Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Kent State (2006 Kraft MAC Tournament Semifinal Round)
EMU Bows Out of MAC Tournament with 70-56 Setback to Kent State
3/10/2006 2:46:38 PM | Women's Basketball
The Golden Flashes outscored the Eagles 49-19 in the second half
Box score.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The EMU women’s basketball team was ousted from the 2006 Kraft MAC Tournament by Kent State, 70-56, at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Golden Flashes outscored the Eagles 49-19 in the second half after trailing by as many as 18 points in the first half.
Senior Ryan Coleman paced three Eagles in double figures with 17 points and seven rebounds. Junior Sarah VanMetre turned in 16 points while senior Nikki Knapp added 17 in the setback. The loss snaps Eastern's nine-game winning streak and drops the Green and White to a record of 22-7.
Kent State's Lindsay Shearer, the conference's Player of the Year, keyed the comeback with a game-high 24 points and 19 rebounds. Junior Sarah Burgess added 18 points as the Flashes won their ninth consecutive semifinal appearance.
Eastern opened the contest on fire, jumping off to an 18-9 lead after nine minutes of play. The shots were falling as EMU shot a blistering 55.6 percent (5of-9) from beyond the arc in the half. The advantage grew to 18, 35-17, just before the half.
In the second half it was the Flashes that were lighting up the nets, managing a 57.1 percent (16-of-28) clip to erase the deficit. EMU made just 8-of-26 shots from the field in the half while commiting 11 turnovers.
The Eagles will return home to await post-season considerations; any announcements will be posted Monday night.
