 823 of the team's 1,090 points so far in 2022-23.

UP NEXT: The Eagles remain on the road for their next game when the take on the Zips of the University of Akron, Friday, Jan. 13, inside James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio. The game, which is slated for a 7 p.m. tip, will be aired live to a national audience on ESPNU. Fans can tune in on WEMU (89.1 FM) and the Varsity Network app to listen to the game as well.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tyson Acuff

Emoni Bates

Jalin Billingsley

Noah Farrakhan

Legend Geeter

Yusuf Jihad

Orlando Lovejoy

Javantae Randle

Eastern Michigan Athletics