Eastern Michigan Athletics

Monday, November 6
Indianapolis, Ind.
8 p.m.

Eastern Michigan University

55
at
94

Butler

Tyson Acuff at Butler 11-6-23
Photo by: Andrew Mascharka

Eagles Drop 2023-24 Season Opener at Butler

11/6/2023 10:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Eastern Michigan opens home slate Saturday against Georgia Southern

Photo Gallery.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) –
The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team dropped its 2023-24 season opener, 94-55, against Butler University Monday, Nov. 6, inside Hinkle Fieldhouse.
 
Junior Tyson Acuff (Detroit, Mich./Cass Tech/Duquesne) and freshman Arne Osojnik (Ljubljana, Slovenia/Dream City Christian) led the way for the Eagles with 13 points apiece.
 
How It Happened
After EMU led, 17-16, Butler used a 14-0 run to take a 30-17 lead through 14 minutes of action. The Eagles closed the half with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 34-26 at the intermission.
 
EMU drew within five at 36-31 after Acuff hit a pair of free throws before the Bulldogs responded with a quick 12-4 run to push their lead to 50-37.
 
Butler extended its advantage to 94-54 with 44 seconds remaining, its largest lead of the contest.
 
Game Notes
» Eastern moved to 0-1 on the season while Butler improved to 1-0.
» The Eagles were 19-of-59 (32.2%) from the floor and 8-of-24 (33.3%) from three-point range while the Bulldogs were 36-of-63 (57.1%) from the floor and 6-of-22 (27.3%) from three-point range.
» Osojnik was an efficient 4-for-8 (50.0%) from the field, including a 3-of-6 (50.0%) mark from deep in his collegiate debut.
» Redshirt sophomore Legend Geeter (River Rouge, Mich./River Rouge/Providence) had a team-high five rebounds while redshirt junior Julius Ellerbe (Ft. Washington, Md./VA Beach Sports Academy/East Central CC) had a team-high four assists.
» Redshirt juniors Connor Serven (Prairie City, Ill./St. Rita/Illinois), John McGriff (Glenn Dale, Md./Bishop McNamara/Binghamton), and Ellerbe, sophomore Cyril Martynov (Barrie, Ontario/Lawrenceville/Georgia Tech), and Osojnik all made their Eagle debuts.
 
Historical Notes
» Monday's meeting was the first-ever game between Eastern Michigan and Butler.
 
Next Up
Eastern Michigan is scheduled to host Georgia Southern Saturday, Nov. 11, in a 12 p.m. start at the George Gervin GameAbove Center. The game is the first half of the MAC/SBC Challenge.
 
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For the most up-to-date information on the Eagles, continue to visit EMUEagles.com. Fans can also follow the team on social media, including Twitter (@EMU_MBB) and Instagram (@EMUMBB).
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