EMU Returns to Convo for MAC West Battle with Ball State

Men's Basketball vs. Ball State
Date	Tuesday, Jan. 24 \| 9 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center (7,784)
Game Notes	EMU Game Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	American Sports Network \| ESPN 3
Listen	89.1 FM WEMU
Twitter	@EMUHoops \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Winning six of its last eight games and sitting in first place in the Mid-American Conference West Division, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team returns to the Convocation Center to defend its homecourt this Tuesday, Jan. 24, when Ball State University travels to Ypsilanti for a 9 p.m. matchup. The Eagles (12-7, 4-2 MAC) look to defeat the Cardinals (12-7, 3-3 MAC) at home for the first time since the 2013-14 campaign after losing two straight overtime games at the Convo.

The Green and White come into its seventh league matchup following a tight 70-63 setback on the road at Akron, Jan. 20. That was the Eagles' second loss in MAC play after winning three straight prior to the cross-divisional loss. For the Cardinals, they have won three of their last four games. Most recently, Ball State fell at Bowling Green, 79-74, Jan. 21. Not only was it the Cardinals' third loss in conference action, but it was their second loss to Bowling Green, with the Falcons besting BSU by five points in each matchup.

FINDING THE GAME AT HOME: The Eastern Michigan versus Ball State matchup will have both audio and video on Tuesday evening. Fans can dial into 89.1 FM or listen over the internet at WEMU.org to hear the smooth sounds of veteran play-by-play voice, Chad Bush. Joining Bush on the call for the conference road game will be analyst Assistant Athletic Media Relations Director Sean Hostetter as well as on-site engineer and Associate Athletic Director Greg Steiner. Coverage on 89.1 WEMU will begin 10 minutes prior to the tip of each game this year.

For those wishing to watch the Eagles' game live, tune into the American Sports Network, where Jeff McCarragher will call the BSU versus EMU contest, while Bob Donewald will serve as the analyst for the Eagles' and Cardinals' contest. In addition, the matchup will be simulcast on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.

ALL-TIME VERSUS THE BALL STATE: The Eagles trail in the series with Ball State by a 17-game margin, at a tally of 42-59. Last season, the Green and White dropped a pair of MAC West battles to the Cardinals.

First, the Green and White fell in a double overtime contest at the Convocation Center, 88-87, Jan. 23, in a controversial final possession before Ball State knocked off Eastern Michigan at Worthen Arena, 115-79, Feb. 27.

LIKELY LOOK FOR THE CARDINALS...

#	Name	Pos.	Cl.	Ht.	Wt.	ppg	rpg	apg	Hometown-Previous School
0	Francis Kiapway	G	Jr.-Jr.	6-3	195	8.6	1.3	1.2	Hamilton, Ontario-St. Thomas More
2	Tayler Persons	G	So.-So.	6-3	220	15.5	3.7	5.0	Kokomo, Ind.-Kokomo
15	Franko House	F	Sr.-Sr.	6-6	248	12.1	6.3	2.1	Elkhart, Ind.-Concord
34	Sean Sellers	G/F	Jr.-Jr.	6-6	216	9.7	3.1	1.6	Greensburg, Ind.-Greensburg
41	Trey Moses	C	So.-So.	6-9	245	9.7	8.7	2.4	Louisville, Ky.-Eastern

LAST TIME OUT: Eastern Michigan traveled to Akron to take on the Zips for the top spot in the Mid-American Conference, Jan. 20. EMU came out on the wrong end of a 70-63 decision at James A. Rhodes Arena, falling to 4-2 in MAC play.

The Eagles spread the wealth with eight players contributing on the score sheet, led by seniors Ty Toney and Willie Mangum IV, who finished with 17 and 13, respectively. Sophomore Baylee Steele also finished in double figures, scoring 10 while pulling down a team-high eight rebounds. As a team, the Green and White shot at a 38.1 percent (24-of-63) clip, while hitting just four three pointers in 16 tries.

CARDINAL REPORT: The Ball State Cardinals have had their ups and downs this season, seemingly winning in spurts. BSU rattled off five straight wins to close out non-conference play before dropping its first two MAC contests of the year. The Cardinals responded with three conference wins in a row but then lost their most recent game at Bowling Green, 79-74. Tayler Persons leads the Ball State offense, scoring 15.5 points per game, while Franko House adds 12.1 points per contest. Persons is also one of the best distributors in the conference, dishing out five assists per game, which is the fourth best average in the league. The Cardinals' center, Trey Moses, has been a spark for Ball State, scoring nearly 10 points per game but also pulling down 8.7 rebounds per contest, good for fifth in the MAC. BSU's offense works efficiently, scoring at a 46.7 percent clip, third-best in the league, while their 37.3 three point shooting percentage marks the third-highest in the MAC as well.

