Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, January 31
Amherst, Mass.
6 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
9-13,3-7MAC
67
at
70
UMass
14-9,5-6MAC
1
2
F
Eastern Mich.
30
37
67
Massachusetts
38
32
70
Lawson II Nets Career-High 20 Points, Eastern Edged Late at UMass
1/31/2026 8:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Lawson II was 9-for-14 from the field as Eagles led for 16 seconds in second half
AMHERST, Mass. (EMUEagles.com) – Gregory Lawson II poured in a career-high 20 points as the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team was edged, 70-67, at the University of Massachusetts Saturday, Jan. 31, inside the Mullins Center in Mid-American Conference action.
Eastern took a 57-56 lead with 5:19 left but was unable to hold on.
Lawson II (Saginaw, Mich./Oak Cliff Academy) was 9-for-14 (64.3%) from the field in a dynamic showing, while Mohammad Habhab (Dearborn, Mich./Dearborn/Central Michigan) added 15 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two blocks.
How It Happened
Eastern started slowly, surrendering an early 9-2 deficit before trailing 20-11.
EMU battled back an 11-2 run to create a 22-22 tie with 8:09 left in the first half.
The hosts responded with a 10-2 spurt as UMass took a 38-30 lead into halftime.
The Minutemen expanded their advantage to 40-30 35 seconds into the second half, representing their largest lead of the contest.
Eastern was not deterred, cutting the deficit to two with 13:21 to go on a pair of Habhab free throws before tying the game with Jon Sanders II (Southfield, Mich./Southfield Christian Northwestern State) free throws at the 6:55 mark.
With 5:19 left, Lawson II put home a smooth baseline jumper to give the Eagles their first lead of the contest, which did not last long as UMass retook the lead just 16 seconds later.
Eastern never led the rest of the way, but tied the game with Habhab free throws (4:40), a Lawson II layup (1:38), and a Habhab layup (52 seconds).
A missed UMass free throw opened the door for EMU late, but a last-ditch effort at the buzzer fell just short as the hosts won, 70-67.
Game Notes
» Eastern moves to 9-12 overall and 3-6 in the MAC while UMass moves to 13-9 overall and 4-6 in conference play.
» Eastern was 23-of-49 (46.9%) from the field and 5-of-22 (22.7%) from the three-point line, while UMass was 22-of-50 (44.0%) from the floor and 1-of-13 (7.7%) from three-point range.
» UMass created foul trouble for Eastern throughout the contest, going 25-for-35 (71.4%) at the free-throw line, compared to EMU's 16-for-18 (88.9%). Eastern had four players finish with four fouls.
» Gregory Lawson II scored a career-high 20 points, besting the 14 he netted at Central Michigan, Jan. 27. Lawson II joins Mohammad Habhab as EMU freshmen to score at least 20 points in one game this season.
» Gregory Lawson II converted a career-high nine field goal attempts, topping his previous mark of five, which he did twice, including at Central Michigan, Jan. 27.
» Gregory Lawson II was 2-for-5 (40.0%) from three-point range, representing his fifth game with multiple made three-pointers this season. Four of those five have come in the last five games.
» Gregory Lawson II played a career-high 34:55, surpassing his career-high 31:57 set at Central Michigan University, Jan. 27.
» Addison Patterson scored 10 points, his 10-straight game with at least 10 points. Patterson has 17 games with at least 10 points this season with 13 of those coming in the last 14 games.
» Mohammad Habhab tallied two blocks and has multiple blocks in five-straight games, becoming the first Eagle to do so since James Thompson IV in the 2017-18 season.
» Jon Sanders II was 2-for-7 (28.3%) from three-point range, marking his seventh multi-triple game this season and first since Jan. 6 at Ball State.
» Godslove Nwabude (Anambra State, Nigeria/Mt. Zion Prep (Md.)) recorded two blocks, marking his eighth multi-block game of the season.
Historical Notes
» UMass leads the all-time series, 4-1. Eastern moved to 0-2 all-time in Amherst.
