Eastern Michigan Athletics
Tuesday, March 4
Athens, Ohio
7 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
16-14,9-8MAC
83
at
79
Ohio
16-14,10-7MAC
1
2
F
Eastern Mich.
38
45
83
Ohio
38
41
79
Eastern Secures MAC Tournament Berth, Downs Ohio
3/4/2025 9:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Eagles make first postseason berth since 2020, first Cleveland appearance since 2018
Cinematic Highlights
ATHENS, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team secured a Mid-American Conference Tournament berth as the Eagles topped Ohio University, 83-79, Tuesday, March 4, inside the Convocation Center.
With a seed still to-be-determined, the Eagles earned their first MAC Tournament berth since 2020 and first appearance in Cleveland for the MAC Tournament since 2018. With the win, Eastern was able to clinch the bid with losses by Ball State University and Western Michigan University, earning at least the No. 7 seed.
Although EMU was unable to hold a 15-point first-half lead, Eastern never trailed in the game as it was led by Christian Henry (Chicago, Ill./The Skill Factory/Panola College), who scored 23 points.
With Jalen Terry's (Flint, Mich./Beecher/Oregon/DePaul) 15 points, Da'Sean Nelson's (Toledo, Ohio/Robert S. Rogers/Kilgore College/DePaul) 14 points, Arne Osojnik's (Ljubljana, Slovenia/Dream City Christian) 13 points, and Yusuf Jihad's (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington/Oakland) 10 points to mark EMU's second game with five scorers with 10-plus points this season.
How it Happened
Eastern started hot out of the gates, holding a 9-2 lead through four minutes.
The Eagles used a 6-0 spurt to lead 24-12 and an 8-0 run to take a 32-17 advantage, their largest lead of the contest.
The rest of the half did not go Eastern's way as Ohio netted the game's next 13 points as the Bobcats' 21-6 run over the final 6:11 resulted in a 38-38 tie at halftime as EMU spread seven fouls over its top three scorers in the opening half.
Despite the struggles to close the first half, Eastern was not rattled, opening the second frame with three-pointers from Terry and Osojnik.
The Bobcats quickly tied the game but the Eagles used a quick 7-2 spurt to regain control of the contest before OU came back within one point at 51-50 at the 14:41 mark.
Eastern used a 12-3 run, highlighted by triples from Jihad and Henry, to take a commanding 73-61 lead with 5:42 left.
The Bobcats were able to cut their deficit to five with 1:53 remaining but Eastern's impressive 17-of-19 (89.5%) free throw shooting proved valuable down the stretch as the Eagles converted six free throws in the final 26 seconds. EMU had a trio of 1-and-1 opportunities.
Game Notes
» Eastern moved to 16-14 overall and 9-8 in the MAC while Ohio fell to 16-14 overall and 10-7 in conference action.
» Eastern Michigan was 30-of-58 (51.7%) from the floor and 6-of-15 (40.0%) from three-point range while Ohio was 24-of-55 (43.6%) from the field and 9-of-23 (39.1%) from deep.
» Henry's 23 points mark his sixth game with 20-plus points, his first such performance since a 25-point outing at Miami, Jan. 28.
» Terry, the MAC leader in minutes at 37.3 minutes per game entering Tuesday, played all 40 minutes.
» Billingsley entered the day ranked fifth in the MAC in field goal percentage, bumping his field percentage to .569 with a 4-of-6 showing.
» Jihad was 4-of-4 from the floor to score 10 points in his 16 minutes, just one minute shy of his season high. Jihad's 10-point effort was his sixth of the season and first since Feb. 4 against Kent State.
» John Shanu II (Houston, Texas/Sam Houston/Old Dominion/UTRGV) logged a career-high five rebounds, recording his eighth-straight start.
» Eastern posted three blocks, marking 26-straight games with at least one block, the team's longest streak since blocking at least one shot in every game during the 2021-22 season.
Historical Notes
» EMU moved to 30-55 against Ohio, completing its first two-game season sweep of the Bobcats since the 1994-95 season.
» Eastern has accumulated six true road wins in the 2024-25 season, which is first time reaching six road wins in one season since tallying seven in the 2017-18 campaign. The Eagles' three road wins in MAC play are its since logging four MAC road wins in the 2018-19 season.
» Eastern, which hit six threes against Ohio, has now hit at least one triple in 643-straight games. EMU last failed to score from downtown Jan. 24, 2004, when the RedHawks held the Eagles to 0-of-7 from behind the arc. The Eagles have converted multiple three-pointers in 65-straight contests, not having done so most recently in a 1-for-15 performance against Akron, Feb.14, 2023.
