Eastern Michigan Athletics
Women's Basketball Hits the Road for the First of Three
2/13/2006 3:24:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Game time set for 7:05 p.m. at Northern Illinois University
Complete Release (PDF).
Listen to the game via NIU Radio.
EAGLES HIT THE ROAD FOR THE FIRST OF THREE: After wrapping up a 5-1 stretch against Mid-American Conference East Division opponents, the Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team returns to divisional play Wednesday, Feb. 15, traveling to DeKalb, Ill. for a 7:05 p.m. tip-off versus Northern Illinois University. The Eagles enter the game with a mark of 16-6 (10-1 MAC) and a two-game advantage in the race for the division title. The Huskies sport a 9-13 record (5-6 MAC).
EAGLES AMONG NATION’S BEST OVER THE LAST 13 GAMES: After struggling to a 2-3 start and playing without Kodak/WBCA honorable mention All-American Ryan Coleman, the Eagles have turned the tables to post one of the nation’s best records. EMU’s 12-1 mark over the last 13 games is tied with 15 other schools for second-best, bettered only by Chattanooga, Indiana State and Hartford at 13-0.
The Green and White have posted a 14-2 record in its last 16 contests, with setbacks coming against No. 17 Utah and Bowling Green. Only 10 teams have rolled off a better 16-game record during that period including: No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Duke, No. 4 LSU, No. 6, Maryland and No. 7 Ohio State.
EMU PICKS UP CONFERENCE VICTORY NUMBER 10: With the victory over Miami, this year’s EMU squad became the quickest to record 10 conference victories in a season in the program’s 30-year history. Three previous times the Eagles have garnered their 10th league win of the campaign in the month of February with the 2003-04 squad holding the previous fastest mark by Feb. 18.
CLOSING IN ON CLEVELAND: The Eagles’ 78-55 win over Miami Saturday (Feb. 11), coupled with Ball State’s loss to Bowling Green, gives the Eagles a magic number of two to clinch a first-round bye and a trip to Cleveland for the quarterfinal round of the Kraft MAC Tournament. The top-two teams in each division earn byes, and EMU is four games ahead of third-place BSU with five games to play. Two more EMU wins, or two Ball State losses, or an EMU win and a BSU loss will give the Eagles an off day March 4, the date of the opening round of the league tourney.
COLEMAN NAMED MAC WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK AGAIN: Senior guard Ryan Coleman was named the Mid-American Conference West Division Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the period ending Feb. 12. This marked the second time this season that she has won the award and the ninth time in her career.
Coleman posted across the board numbers of 18.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.5 steals as well as shooting 60.0 percent (15-of-25) from the field as the Eagles went 2-0 on the week. With the game tied at 53 versus Ohio, Coleman scored seven points in the final 2:17 to lead her team to a 62-56 victory. She then posted 21 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals in a 78-55 win over Miami.
THE SERIES WITH NORTHERN ILLINOIS: Wednesday’s contest marks the 25th meeting between the Huskies and Eagles, who first met during the 1981-82 season. Eastern leads the overall series, 17-7, and has won 12 out of the last 15 games over the Cardinal and Black.
Eastern captured a hard fought 73-59 victory earlier this season, Jan. 7, at the EMU Convocation Center in Ypsilanti. The Eagles, who trailed at one time by as many as six points in the first half, used a 25-6 run to open the second half and put the game out of reach.
EMU APPROACHING 20 WINS FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE SEASON: Eastern Michigan needs four win to reach 20 victories for the third consecutive season. It would mark EMU’s third 20-win season in school history. Prior to the 2003-04 campaign the most-ever victories by an Eagle squad was 18.
MERCHANT APPROACHING VICTORY NUMBER 200: Head Coach Suzy Merchant needs eight more victories to record her 200th victory as a collegiate coach. She is also just eight victories shy of tieing Kathy Hart for the most wins as the head coach in the program’s 30-year history at 146.
In 10 years as a college head coach, Merchant is 192-117, and at EMU she is 138-88. Merchant was the first female coach at EMU to win a Mid-American Conference title, and was selected the BCAM Coach of the Year in 2004. That same season the team had an RPI of 62, the highest in the history of the program and 235 positions over where the program was when Merchant first arrived in 1998.
KNAPP NEEDS 33 TO BECOME ALL-TIME LEADER IN REBOUNDS: Senior Nikki Knapp’s countdown to become the school’s all-time leader in career rebounds has reached the final stage. The 2005-06 preseason All-MAC honoree has 753 career boards and needs 33 more to surpass Stephanie Smiley’s standard of 785.
JUST TWO HOME GAMES LEFT: The Eagles return to the Convocation Center just two more times in the 2005-06 regular season. Eastern hits the road for three before wrapping up the season with a two-game home stand, hosting Ball State Saturday, Feb. 25, and instate rival Central Michigan Wednesday, March 1.
THE ROAD WARRIORS ARE COMING BACK: The Eagles have been a good road team under Head Coach Suzy Merchant. In eight years under Merchant, EMU is 52-45 in road contests and 14-14 in neutral site games. This trend continues in the MAC, as the Eagles are 33-28 in conference road games.
HOME SWEET HOME: The Eagles’ win over Miami moved the team’s record to 11-2 at the Convocation Center this winter, and continued their recent home success. Last season EMU posted a record of 11-1 in the "Nest" and has won 49 of the last 61 home games dating to the 2001-02 campaign. EMU out scored its opponents by 23.5 points per game at the Convo last season. This year, the Eagles have out-scored foes by an average of 13.8 points through 13 home games.
