Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, January 18
Bowling Green, Ohio
2 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Bowling Green
Eastern Hosting MAC Preseason Favorite Ohio Tuesday
1/19/2025 9:57:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game slated for 6:30 p.m tip
| Men's Basketball vs. Ohio | |
| Date | Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 6:30 p.m. |
| Venue | George Gervin GameAbove Center (8,754) | Ypsilanti, Mich. |
| Preview Info | EMU Notes (PDF) | Media Guide (PDF) |
| Live Stats | Fan Stats | Media Stats |
| Watch | ESPN+ |
| Listen | WEMU (89.1 FM) | The Varsity Network App |
| @EMU_MBB | @EMUAthletics | |
YPSILANTI, Michigan (EMUEagles.com) -- After a thrilling 68-62 win at Bowling Green Saturday, Jan. 18, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team hosts Mid-American Conference preseason favorite Ohio University for a 6:30 p.m. game Tuesday, Jan. 21, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
ON AIR
Eastern Michigan and Ohio will air on ESPN+ from the Gervin Center. Tom Helmer will have the call live on WEMU (89.1 FM) and the Varsity Network App. Live stats will also be available on EMUEagles.com.
OPENING TIPS
»Eastern led for more than 26 minutes in a 68-62 win at Bowling Green, Jan. 18. Sophomore Arne Osojnik played his best game of the season, scoring 16 points with 11 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. Senior Jalen Terry drilled a dagger three with 14 seconds left to put EMU up six while junior Christian Henry led the team in scoring with 17 points.
»Eastern Michigan and Oklahoma are the nation's only two teams to have four different players to score 28 points in separate games this season.
»EMU's six wins in games decided by four points or fewer, which is tied for the second-most in the nation behind Princeton's seven wins by four points or less.
»Eastern Michigan has four players averaging at least 11 points each for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
»Senior Jalin Billingsley ranks fifth in the MAC in field goal percentage, shooting 76-for-140 (.543). He tops the MAC in shooting percentage among players with 140 field goal attempts or more.
»After scoring 10 points against Bowling Green, Jan. 18, senior Da'Sean Nelson has 13-straight games with at least 10 points for the first time in his career.
»Eastern Michigan's Stan Heath is in his fourth year at the helm of the Eagles, holding a 39-71 record at EMU and a 248-278 record over 17 years as a collegiate head coach.
ARNE OSOJNIK DOUBLE-DOUBLE AT BGSU
Sophomore Arne Osojnik netted 16 points while bringing in a career-high 11 rebounds for his first career double-double in the win at Bowling Green, Jan. 18. Osojnik was very efficient as he converted 6-of-7 attempts from the floor, including a 4-of-5 rate from three-point range.
Osojnik's 16 points equaled his season high set at Oakland, Nov. 21. Osojnik's night against the Falcons was highlighted by three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to put EMU up by four in the second half, in addition to a corner three with 6:50 left that pushed Eastern's lead to six. He added three steals and two blocks.
NEW STARTING FIVE AT BGSU
After dropping three-straight games, Eastern Michigan deployed its fifth unique lineup of the season at Bowling Green, Jan. 18. Seniors Jalen Terry and Jalin Billingsley, junior Christian Henry, redshirt sophomore Trey Pettigrew, and freshman Godslove Nwabude made up the Eastern starting unit as Pettigrew and Nwabude each made their first starts as Eagles.
As a result of the lineup change, senior Da'Sean Nelson made his first appearance off the bench this season.
TOP BENCH SCORING MARK OF THE SEASON
With its fifth unique lineup of the season at Bowling Green, Jan. 18, Eastern notched 26 bench points, its highest bench total of the season, topping the previous high of 23, set against Wright State, Dec. 21.
All 26 points came from two different players that have combined for 25 starts in the 2024-25 season as sophomore Arne Osojnik scored 16 points and senior Da'Sean Nelson had 10 points.
The Eagles have been outscored by an average of 20.6-13.4 in bench points this season.
TREY PETTIGREW + JOHN SHANU II AT BGSU
Redshirt sophomore Trey Pettigrew made his first start as an Eagle at BGSU, Jan. 18, playing 19:14, his third-highest minute total this season. Pettigrew scored three points while helping Eastern limit BGSU to 62 points, one point shy of its season low.
Redshirt junior John Shanu II also played his third-highest minute mark against the Falcons, seeing 12:19 of action. While Shanu II did not score and had just one rebound, his board came with seven seconds left, all but securing the Eastern win. His one blocked shot started an Eagle fastbreak that yielded a three-pointer by Arne Osojnik to give Eastern a 45-44 lead at the 11:08 mark. He also registered his first steal of the season. While Shanu II was on the floor, EMU outscored BGSU by eight points.
