Eagles Corral Broncos, 79-58

Box score.

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Behind a solid defensive performance and quick first and second half starts, the Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team won their third straight Mid-American Conference game, 79-58 over the Western Michigan Broncos here at University Arena.

In a battle of the of the MAC’s two most prolific scorers, EMU senior forward Sarah VanMetre, went 11-for-23 overall and 5-of-9 from behind the arc, finished with 27 points and nine rebounds on the night. On the other side of the court, WMU’s Carrie Moore finished with a game-best 29 points and 13 rebounds.

Two other Eagles reach double figures, with freshmen Alyssa Pittman scoring 19 and Emily Hanley pouring in 15 points on the night

The Eagles now improve to 8-6 overall and 3-0 in conference play, while WMU drops to 7-10 and 0-3 in conference play.

The Eagles rolled out of the gates on fire, as VanMetre scored eight quick points and with two minutes gone VanMetre had outscored the Broncos 8-2. Things continued to roll in the favor of the Green and White and the cushion grew 10, 14-4, on a Hanley fast break lay-up with 15:27 left in the half. Stellar EMU defense limited Western to just two field goals in the opening eight minutes as the Eagles led the way 17-4.

WMU’s Carrie Moore, the nation’s leading scorer, finally go into the action and gave Western some momentum with a lay-up and free-throw at the 9:42 mark followed by a fast break three-point shot seconds later that brought the score to 24-14 with 9:02 remaining in the half.

Eastern cooled off, while Western Michigan was starting to get into a rhythm, using a 18-10 run over the next nine minutes to cut the deficit to just four, 33-29, as the team’s headed to the break.

Leading the way for the Eagles in the first half was VanMetre, who posted 15 points on 6 of 13 shooting, including 3 of 4 behind the arc. The Broncos were led by Moore, who found her groove after a slow start and finished with 12 points on 4 of 13 from the field.

The Eagles started the second half much like they began the game. Opening with a 11-4 run sparked by senior Patrice McKinney, the Eagles were able to build their lead back and found themselves up 11, 44-33, with 15:44 remaining.

A three-pointer followed by a fast break lay-up by Pittman put the game out of reach for the Broncos, 64-42, with 8:00 remaining in the game. The Eagles increased their lead to as much as 25 points in the second half, pressuring the Broncos on every possession.

Things do not get any easier for the Eagles, as they return to the Convocation Center Saturday night, Jan. 13, to open a streak that features four of the next five games at home. Saturday night the Cardinals of Ball State University invade the Convo. BSU is off to a 12-2 start and is tied with Eastern Michigan atop the MAC West Division standings with a 3-0 conference record.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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