SECOND HALF STARS: It has become quite evident that the Eagles have grown into a second half team during the 2016-17 campaign. Since the beginning of Mid-American Conference action, Eastern Michigan is scoring at a much higher rate in the second half. In MAC games, the Green and White averages just 30.5 points in the first half, while shooting just 40.1 percent from the floor. In the second half, the Eagles post 42.2 points and connect on shots at a 50.9 percent mark.

A NICE OMEN: The Eastern Michigan men's basketball team led the MAC West Division at 4-1 through the first five conference games of the year. The last time EMU started MAC play with a 4-1 record was during the 2011-12 campaign. That season was Rob Murphy's first as the head coach at Eastern, when he guided the Eagles to its only MAC West Division title in program history.

LETS TALK ABOUT MACTION: Eastern Michigan has seen seven student-athletes average 20-or-more minutes per game since MAC play began. Through the first six games of conference play, the Eagles have proved to be extremely efficient on both ends of the floor. Although they're scoring just 72.7 points per game, the Green and White is shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 76 percent from the charity stripe. Defensively, the Eagles have been one of the best in the league. MAC teams are scoring just 65.3 points per game which leads the league, while Eastern's +7.3 scoring margin is the best in conference action.

Individually, there are four Eagles averaging double-figures since starting Mid-American Conference play. James Thompson IV leads that category, scoring 14.7 points per game, while Willie Mangum IV nets 13.3, Ty Toney posts 11.7 and Tim Bond pours in 10.2 points per game.

TIMMY B, FOR THREE!: Eastern Michigan junior guard Tim Bond connected on a corner three-point shot with just 9.4 seconds left on the clock in the second half of EMU's victory over Ohio, Jan. 14, sealing the Eagles' win. That was not the first time that Bond has connected on a triple considered to be the game winner. In EMU's 75-71 win on Senior Day last year, March 1, Bond knocked down a three ball with just three seconds on the clock, which sealed the Green and White's win over Northern Illinois.

HE'S BAAAACK: After being injured during the Eagles' setback at Vermont, Dec. 17, senior guard Ty Toney sat out for three games before returning to action once Mid-American Conference play began. In the first two games of conference action, Toney combined both contests for just 17 minutes played. Since those two contests, the Atlanta, Ga. native has been on a tear, scoring at least 16 points in four-straight games. In addition, Toney is averaging 33.5 minutes, 16.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and two steals per game, while shooting 48 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from beyond the arc.

RETURN OF THE MAC: With MAC play ramping up, so has Eastern Michigan's defensive play. Since beginning conference play, EMU has only allowed 65.3 points per game, which leads the league. Additionally, the Eagles' opponents are shooting just 38.4 percent from the floor and just 30.5 percent from beyond the arc. Eastern is posting 8.7 steals per game over the conference season, which is the league lead as well.

SHARING THE SUGAR: With the EMU offense rolling along this season, the Eagles' assist numbers are up as well. Averaging 14.2 assists per game, the Green and White is on its way to posting 436 assists in the regular season alone. That number is just 12 assists shy of making an appearance in the single season record book's top-10.

STEALING THEIR WAY TO THE TOP: Currently, EMU has 202 steals on the season. That is 109 shy of the all-time Eastern Michigan single season record. At their current pace (10.6 spg), which would also mark a single season record, the Eagles would shatter the single season steals mark before the end of the regular season. With 12 games until the end of the regular campaign, the Green and White are on pace to accumulate 329 steals in regular season action. The current EMU record, set by the 2015-16 squad, is 321.

THE MAGIC NUMBER: Eastern Michigan's offense has been dominant this season, averaging 82.1 points per game, good for third in the MAC. On the flip side, Eastern has had its woes defensively in multiple games, despite giving up just 71.1 points per contest. It seems as though 75 has been the magic number for both the Eagles and their oppositon. In 11 of EMU's 12 wins, the Green and White has scored at least 75 points. However, in each of the Eagles' losses, the opponent has scored at least 75 points.

HOME COOKIN': Since the EMU Convocation Center opened in 1998, the Eastern Michigan men's basketball program has had success playing in Ypsilanti. Overall, the team is 166-105 in home games played at the Convocation Center. Since Head Coach Rob Murphy took over prior to the 2011-12 campaign, the Eagles have enjoyed an extremely high winning percentage, winning 80 percent of its games played in the Convo. Over the last six seasons the Green and White boasts a record of 76-19 in home contests.

ON THE HORIZON: Following their late Tuesday evening contest with Ball State, the Eagles continue Mid-American Conference action on the road, Saturday, Jan. 28. Eastern Michigan will travel to Oxford, Ohio to square off with Miami. The game with the RedHawks will tip-off at 3:30 p.m. and will be available on ESPN3.

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Players Mentioned

Tim Bond

Willie Mangum IV

Baylee Steele

James Thompson IV

Ty Toney

Eastern Michigan Athletics