J-BILL: FOURTH IN MAC SHOOTING PERCENTAGE
Senior Jalin Billingsley ranks fourth in the MAC in field goal percentage, shooting 76-for-140 (.553). He tops the MAC in shooting percentage among players with 140 field goal attempts or more.
DA'SEAN NELSON 10+ POINTS IN 13-STRAIGHT
After scoring 10 points at BGSU, Jan. 18, senior Da'Sean Nelson has 13-straight games with at least 10 points for the first time in his career.
With 14 regular-season games remaining, Nelson would need the Eagles to qualify for the MAC Tournament to have the opportunity to top Tyson Acuff's 27-game double-digit scoring streak from the 2023-24 season.
DA'SEAN NELSON GETS FOULED A LOT
Senior Da'Sean Nelson has been fouled 96 times in 16 games played (6.0 fouls per game). During MAC play, Nelson has accumulated 34 fouls drawn in four games (6.8 fouls per game).
Most recently, Nelson drew just one foul at Bowling Green, Jan. 18, after he drew a career-high 12 fouls at Central Michigan, Jan. 14.
Nelson has drawn at least eight fouls in six games this season, all of which have come in the last 10 games. The Toledo, Ohio, native has just four games with less than five fouls drawn this season (one at Bowling Green, Jan. 18; three at Houston Christian, Nov. 25; three at Cleveland State, Nov. 16; two at Texas State, Nov. 4).
Eastern Michigan Leaders in Fouls Drawn:
Player Total Average
Da'Sean Nelson 96 6.0
Christian Henry 79 4.6
Jalin Billingsley 40 2.4
Jalen Terry 38 2.4
JALEN TERRY, A BIT OF EVERYTHING
Senior Jalen Terry is averaging 15.2 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game, and 3.3 assists per game.
If Terry were to finish with those numbers, he would be the only player in program history to achieve those marks in a single season since assists became an official stat (1976-77).
Adding in his 1.5 steals per game, Terry is one of just 29 players nationally to average at least 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.0 steals. The list of 29 players also includes former Eagle Orlando Lovejoy.
ONE OF TWO SCHOOLS WITH 28+ POINTS (x4)
With senior Da'Sean Nelson's 32 points against Northern Illinois, Jan. 4, junior Christian Henry's 28-point showing against Detroit Mercy, Nov. 30, senior Jalen Terry's 28 points against IU Indy, Nov. 14, and senior Jalin Billingsley's 32 points against Siena Heights, Nov. 8, Eastern Michigan and Oklahoma are the only teams in the nation with four different players reaching 28 points this season.
Different Players Scoring 28+ Points:
1. Eastern Michigan 4
Oklahoma 4
Oklahoma and Texas State are the only other teams in the nation to have four players with a 27-point showing. Four of OU's players have at least one 29-point performance.
In total, 441 different players have scored at least 27 points in a single game nationally while 350 different players have a 28-point performance this season.
SUCCESS IN CLOSE GAMES
After junior Christian Henry swished in a half-court shot at the buzzer in the game at Toledo, Jan. 7, to cut the margin to three points, Eastern moved to 6-1 in games decided by four points or less. Eastern's six wins by four or fewer is tied for the second-most in the nation. The trend has continued from the 2023-24 season when the Eagles were 8-3 in games decided by four points or less.
National Leaders in Wins by Four Points or Less:
1. Princeton 7
T2. Eastern Michigan 6
T2. Northeastern 6
T2. UC-Riverside 6
T4. Nicholls 5
T4. UNC 5
Eastern's 68-62 win at Bowling Green, Jan. 18, was its largest against a Division I foe this season as Eastern also improved to 5-0 when leading at halftime. EMU led, 29-26, through 20 minutes.
THREE EAGLES AVERAGING 14+ POINTS
Eastern has three players averaging 14.0 points for the first time since 2015-16 and four players averaging 11.0 points for the first time since 2017-18.
Player PPG 2024-25
Da'Sean Nelson 15.6
Jalen Terry 15.2
Christian Henry 14.5
Jalin Billingsley 11.1
Player PPG 2015-16
Elijah Minnie 16.8
Paul Jackson 14.9
James Thompson 14.5
Player PPG 2017-18
Ray Lee 15.1
Elijah Minnie 14.8
Willie Mangum 12.0
Ty Toney 11.0
SECOND-HALF SCORING
Eastern is averaging 39.1 points in the second half while averaging 32.0 points in the first half.
