MARIETTA, Ohio– Eastern University Men's Basketball will continue its historic season at Marietta College with a Friday afternoon game against the University of Rochester Yellowjackets. Both Eastern and Rochester reached the tournament with at-large bids. It is the first NCAA Tournament appearance for the Eagles (21-5).

The Yellowjackets (17-8) last appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2019, and are making their 17th overall appearance. Six of their eight losses tthis season came in the very competitive University Athletic Association. Emory won that league's automatic bid, and Rochester, Washington University, and Case Western Reserve University each earned at-large bids. Rochester dropped a 76-74 heartbreaker to Emory in Atlanta last Saturday.

Rochester outscores its opponents by a 72.5-64 margin and shoots 47 percent from the floor. The Yellowjackets and Eagles have shot nearly identical numbers from behind the arc this year. Eastern is 159-of-447 and Rochester is 160-of-446. Eastern has significantly more overall shot attempts but shoots a similar percentage from the floor.

All five Eastern starters score in double figures and have had at least one 20 point game.

Throughout the year, Eastern had seven different players finish with team-high honors in points. The depth and balance is even more impressive in that each of Eastern's five starters has been the team's high scorer at least four times, and no Eastern player has led the team in scoring more than six times. Jairus Carroll finished with team-high honors twice, and Davin Hernandez hit for 26 off the bench to help a short-handed Eagles line-up to beat Hood College at home in January.

The Yellowjackets are led by forward Brian Amabilino Perez. The senior from Spain averages nearly 14 points and six rebounds per game and shoots 57 percent from the floor. Senior guard Ross Gang averages just over 10 points an outing and shoots over 50 percent from the floor and fellow senior Trent Noordsij averages ten points per game as the team's primary threat from the perimeter. Noordsij shoots 41 percent from behind the arc.

"They are an excellent passing team," Eastern Head Coach Dan Pruessner said of his first-round opponent. "They have an experienced roster with a lot of size, and they are used to playing good opponents. We are going to need to pressure and force pace without giving up easy baskets."

The two teams will play the 4:15 game at Marietta College. The host Pioneers won the Ohio Athletic Conference and will play the Medaille College Mavericks at 7:15 on Friday. Marietta and Eastern both played at Roanoke in a tournament early in the season. The Mavericks won the Alleghany Mountain Collegiate Conference Championship as a fourth seed and will look to keep their momentum rolling as they take on the hosts.

Marietta announced ticketing policies for the event and advised individuals to purchase tickets in advance for the game. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for Senior Citizens and students. Click here to buy your tickets. The online box office will open at 4:00 pm Thursday for Friday's game, and there will be a window on Saturday morning for fans of advancing teams to purchase tickets.

Eastern will have a ticket code for each game. That code has been shared with the current team and friends of the department and will be made available to Eastern fans wanting to travel. The arena will be cleared between games on Friday. Click here to request a ticket code.

Those fans who cannot make the game in person will be able to follow the game online through the links on Eastern's schedule page.