Eastern Michigan Athletics
Tuesday, February 18
Ypsilanti, Mich.
6:30 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
vs
Miami
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Eastern Battles Second-Place Miami at Home Tuesday
2/16/2025 5:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Eagles going for back-to-back wins as Tuesday, Feb. 18, game set for 6:30 p.m.
| Men's Basketball vs. Miami | |
| Date | Tuesday, Feb. 18, 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 | |
| Tickets | Purchase Tickets |
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Coming off a thrilling 80-73 victory over the University of Toledo, Feb. 15, behind senior Jalen Terry's 38-point effort, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team hosts second-place Miami University for a Mid-American Conference contest Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 6:30 p.m. inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. Click here to purchase tickets.
ON AIR
Eastern Michigan and Miami will air on ESPN+ from the George Gervin GameAbove Center as Ryan Wooley and Reggie Butler will be on the call. Tom Helmer and John Motherwell 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
» Senior Jalen Terry, who made his first 12 shots from the field, scored 38 points as Eastern upended Toledo, 80-73, Feb. 15, helping the Eagles move into the MAC's top-eight in the conference standings. The Eagles led for a season-high 37:37 in the contest.
» Toledo native Da'Sean Nelson added 21 points, scoring 13 points in the game's first 8:50.
» The Eagles dropped an overtime heartbreaker at Ball State, Feb. 11, 86-84. Senior Jalen Terry scored 25 points to go with five rebounds and five assists, becoming the first Eagle to register 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a MAC game since March 5, 2011.
» In the game at Ball State, Feb. 11, senior Da'Sean Nelson added 17 points with eight assists and six rebounds, becoming the first Eagle to achieve that stat line in a MAC game since at least the 2001-02 season.
» During conference play, senior Da'Sean Nelson ranks second in the MAC with 17.1 points per game.
» Eastern Michigan, which sits at 5-7 in the MAC for the first time since the 2018-19 season, is seeking a 6-7 start in conference play against Miami, Feb. 18.
» EMU and Texas are the only teams in the nation to have at least three different players to score 32 points in separate games this season.
» Eastern Michigan's Stan Heath is in his fourth year at the helm of the Eagles, holding a 43-75 record at EMU and a 252-282 record over 17 years as a collegiate head coach.
ALL TIME SERIES VS. MIAMI
Eastern Michigan and Miami will meet for the 86th time as Miami leads the all-time series, 56-29. The RedHawks won the most recent meeting between the teams, 89-80, Jan. 28, in Oxford. Despite trailing by nine at the end of the first half, the Eagles battled back matching the RedHawks' 42 points in the second half but fell short. Christian Henry scored 25 points, Arne Osojnik had 15 points, and Jalen Terry netted 12 points on 4-of-9 three-point shooting. Miami has won three-straight games in the series and seven out of the last 10 matchups, as Eastern is seeking its first win since Jan. 28, 2023, when EMU won, 74-63, in Oxford.
JALEN TERRY 38 POINTS AGAINST TOLEDO
On Feb. 15, against Toledo, senior Jalen Terry scored a career-high 38 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. Terry converted his first 12 field goal attempts of the game, finishing 15-of-17 from the field. His 38 points are the tied for the second-most scored by an Eagle in the history of the George Gervin GameAbove Center (Raven Lee, 46, vs. Miami, Feb. 2, 2016; Lee, 38, vs. Texas Arlington, Nov. 23, 2013) while his career-high 15 made field goals are the most by an Eagle in the arena's history and one short of the arena record. The 38 points are the most by an Eagle since Emoni Bates dropped 43 at Toledo, Jan. 24, 2023. Terry's 15-of-17 (88.2%) showing from the field is the best by an Eagle (minimum 15 attempts) since the 1997-98 season. Furthermore, Terry's 6-of-7 (85.7%) mark from three-point range ties the program's best since the 1997-98 season (Willie Mangum IV vs. Gardner-Webb, Nov. 18, 2016; Carlos Medlock vs. Akron, Feb. 11, 2006. His 15 made field goals are tied for the seventh-most in the nation this season.
