Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Toledo
Women's Hoops Rockets Past Toledo
1/10/2006 9:52:18 PM | Women's Basketball
Patrice McKinney nearly turns in a triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists
Box score.
YPSILANTI, Mich.--The Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team used a 43 point second half to knock off a visiting Toledo team, 68-40, in a Mid-American Conference tilt here at the Convocation Center. The Eagles held a slim two point lead at the half, 25-23, before taking control in the second half shooting 53.8 percent from the floor (14-of-26).
Sophomore Patrice McKinney (Lansing, Mich.-Everett (Michigan State)) led three Eagles in double figures with 20 points, including connecting on 9-of-12 from the field. Senior Nikki Knapp (Blue Springs, Mo.-Blue Springs South) added a double-double 17 points with 10 rebounds while senior guard Ryan Coleman (Detroit, Mich.-CMA) turned in 16 points. The win boosted EMU to 8-5 on the year and 2-0 in league play.
Toledo, now 6-6 (1-1 MAC) on the year, was paced by Danielle Bishop and Diana Reindl with 10 points each. Bishop also grabbed seven caroms in the setback while Reindl has five boards.
Head Coach Suzy Merchant’s Eagles held Toledo to just 30.6 percent shooting from the field (15-of-49) and also out-rebounded the visitors by a whopping 17 boards (45 to 28). The Rockets’ 40 points are tied for the fourth lowest total in the Convocation Center’s eight-year history and the second lowest amount for a MAC foe.
The Eagles opened the game struggling offensively failing to score on their first four possessions, until McKinney got EMU on the board with a jumper at the 17:43 mark. The Rockets took a 8-4 advantage on a Savannah Werner three-pointer with 16:21 to go in the period, but EMU started to settle into its game rolling off 11 of the game’s next 18 points to tie the contest at 15 on a McKinney layup at the 10:25 mark.
Eastern took its first lead of the game, 17-15, and saw its edge grow to six points, 21-15, on back-to-back buckets by Melis Ulker (Istanbul, Turkey-Oradogu College) and McKinney forcing UT to burn a time-out with 7:52 left in half. The scoring streak came to a halt though as either team managed a point until the 3:17 minute mark, when Crystal Young layed one off the glass to cut into the Green and White lead. Toledo knotted the game at 23 on a Danielle Bishop with just over a minute, but a Kiemetha Randle (Saginaw, Mich.-Saginaw) layup gave EMU the lead back as the teams headed into the locker room at the half.
McKinney led all scorers in the first 20 minutes with 12 points, while UT was paced by Savannah Werner with seven points and three rebounds. The Rockets were plagued by 14 turnovers, as EMU scored 15 points off UT miscues in the period. EMU struggled from the floor connecting on just 33.3 percent (11-of-33) of its shots compared to Toledo’s 50.0 mark (10-of-20).
In the second half it was the Eagles that started to light up the nets while the Rockets went cold from the field. Eastern opened the second half on a 11-4 run, taking a nine-points advantage, 36-27, on the strength of a Coleman three-pointer at the 13:23 mark. Eastern’s edge grew to 15, 46-31, as Knapp layed one off the glass off the fastbreak from McKinney with 10:02 remaining to put the game out of the Rockets reach. The Rockets never had an answer for the Eagles tonight as Eastern saw its advantage grow to as much as 30, 63-33, with 4:16 remaining in the game.
The Eagles are next in action Saturday, Jan. 14, at 5 p.m. when they host in-state rival Western Michigan University. The game is part of a doubleheader, as the men’s team squares off with Kent State University at 7:30 p.m.
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