Eastern Michigan Athletics
EMU to Tangle with Kent State in Friday's MAC Semifinal Match Up
3/9/2006 4:04:32 PM | Women's Basketball
Game time set for Noon on Friday, March 10, in Cleveland, Ohio
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MAC Tournament Central.
WEST DIVISION CHAMPIONS TANGLE WITH KENT STATE: The EMU women’s basketball team returns to the court Friday afternoon, March 10, squaring off with the Golden Flashes of Kent State in the semifinals of the 2006 Kraft MAC Tournament at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena.
The Eagles, who are looking to set the longest winning streak in the program’s history at 10 game, boast a 22-6 mark while the Golden Flashes sport a 20-8 record.
The contest will be shown locally on Comcast Local, cable channel 8 in the Ypsilanti area. Jeff Phelps will handle the play-by-play and Debbie Leonard adds analysis for the women’s semifinal. Mike Waddell will report from the sidelines and host the between-game show.
EMU AT THE ‘Q’: The Eagles are very familiar with the Quicken Loans Arena floor, as they have posted a 5-3 record, including capturing the 2004 championship, at the former Gund Arena.
HISTORY WITH TEAMS IN THE TOURNAMENT: The Eagles sport a 11-12 mark in 13 trips to the conference post-season, including a 10-6 record under Head Coach Suzy Merchant. The Eagles have faced Bowling Green (2-3) the most times of any squad. Eastern is 2-1 versus Toledo and winless against Kent State (0-3).
THE SERIES WITH KENT STATE: Friday afternoon’s contest marks the 47th meeting between the Golden Flashes and Eagles, who first met during the 1980-81 season. KSU leads the series 32-14, including winning 23 of the last 26 meetings between the two schools.
In the only meeting of the season between EMU and KSU, Jan. 25, at the Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, the Eagles used a strong second half to claim a 65-55 victory over the Golden Flashes. Sophomore guard Patrice McKinney paced the Eagles with a double-double, scoring 20 points and hauling down 13 rebounds.
THE BEST IN MICHIGAN: Over the past four seasons the EMU women’s team has posted the best conference mark of the 14 Division I program’s – men’s or women’s – in the state of Michigan. The current senior class has combined for 47 league wins and just 17 setbacks during their tenure in the Green and White uniform. That is one more conference win than the Western Michigan University men, two more than the Michigan State University women and four more than Tom Izzo’s Michigan State men.
EMU-KSU IN THE POSTSEASON: EMU and KSU have squared off three previous times in tournament play with the last time coming in the 2000 season when the Flashes defeated the Eagles, 96-94, in the semifinals of the MAC Tournament. Prior to that EMU tangled with Kent State in 1982 and 1992 with the Golden Flashes prevailing both times.
If history repeats itself Friday’s showdown should be a close affair, as two of the three meetings have been decided in overtime by a total of three points.
KNAPP BECOMES CAREER LEADER IN REBOUNDS: Late in the second half in the Kraft MAC Tournament quarterfinal versus Ohio, senior Nikki Knapp became the school’s all-time leader in career rebounds. The 2005-06 preseason All-MAC honoree has 786 career boards surpassing Stephanie Smiley’s standard of 785.
THIRD CONSECUTIVE SEMIFINAL APPEARANCE: For the third consecutive season the Eagles have advanced to the semifinals of the Kraft MAC Tournament. Bowling Green is the only squad to boast that accomplishment over the same span. Prior to the current steak, Eastern had only made the semifinals once in the program’s history and that occurred during the 2000 tournament.
TIED FOR THE BEST RECORD IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT: In the past four MAC Tournaments, Eastern Michigan and Bowling Green have posted a 7-2 mark, the best record in the over that span. EMU went 1-1 in the 2003 tourney, 3-0 in claiming the 2004 title, 2-1 in 2005 and currently 1-0 this year. Of the team remaining Toledo is 5-3 over that time while Kent State is 4-3.
WINNERS OF NINE STRAIGHT: Eastern Michigan has rolled off eight consecutive wins, dominating the opposition on both ends of the floor. During the steak, the Eagles are winning games by an average of more than 14 points (68.0 to 53.3) and out-rebounding opponents by six rebounds per game (33.4 to 27.3). Hot-shooting has been another key as Eastern is shooting 47.8 percent from the floor while the defense is holding the opposition to just 40.2 percent.
EMU GETS THREE ON THE ALL-MAC SQUADS: Ryan Coleman, Nikki Knapp and Patrice McKinney have all been named to 2006 All-Mid-American Conference teams. Coleman was selected first-team All-MAC, while Knapp and McKinney were named to the All-MAC second team. The All-MAC squads are the result of voting by the league’s head coaches.
The 2005-06 season marks the fourth-straight year that EMU has had at least three players selected to the all-league team. Prior to the current run, Eastern had not had more than two all-conference picks since 1998-99.
EAGLES RUN THE TABLE IN THE WEST: With its 59-51 victory over Central Michigan, March 1, EMU became just the second West Division team to go undefeated versus divisional opponents since the MAC switched to its current format for the 1997-98 campaign. The 2000-01 University of Toledo squad posted a perfect 10-0 mark against the West Division enroute to a 15-1 overall record in league play. That same team held the MAC West record for most conference victories with 15, a mark the Eagles also tied with the victory.