JT 25+ POINTS, 6+ THREE-POINTERS
Senior Jalen Terry scored 38 points with six made three-pointers against Toledo, Feb. 15. He 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. Terry is the first Eagle since the 2002-03 season 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):
1. Jalen Terry 3 2024-25
T2. Tyson Acuff 2 2022-23
T2. Emoni Bates 2 2022-23
T2. Elijah Minnie 2 2018-19
T2. Willie Mangum 2 2016-17
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 was also the first Eagle since Carlos Medlock, Feb. 11-15, 2006, to knock down six three-pointers in back-to-back games.
JALEN TERRY 25 POINTS, 5 REBOUNDS, 5 ASSISTS
At Ball State, Feb. 11, senior Jalen Terry scored 25 points to go with five rebounds and five assists. He is the first Eagle to achieve that stat line since Noah Farrakhan had 28 points, five rebounds, and seven assists against Florida International in four overtimes, Dec. 11, 2021. Terry is the first Eagle with 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists in MAC play since March 5, 2011, when Brandon Bowdry had 27 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists against Toledo. Terry made four three-pointers, marking the eighth time this season he has made at least four three-pointers this season and 17th time in his career.
CROWDED MAC POTW OPTIONS
Senior Jalen Terry put together an outstanding week for the Eagles, averaging 31.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists over the two games. The MAC, which is expected to announce its Player of the Week honor Monday afternoon, will have several legitimate options when selecting the recipient of its weekly accolade. In addition to Terry's stellar week, Central Michigan's Uginus Jarusevicius led the MAC by averaging 32.0 points while adding 10.0 rebounds per game. Western Michigan's Chansey Willis Jr. scored 25.0 points per game to go with 5.5 rebounds per game, 5.5 assists per game, and 4.5 steals per game. Akron's Nate Johnson averaged 20.0 points with 6.5 rebounds and helped the Zips to a 2-0 record. Perhaps the week's best performance came from Miami's Kam Craft, who scored 40 points with nine made three-points, against Toledo, Feb. 11. Despite the outstanding showing, Craft is unlikely to be named the conference's player of the week after the RedHawks fell to Western Michigan, Feb. 15, as Craft was held scoreless. In addition to the five players mentioned, another five MAC players averaged at least 17.5 points over the two-game week, including senior Da'Sean Nelson, who averaged 19.0 points.
DA'SEAN NELSON 21 POINTS AGAINST TOLEDO
Toledo native Da'Sean Nelson netted 21 points against his hometown Toledo Rockets, Feb. 15, adding six rebounds, three steals, two assists, and one block. While fellow DePaul transfer Jalen Terry took over the game with a 38-point outburst, Nelson controlled the contest early for Eastern, netting 13 points in the game's first 8:50.
DA'SEAN NELSON 17 POINTS, 6 REBOUNDS, 8 ASSISTS
At Ball State, Feb. 11, senior Da'Sean Nelson had 17 points, eight assists, and six rebounds and is the first Eagle to achieve that statline since Ty Toney, Nov. 18, 2015. Toney had 18 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds against Oakland. Nelson is the first Eagle to achieve that statline in a MAC game since at least the 2001-02 season.
JOHN SHANU II SEASON-HIGH 19 MINUTES VS. UT
Against Toledo, Feb. 15, redshirt junior John Shanu II played a season-high 19 minutes, drawing his third-straight start. Shanu II blocked one shot, adding two rebounds.
STATISTICAL ANOMALY IN LOSS AT BALL STATE
In the 86-84 overtime loss at Ball State, Feb. 11, Eastern held the advantage in four key categories that have historically resulted in winning the game. The Eagles held edges in field goal percentage (.559-.519), rebounding (25-24), and assists (18-14), and had fewer turnovers (12-15). When winning all four categories, Eastern had won at least 47-straight games, dating back through the 2009-10 season. In those 47 games, EMU won by an average of 28.3 points and only three times did it win by less than 10 points. Two of those three times have come this season (vs. Northern Illinois, Jan. 4; vs. Old Dominion, Feb. 8). Although non-Division I games accounted for 23 of those 47 wins, Eastern still won by an average of 20.3 points in the 24 games against Division I teams and an average of 21.1 points in the 17 contests against MAC foes.