Next Up
Eastern Michigan travels to Kent State University for a game Friday, March 7, at 7 p.m. With a win, Eastern could earn as high as the No. 3 seed.
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).
ATHENS, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team secured a Mid-American Conference Tournament berth as the Eagles topped Ohio University, 83-79, Tuesday, March 4, inside the Convocation Center.
With a seed still to-be-determined, the Eagles earned their first MAC Tournament berth since 2020 and first appearance in Cleveland for the MAC Tournament since 2018. With the win, Eastern was able to clinch the bid with losses by Ball State University and Western Michigan University, earning at least the No. 7 seed.
Although EMU was unable to hold a 15-point first-half lead, Eastern never trailed in the game as it was led by Christian Henry (Chicago, Ill./The Skill Factory/Panola College), who scored 23 points.
With Jalen Terry's (Flint, Mich./Beecher/Oregon/DePaul) 15 points, Da'Sean Nelson's (Toledo, Ohio/Robert S. Rogers/Kilgore College/DePaul) 14 points, Arne Osojnik's (Ljubljana, Slovenia/Dream City Christian) 13 points, and Yusuf Jihad's (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington/Oakland) 10 points to mark EMU's second game with five scorers with 10-plus points this season.
How it Happened
Eastern started hot out of the gates, holding a 9-2 lead through four minutes.
The Eagles used a 6-0 spurt to lead 24-12 and an 8-0 run to take a 32-17 advantage, their largest lead of the contest.
The rest of the half did not go Eastern's way as Ohio netted the game's next 13 points as the Bobcats' 21-6 run over the final 6:11 resulted in a 38-38 tie at halftime as EMU spread seven fouls over its top three scorers in the opening half.
Despite the struggles to close the first half, Eastern was not rattled, opening the second frame with three-pointers from Terry and Osojnik.
The Bobcats quickly tied the game but the Eagles used a quick 7-2 spurt to regain control of the contest before OU came back within one point at 51-50 at the 14:41 mark.
Eastern used a 12-3 run, highlighted by triples from Jihad and Henry, to take a commanding 73-61 lead with 5:42 left.
The Bobcats were able to cut their deficit to five with 1:53 remaining but Eastern's impressive 17-of-19 (89.5%) free throw shooting proved valuable down the stretch as the Eagles converted six free throws in the final 26 seconds. EMU had a trio of 1-and-1 opportunities.
Game Notes
» Eastern moved to 16-14 overall and 9-8 in the MAC while Ohio fell to 16-14 overall and 10-7 in conference action.
» Eastern Michigan was 30-of-58 (51.7%) from the floor and 6-of-15 (40.0%) from three-point range while Ohio was 24-of-55 (43.6%) from the field and 9-of-23 (39.1%) from deep.
» Henry's 23 points mark his sixth game with 20-plus points, his first such performance since a 25-point outing at Miami, Jan. 28.
» Terry, the MAC leader in minutes at 37.3 minutes per game entering Tuesday, played all 40 minutes.
» Billingsley entered the day ranked fifth in the MAC in field goal percentage, bumping his field percentage to .569 with a 4-of-6 showing.
» Jihad was 4-of-4 from the floor to score 10 points in his 16 minutes, just one minute shy of his season high. Jihad's 10-point effort was his sixth of the season and first since Feb. 4 against Kent State.
» John Shanu II (Houston, Texas/Sam Houston/Old Dominion/UTRGV) logged a career-high five rebounds, recording his eighth-straight start.
» Eastern posted three blocks, marking 26-straight games with at least one block, the team's longest streak since blocking at least one shot in every game during the 2021-22 season.
Historical Notes
» EMU moved to 30-55 against Ohio, completing its first two-game season sweep of the Bobcats since the 1994-95 season.
» Eastern has accumulated six true road wins in the 2024-25 season, which is first time reaching six road wins in one season since tallying seven in the 2017-18 campaign. The Eagles' three road wins in MAC play are its since logging four MAC road wins in the 2018-19 season.
» Eastern, which hit six threes against Ohio, has now hit at least one triple in 643-straight games. EMU last failed to score from downtown Jan. 24, 2004, when the RedHawks held the Eagles to 0-of-7 from behind the arc. The Eagles have converted multiple three-pointers in 65-straight contests, not having done so most recently in a 1-for-15 performance against Akron, Feb.14, 2023.
Next Up
Eastern Michigan travels to Kent State University for a game Friday, March 7, at 7 p.m. With a win, Eastern could earn as high as the No. 3 seed.
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
Ohio
FG%
.517
.436
3FG%
.400
.391
FT%
.895
.759
RB
35
28
TO
13
11
STL
10
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
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