Eight of the Eagles' nine top half totals have come in the second half.
Date Against Half Total (Half)
Dec. 21 Wright State 59 (2nd)
Jan. 7 Toledo 54 (2nd)
Nov. 30 Detroit Mercy 52 (2nd)
Nov. 14 IU Indy 45 (1st)
Nov. 8 Siena Heights 43 (2nd)
Dec. 28 Davidson 43 (2nd)
Jan. 11 Akron 43 (2nd)
Dec. 15 Wright State 42 (2nd)
Jan. 4 Northern Illinois 42 (2nd)
JALEN TERRY MAC MINUTES LEADER
Senior Jalen Terry leads the MAC in minutes, averaging 36.9 minutes per game.
National Minutes Leaders:
1. Bennett Stiritz (Drake) 38.1
2. Gibson Jimerson (SLU) 37.5
3. Brooks Barnheizer (NW) 37.3
3. Johnathan Lawson (UALR) 37.2
5. Nicholas Martinelli (NW) 36.9
6. Jalen Terry (EMU) 36.9
With former Eagle Tyson Acuff ranking fourth in the nation in minutes per game at 37.9 in 2023-24, EMU is the first school since Stony Brook (2021-23) to have different players rank inside the top six in minutes nationally in different seasons.
IMPORTANCE OF REBOUNDING
After holding a 37-34 advantage on the glass at Bowling Green, Jan. 18, Eastern moved to 7-1 when recording the same or more amount of rebounds as its opponent. The Eagles are 1-8 when being out-rebounded.
EMU's loss when out-rebounding its foe came at Cleveland State, Nov. 16, as Eastern held a 34-29 advantage on the glass.
The win when being out-rebounded came against Northern Arizona, Nov. 26, as the 46-31 Lumberjack rebounding edge marked EMU's first win when being out-rebounded by at least 15 since topping Buffalo, 81-69, Jan. 12, 2016, when being out-rebounded by 17 in that game. Entering that contest on a 22-game losing streak when being out-rebounded by 15, only three of those 22 games were single-digit losses. Since, Eastern has been out-rebounded by at least 15 twice (at Loyola Chicago, Dec. 3, -27 rebounding margin; vs Akron, Jan. 11, -15 rebounding margin). Both games produced 20-plus point losses.
GODSLOVE NWABUDE AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Freshman Godslove Nwabude produced his best game as an Eagle at Central Michigan, Jan. 14, scoring a career-high five points to go with a career-high nine rebounds in 13 minutes of action.
RETURN OF JAY (AND COOPER) SMITH
With the game, Jan. 14, at Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan Assistant Coach/Director of Player Development Jay Smith returned to Mount Pleasant, as well as his son and EMU senior Cooper Smith.
Smith was Head Coach of Central Michigan from 1997-2006. His time at the helm of the program was highlighted by 2001 and 2003 MAC Championships.
The Smiths also returned to CMU, Dec. 18, 2010 (W, 75-49), and Dec. 23, 2008 (W, 67-55), while Jay was an assistant coach at the University of Detroit Mercy.
ARNE OSOJNIK'S 15 POINTS VS. AKRON
Sophomore Arne Osojnik netted 15 points against Akron, Jan. 11, in his best offensive showing since a 16-point showing at Oakland, Nov. 21. Osojnik knocked down a trio of three-pointers against the Zips while continuing his free throw shooting prowess by making his two attempts for a 17-of-18 (94.4%) mark this season.
THREE PLAYERS WITH 20+ POINTS AT TOLEDO
Against Toledo, Jan. 7, the Eagles had three players scoring 20-plus points in the same game for the first time since Dec. 6, 2017, as junior Christian Henry (25), senior Jalen Terry (23), and senior Da'Sean Nelson (20).
In the Dec. 6, 2017, game against Oakland, Paul Jackson, Elijah Minnie, and James Thompson IV all netted 24 points in the 95-89 win.
10 MADE THREE-POINTERS AT TOLEDO
Against Toledo, Jan. 7, EMU was 10-for-23 (43.5%) from three-point range. It marked EMU's third game with at least 10 made three-pointers this season (10 at IU Indy, Nov. 16; 11 vs. Detroit Mercy, Nov. 30).
The .435 shooting clip from distance is Eastern's best three-point percentage in a game since going 13-for-29 (44.8%) at Louisiana-Monroe, Feb. 10, 2024.
DA'SEAN NELSON CAREER-HIGH 32 POINTS
Senior Da'Sean Nelson netted a career-high 32 points to go with nine rebounds in the win over Northern Illinois, Jan. 4. Nelson, who scored 16 points in each half, also set a career high with 12 made field goals.