48 PAINT POINTS AT BALL STATE
At Ball State, Feb. 11, Eastern scored 48 paint points, tied for its second-most of the season. The 48 paint points falls four short of the Eagles' season high of 52, set in the 90-77 win over Buffalo, Jan. 25. Eastern holds a narrow 33.3-32.6 average advantage in points in the paint this season.
FINAL DOUBLEHEADER DAY
To end the month, the Eagles are scheduled to play the last of three season double-headers with the EMU women's basketball team. Both the EMU men's and women's teams play 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. EMU responded with an 80-73 win against Toledo, Feb. 15, to move to 1-1 in doubleheaders this season.
6-7 IN THE MAC...?
Eastern Michigan, which sits at 5-7 in the MAC for the first time since the 2018-19 season, is seeking a 6-7 start in conference play against Miami, Feb. 18. The 2018-19 team started 6-7 in MAC play.
EYEING THE MAC TOURNAMENT
Eastern Michigan, which has not qualified for the MAC Tournament since 2019, sits at 5-7 in conference play and is tied for seventh with Western Michigan in the MAC standings.
Eastern is expected to need at least three more MAC wins to be in the field.
No. 8 in MAC Standings Wins by Year (last 10 shown):
Year Wins School
2023-24 8 Kent State
2022-23 6 Miami
2021-22 6 CMU/BGSU/NIU
2020-21 8 Ball St. (no tournament)
2019-20 8 Toledo/Ohio
2018-19 8 Akron/NIU
2017-18 7 BGSU/Ohio/CMU
2016-17 7 EMU/BGSU/NIU
2015-16 9 EMU/NIU
2014-15 8 EMU/Miami/NIU
Data Since 1997-98 (first season with 12 MAC teams)
Average MAC Wins by No. 8 Seed: 7.52
Highest MAC Wins Needed: 10 (2004-05)
Lowest MAC Wins Needed: 6 (4x, last 2022-23)
MAC SCORING LEADERS
During conference play, senior Da'Sean Nelson ranks second in scoring at 17.1 points per game. After Saturday, junior Christian Henry, who took five shots and scored three points against Toledo, Feb. 15, went from leading the conference at 17.3 points per game to 16.1 points per game, ranking 10th. Adding in senior Jalen Terry's 16.0 points per game during MAC play, Eastern is the only team in the MAC with three players in the top-11.
MAC Points Per Game Leaders (conference only):
1. Uginus Jarusevicius (CMU) 18.1
2. Da'Sean Nelson (EMU) 17.1
3. Chansey Willis Jr. (WMU) 16.8
4. Nate Johnson (Akron) 16.8
5. Quentin Jones (NIU) 16.4
T6. Sonny Wilson (TOL) 16.3
Sam Lewis (TOL) 16.3
Jermahri Hill (BSU) 16.3
9. Marcus Johnson (BGSU) 16.3
10. Christian Henry (EMU) 16.1
11. Jalen Terry (EMU) 16.0
HENRY THREE-POINT, 10-POINT STREAKS
Junior Christian Henry had converted at least one three-pointer in 17-straight games prior to going back-to-back games without one made three-pointer. Prior to the last two games, he had also made multiple three-pointers in nine-straight games. Despite restarting his three-point streak, Henry had his streak of 12-consecutive games with at least 10 points snapped after a three-point effort against Toledo, Feb. 15.
HENRY IMPROVING AT THE FREE THROW LINE
Junior Christian Henry has made 33 of his last 40 free throws (82.5%) after making just 49 of his first 82 attempts (59.8%) this season. In total, Henry is 82-for-122 (67.2%) from the charity stripe.
NELSON/TERRY 1,000 CAREER POINTS
DePaul transfers Da'Sean Nelson and Jalen Terry are both very likely to reach 1,000 career points during the 2024-25 season as Nelson passed the mark against Toledo, Feb. 15, while Terry's 38-point performance vaulted him to just five points short of quadruple digits ahead of the game against Miami, Feb. 18. Nelson has 1,011 career points (383 at EMU, 628 at DePaul) and Terry has 995 career points (384 at EMU, 588 at DePaul, 57 at Oregon).