Up Next
» Eastern hosts the University of Akron for a Tuesday game, Feb. 3, at 6:30 p.m. The game is on ESPN+ and will be held in Ypsilanti, Mich., inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
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).
Eastern took a 57-56 lead with 5:19 left but was unable to hold on.
Lawson II (Saginaw, Mich./Oak Cliff Academy) was 9-for-14 (64.3%) from the field in a dynamic showing, while Mohammad Habhab (Dearborn, Mich./Dearborn/Central Michigan) added 15 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two blocks.
How It Happened
Eastern started slowly, surrendering an early 9-2 deficit before trailing 20-11.
EMU battled back an 11-2 run to create a 22-22 tie with 8:09 left in the first half.
The hosts responded with a 10-2 spurt as UMass took a 38-30 lead into halftime.
The Minutemen expanded their advantage to 40-30 35 seconds into the second half, representing their largest lead of the contest.
Eastern was not deterred, cutting the deficit to two with 13:21 to go on a pair of Habhab free throws before tying the game with Jon Sanders II (Southfield, Mich./Southfield Christian Northwestern State) free throws at the 6:55 mark.
With 5:19 left, Lawson II put home a smooth baseline jumper to give the Eagles their first lead of the contest, which did not last long as UMass retook the lead just 16 seconds later.
Eastern never led the rest of the way, but tied the game with Habhab free throws (4:40), a Lawson II layup (1:38), and a Habhab layup (52 seconds).
A missed UMass free throw opened the door for EMU late, but a last-ditch effort at the buzzer fell just short as the hosts won, 70-67.
Game Notes
» Eastern moves to 9-12 overall and 3-6 in the MAC while UMass moves to 13-9 overall and 4-6 in conference play.
» Eastern was 23-of-49 (46.9%) from the field and 5-of-22 (22.7%) from the three-point line, while UMass was 22-of-50 (44.0%) from the floor and 1-of-13 (7.7%) from three-point range.
» UMass created foul trouble for Eastern throughout the contest, going 25-for-35 (71.4%) at the free-throw line, compared to EMU's 16-for-18 (88.9%). Eastern had four players finish with four fouls.
» Gregory Lawson II scored a career-high 20 points, besting the 14 he netted at Central Michigan, Jan. 27. Lawson II joins Mohammad Habhab as EMU freshmen to score at least 20 points in one game this season.
» Gregory Lawson II converted a career-high nine field goal attempts, topping his previous mark of five, which he did twice, including at Central Michigan, Jan. 27.
» Gregory Lawson II was 2-for-5 (40.0%) from three-point range, representing his fifth game with multiple made three-pointers this season. Four of those five have come in the last five games.
» Gregory Lawson II played a career-high 34:55, surpassing his career-high 31:57 set at Central Michigan University, Jan. 27.
» Addison Patterson scored 10 points, his 10-straight game with at least 10 points. Patterson has 17 games with at least 10 points this season with 13 of those coming in the last 14 games.
» Mohammad Habhab tallied two blocks and has multiple blocks in five-straight games, becoming the first Eagle to do so since James Thompson IV in the 2017-18 season.
» Jon Sanders II was 2-for-7 (28.3%) from three-point range, marking his seventh multi-triple game this season and first since Jan. 6 at Ball State.
» Godslove Nwabude (Anambra State, Nigeria/Mt. Zion Prep (Md.)) recorded two blocks, marking his eighth multi-block game of the season.
Historical Notes
» UMass leads the all-time series, 4-1. Eastern moved to 0-2 all-time in Amherst.
Up Next
» Eastern hosts the University of Akron for a Tuesday game, Feb. 3, at 6:30 p.m. The game is on ESPN+ and will be held in Ypsilanti, Mich., inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
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).
Team Stats
EMU
UMass
FG%
.469
.440
3FG%
.227
.077
FT%
.889
.714
RB
28
30
TO
14
7
STL
4
5
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
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