DA'SEAN NELSON MAC POTW (x3)
Senior Da'Sean Nelson, who was named MAC Player of the Week Dec. 2 and Dec. 23, won his third conference weekly honor of the season after an impressive 32-point, nine-rebound showing against Northern Illinois, Jan. 4.
By earning the recognition for the third time, Nelson is the first player in the MAC to accomplish that feat since former Akron Zip and current Indiana Pacer Enrique Freeman earned the honor eight times in 2023-24.
CHRISTIAN HENRY'S NINE ASSISTS
Junior Christian Henry dished out a career-high nine assists against Northern Illinois, Jan. 4, the top mark by an Eagle since Paul Jackson had 10, Jan. 26, 2019, against Western Michigan.
JT 25+ POINTS, 6+ THREE-POINTERS
Senior Jalen Terry posted back-to-back games with at least 25 points and six made three-pointers at IU Indy, Nov. 14, and at Cleveland State, Nov. 16. He is one of five MAC players to accomplish that feat and the first to do so since Jordan Dartis for Ohio University in 2019.
MAC Players With 25 Points AND Six Three-Pointers in CONSECUTIVE Games (Since 2002-03):
MOH Michael Bramos 4 Dec. 3-13, 2008
EMU Jalen Terry 2 Nov. 14-16, 2024
OU Jordan Dartis 2 Nov. 24-30, 2019
CMU Marcus Keene 2 (x2) Dec. 3-6, 2016; Jan. 17-21, 2017
BSU Skip Mills 2 March 4-6, 2006
Terry is one of just five Eagles since 2002-03 to record multiple games with at least 25 points and six made three-pointers in a season. If he can accomplish the feat again, he would be the first in that time frame to record three such games in one season.
EMU Players With 25 Points AND Six Three-Pointers TOTAL Games in One Season (Since 2002-03):
Jalen Terry 2 2024-25
Tyson Acuff 2 2022-23
Emoni Bates 2 2022-23
Elijah Minnie 2 2018-19
Willie Mangum 2 2016-17
Terry was also the first Eagle since Carlos Medlock, Feb. 11-15, 2006, to knock down six three-pointers in back-to-back games.
BELOW THE CENTURY MARK
In 377 games at the George Gervin GameAbove Center since opening in 1998-99, only two teams have reached 100 points against the Eagles as 2022-23 Florida Atlantic, which reached the 2023 Final Four, scored 101 at EMU, Dec. 4, 2022. The second team was Akron, Jan. 11, 2025, in a 105-81 EMU loss.
Top Point Totals by Foes at the George Gervin GameAbove Center:
Date School Points
Jan. 11, 2025 Akron 105
Dec. 4, 2022 Florida Atlantic 101
Dec. 15, 2024 Purdue Fort Wayne 99
Nov. 30, 2024 Detroit Mercy 98
Nov. 12, 2023 Illinois State 98
THR33-POINT STR3AK, 630-STRAIGHT GAM3S
Eastern, which hit 10 threes against Bowling Green, Jan. 18, has now hit at least one triple in 630-straight games. EMU last failed to score from downtown Jan. 24, 2004, when Miami held the Eagles to 0-of-7 from behind the arc.
The Eagles have converted at least five three-pointers in 18-consecutive games, dating back to the final game of the 2023-24 season. The 18-game streak is EMU's longest since at least the 2008-09 season.
DOUBLEHEADER DAY
The Eagles are scheduled to play three double-headers with the EMU women's basketball team in 2024-25 with two of the three doubleheaders taking place in Ypsilanti. Both the EMU men's and women's teams play Jan. 11 (both lost vs. Akron), Feb. 15 (men vs. Toledo, women vs. Ball State), and Feb. 22 (Northern Illinois).
The men's team was 5-0 at home in doubleheader games in the 2023-24 season but fell to 0-1 in such games this season after the 105-81 loss to Akron, Jan. 11.
2024-25 PRESEASON ALL-MAC TEAMS
First Team
Payton Sparks, Senior, Center, Ball State
Anthony Pritchard, Senior, Guard, Central Michigan
VonCameron Davis, R-Senior, Forward, Kent State
AJ Clayton, Senior, Forward, Ohio
Javan Simmons, Sophomore, Forward, Toledo
Second Team
Isaiah Gray, Senior, Guard, Akron
Jalen Sullinger, Senior, Guard, Kent State
Shereef Mitchell, Graduate Student, Guard, Ohio
AJ Brown, R-Sophomore, Guard, Ohio
Isaiah Adams, Fifth Year, Guard, Toledo
PRESEASON PICKED NINTH
After finishing 10th in 2023-24, EMU was picked ninth in the MAC preseason coaches' poll.