BILLINGSLEY + NELSON SHOOTING PERCENTAGES
Senior Jalin Billingsley ranks fifth in the MAC in field goal percentage, shooting 105-for-190 (.553) while senior Da'Sean Nelson is 10th in the MAC at 135-for-270 (.500).
DA'SEAN NELSON GETS FOULED A LOT
Senior Da'Sean Nelson has been fouled 150 times in 24 games played (6.3 fouls per game). During MAC play, Nelson has accumulated 81 fouls drawn in 12 games (6.8 fouls per game).
Nelson has drawn at least eight fouls in 10 games this season, all of which have come in the last 18 games.
Eastern Michigan Leaders in Fouls Drawn:
Player Total Average
Da'Sean Nelson 150 6.3
Christian Henry 112 4.5
Jalin Billingsley 58 2.3
Jalen Terry 57 2.4
ONE OF TWO SCHOOLS WITH 32+ POINTS (x3)
With senior Jalen Terry's 38 points against Toledo, Feb. 15, senior Da'Sean Nelson's 32 points against Northern Illinois, Jan. 4, and senior Jalin Billingsley's 32 points against Siena Heights, Nov. 8, Eastern Michigan and Texas are the only two schools in the nation with at least three different players reaching 32 points this season. In total, 147 different players have a 32-point performance this season. Adding in junior Christian Henry's 28-point showing against Detroit Mercy, Nov. 30, Eastern Michigan is one of seven teams in the nation with at least four different players reaching 28 points this season. Austin Peay leads the nation with five different players achieving the mark.
SUCCESS IN CLOSE GAMES
After the Eagles fell, 86-84, at Ball State, Feb. 11, Eastern moved to 6-2 in games decided by four points or less. Eastern's six wins by four or fewer is tied for the fifth-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.
TWO EAGLES AVERAGING 16 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.5 APG
Eastern is the only team in the nation to have multiple players averaging at least 16.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.0 steals. Senior Da'Sean Nelson is averaging 16.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.0 steals while senior Jalen Terry is averaging 16.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.5 steals. In total, 32 different players nationally are averaging 16 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.0 steals. Nelson is one of just two players nationally to average at least 16.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.0 blocks, and shoot at least 50.0% from the floor. Nelson, who averages 1.0 blocks and is shooting 50.0%, is joined by UAB's Yaxel Lendeborg on the list. Terry is one of 16 players nationally to average at least 16.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.5 steals. Terry is the only MAC player on the list of 16 players, which also includes former Eagle Orlando Lovejoy.
SECOND-HALF SCORING
Eastern is averaging 39.4 points in the second half while averaging 32.8 points in the first half. In EMU's 25 games, the Eagles have scored more points in the second half than the first in 17 games. Nine of the Eagles' 12 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)
Jan. 21 Ohio 50 (1st)
Jan. 25 Buffalo 48 (2nd)
Feb. 8 Old Dominion 47 (2nd)
Nov. 14 IU Indy 45 (1st)
Jan. 21 Ohio 44 (2nd)
Nov. 8 Siena Heights 43 (2nd)
Dec. 28 Davidson 43 (2nd)
Jan. 11 Akron 43 (2nd)
Feb. 15 Toledo 43 (2nd)
JALEN TERRY MAC MINUTES LEADER
Senior Jalen Terry leads the MAC in minutes, averaging 37.1 minutes per game.
National Minutes Leaders:
1. Bennett Stiritz (Drake) 39.0
2.Mitch Macari (Drake) 37.8
3. Nicholas Martinelli (NW) 37.7
4. Gibson Jimerson (SLU) 37.6
5. Jalen Terry (EMU) 37.1
With former Eagle Tyson Acuff ranking fourth in the nation in minutes per game at 37.9 in 2023-24, if Terry can remain in the top six, EMU would be the first school since Stony Brook (2021-23) to have different players rank inside the top six in minutes nationally in different seasons.
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.
NEXT UP
Eastern Michigan hits the road to face Northern Illinois University Saturday, Feb. 22, at 4:30 p.m. ET inside the Convocation Center. The EMU women's team will battle the Huskies at 2 p.m. ET.
FOLLOW US
For the most up-to-date information on the Eagles, visit EMUEagles.com. Fans can also follow the team on social media, including Twitter (@EMU_MBB) and Instagram (@EMUMBB).
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