Eastern Michigan Athletics
Tuesday, November 26
Houston, Texas
9:35 p.m. ET
Eastern Michigan University
5-2,0-0MAC
72
vs
68
Northern Arizona
5-2,0-0Big Sky
1
2
F
Eastern Mich.
37
35
72
Northern Ariz.
23
45
68
Eastern Tops Northern Arizona, 72-68
11/27/2024 12:09:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Eagles survive furious second-half comeback
HOUSTON, Texas (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team survived a furious comeback, edging Northern Arizona University, 72-68, Tuesday, Nov. 26, at Sharp Gymnasium as part of the Houston Christian MTE.
Eastern led by 17 with 14 minutes to play before the Lumberjacks rallied to take a four-point lead with five minutes to play. The Eagles outscored NAU, 17-9, in the last five minutes to secure the win.
Four Eagles reached double figures for the third time this season, highlighted by Da'Sean Nelson's (Toledo, Ohio/Robert S. Rogers/Kilgore College/DePaul) 20 points while Christian Henry (Chicago, Ill./The Skill Factory/Panola College) scored 15, Jalen Terry (Flint, Mich./Beecher/Oregon/DePaul) netted 11, and Jalin Billingsley (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East/Georgetown) added 10.
How it Happened
NAU led 6-4 early, before EMU scored the game's next 14 points, highlighted by five points from both Terry and Henry.
The Eagles continued their impressive defense throughout the first half, taking a 37-23 lead into halftime.
Eastern led by as many as 17 points with 14:09 remaining before NAU launched a 23-2 run to lead by four at 59-55 with four minutes left.
EMU did not flinch as Nelson hit four-straight free throws to draw the Eagles even.
Lay-ups by Nelson and Billingsley pushed Eastern ahead by four as a pair of Terry free throws with four seconds left clinched the game for EMU.
Game Notes
» Eastern moved to 5-2 overall while Northern Arizona moved to 5-2 overall.
» Eastern Michigan was 24-of-55 (43.6%) from the floor and 5-of-20 (25.0%) from three-point range while Northern Arizona was 27-of-65 (41.5%) from the field and 7-of-27 (25.9%) from deep.
» After scoring 19 points at Houston Christian, Nov. 25, Nelson's 20 points against NAU are a season high as he reached the free throw line 10 times, converting eight attempts.
» Terry recorded a career-high four steals after tallying three at Houston Christian, Nov. 25. All of Terry's steals against the Lumberjacks came in the first half.
» Dillon Tingler (Hurricane, W. Va./Huntington Expression Prep) had a career-high six points while recording a game-best +21 plus-minus rating over 17 minutes on the floor.
» The Eagles were outrebounded by a 46-31 margin. The Eagles had not won when being outrebounded by at least 15 since Jan. 12, 2016, when EMU topped Buffalo, 81-69, despite being outrebounded by 17 in the game.
Historical Notes
» EMU moved to 2-1 against Northern Arizona.
» The Eagles are 5-2 for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
» Eastern, which hit five threes against Northern Arizona, has now hit at least one triple in 620-straight games. EMU last failed to score from downtown Jan. 24, 2004, when Miami University held the Eagles to 0-of-7 from behind the arc. The Eagles have converted multiple three-pointers in 42-straight contests, not having done so most recently in a 1-for-15 performance against Akron, Feb.14, 2023.
Next Up
Eastern Michigan will host Detroit Mercy Saturday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
Follow Us
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).
Eastern led by 17 with 14 minutes to play before the Lumberjacks rallied to take a four-point lead with five minutes to play. The Eagles outscored NAU, 17-9, in the last five minutes to secure the win.
Four Eagles reached double figures for the third time this season, highlighted by Da'Sean Nelson's (Toledo, Ohio/Robert S. Rogers/Kilgore College/DePaul) 20 points while Christian Henry (Chicago, Ill./The Skill Factory/Panola College) scored 15, Jalen Terry (Flint, Mich./Beecher/Oregon/DePaul) netted 11, and Jalin Billingsley (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East/Georgetown) added 10.
How it Happened
NAU led 6-4 early, before EMU scored the game's next 14 points, highlighted by five points from both Terry and Henry.
The Eagles continued their impressive defense throughout the first half, taking a 37-23 lead into halftime.
Eastern led by as many as 17 points with 14:09 remaining before NAU launched a 23-2 run to lead by four at 59-55 with four minutes left.
EMU did not flinch as Nelson hit four-straight free throws to draw the Eagles even.
Lay-ups by Nelson and Billingsley pushed Eastern ahead by four as a pair of Terry free throws with four seconds left clinched the game for EMU.
Game Notes
» Eastern moved to 5-2 overall while Northern Arizona moved to 5-2 overall.
» Eastern Michigan was 24-of-55 (43.6%) from the floor and 5-of-20 (25.0%) from three-point range while Northern Arizona was 27-of-65 (41.5%) from the field and 7-of-27 (25.9%) from deep.
» After scoring 19 points at Houston Christian, Nov. 25, Nelson's 20 points against NAU are a season high as he reached the free throw line 10 times, converting eight attempts.
» Terry recorded a career-high four steals after tallying three at Houston Christian, Nov. 25. All of Terry's steals against the Lumberjacks came in the first half.
» Dillon Tingler (Hurricane, W. Va./Huntington Expression Prep) had a career-high six points while recording a game-best +21 plus-minus rating over 17 minutes on the floor.
» The Eagles were outrebounded by a 46-31 margin. The Eagles had not won when being outrebounded by at least 15 since Jan. 12, 2016, when EMU topped Buffalo, 81-69, despite being outrebounded by 17 in the game.
Historical Notes
» EMU moved to 2-1 against Northern Arizona.
» The Eagles are 5-2 for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
» Eastern, which hit five threes against Northern Arizona, has now hit at least one triple in 620-straight games. EMU last failed to score from downtown Jan. 24, 2004, when Miami University held the Eagles to 0-of-7 from behind the arc. The Eagles have converted multiple three-pointers in 42-straight contests, not having done so most recently in a 1-for-15 performance against Akron, Feb.14, 2023.
Next Up
Eastern Michigan will host Detroit Mercy Saturday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
Follow Us
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).
Team Stats
EMU
NAU
FG%
.436
.415
3FG%
.250
.259
FT%
.679
.583
RB
31
46
TO
8
17
STL
7
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
8
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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