2024-25 MAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
(First Place Votes)
1. Ohio (11) – 121
2. Akron (1) – 106
3. Kent State – 99
4. Toledo – 95
5. Bowling Green – 73
6. Miami – 72
7. Ball State – 67
8. Central Michigan – 55
9. Eastern Michigan – 36
10. Western Michigan – 33
11. Northern Illinois – 24
12. Buffalo – 11
Tournament Champion: Ohio (8), Kent State (3), Toledo (1)
The six Ohio schools made up the top six while the bottom six is filled with the rest of the MAC schools.
NEW FOE, WHO DIS?
The Eagles added competition against three first-time opponents this season; they faced off against Texas State, Nov. 4 (L, 44-64), Houston Christian, Nov. 25 (W, 74-73), and Wright State, Dec. 21 (W, 86-82).
WHO'S BACK??
EMU returns four players from its 2023-24 roster including seniors Jalin Billingsley, Yusuf Jihad, and Micah Schnyders, as well as sophomore Arne Osojnik.
WHO'S GONE??
EMU lost 10 players from its 2023-24 game one roster including Tyson Acuff (Rutgers), Orlando Lovejoy (Detroit Mercy), Legend Geeter (Detroit Mercy), Conner Serven (Virginia Tech), Cyril Martynov (Eastern Kentucky), Julius Ellerbe (Coppin State), John McGriff (transfer portal - no destination), Javantae Randle (Central State), Prakash Ketterhagen (Lourdes), and Andrew Wells (graduation). The Eagles also lost Director of Operations LaMonta Stone (Assistant Coach - Detroit Mercy) and Graduate Assistant Nick Madray (graduation --> Utah Jazz).
WHAT'S GONE??
EMU lost 1,332 of its 2,047 points (65.07%) from the 2023-24 season, most notably leading scorer Tyson Acuff, who averaged 21.7 ppg (8th in the nation) on 43/29/81 shooting splits and transferred to Rutgers.
FRESH FACES
EMU added 11 newcomers to its 2024-25 roster including seniors Jalen Terry (DePaul), Da'Sean Nelson (DePaul), John Shanu II (UTRGV), and Cooper Smith (Michigan), juniors Christian Henry (Panola College), Julian Lewis (Miami), and Trey Pettigrew (Salt Lake CC), and freshmen Mario Brunetto (Classical Gymnasium), Mbaye N'Diaye (SEED Academy), Godslove Nwabude (Zion Prep), and Dillon Tingler (Huntington Prep).
STAYING HOME
Eastern Michigan has just four players (Yusuf Jihad, Farmington Hills; Jalen Terry, Flint; Cooper Smith, Mio; and Julian Lewis, Ypsilanti) from the Mitten State on its 2024-25 roster, EMU's fewest since 2020-21 (four).
INTERNATIONAL INFLUX
International student-athlete representation doubled on the Eagles 15-player roster this season, as they added three true freshmen from Senegal (Mbaye N'Diaye), Nigeria (Godslove Nwabude), and Italy (Mario Brunetto), respectively. The trio joins sophomore Arne Osojnik who represented Slovenia twice as a member of the U18 national team at the Euro Championships. A complete breakdown of the EMU roster can be found on page 11.
Most international true freshmen in the nation:
1. Buffalo - 6
2. Florida Atlantic - 5
t3. Eastern Michigan - 3
Manhattan - 3
Oregon State - 3
San Francisco - 3
Seattle - 3
UT-Martin - 3
Weber State - 3
Most African true freshmen in the nation:
t1. Eastern Michigan - 2
Seton Hall - 2
Osojnik is one of five players from Slovenia in the country.
Slovenian MBB Players at NCAA Division I:
Arne Osojnik - Eastern Michigan
Klemen Vuga - UAPB
Urban Klavzar - Florida
Jan Vide - LMU (Calif.)
Sasa Ciani - UIC
Next Up
Eastern Michigan hosts MAC preseason favorite Ohio University for a 6:30 p.m. game Tuesday 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).
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballBen Braun Video at MAC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Friday, May 30
Ben Braun at MAC Hall of Fame Induction
Friday, May 30
Charles E. Ramsey - MAC Hall of Fame Induction of Ben Braun
Friday, May 30
Jack Brusewitz - MAC Hall of Fame Induction of Ben Braun
Friday, May 30