Women's Basketball Rolls Past Central

Box score.

YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team won its 13th consecutive game against Central Michigan University, a 77-62 decision Wednesday night here at the Convocation Center. Hot shooting is essentially what gave Eastern Michigan control of the game from the start. As a team, the Eagles shot 57.9 percent (11-of-19) from three point range and 55.6 percent (30-of-54) from the field. Stingy defense also helped the Eagles hold the Chippewas to a season low 62 points.

EMU improves to 9-7 (4-1 MAC) and while CMU drops to 9-9 (1-4 MAC). The win also gives Eastern the early 2-0 lead in the race for the Michigan MAC Trophy sponsored by the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, following a win earlier in the season over Western Michigan.

The Eagles were led by senior Sarah VanMetre (Noblesville, Ind.-Noblesville), who recorded her eighth double-double and seventh 20-point game of the year, scoring 21 points and grabbing 12 boards. Freshman Alyssa Pittman (Elkhart, Ind.-Elkhart Memorial) also tied her career best for three pointers, going 5-11 from long distance on her way to 23 points. The Chippewas were led by senior Ann Skufca who tallied 15 points.

Both the Eagles and Chippewas came out of the gate with similar results, knotted up in a 4-4 tie after 4:03 minutes of play. Then EMU caught fire. After a three pointer from Pittman, freshman Emily Hanley (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) quickly stole the ball back off the inbounds, dishing to VanMetre for an easy deuce. The ensuing Chippewas possession was cut short by a block from VanMetre, who found Patrice McKinney (Lansing, Mich.-Everett) for another easy basket for the Eagles. EMU was able to jump out to an 11-4 lead off the 7-0 run.

Central Michigan was able to bring it back to within five at 13-8, before Eastern went on a 13-2 run. The run featured a coast-to-coast drive from Kivilcim Yamanoglu (Antalya, Turkey-Ozel Antalya), a Kendra Gallert (Lowell, Mich.-Lowell) three-pointer, and a pair of long distance treys from VanMetre. This gave the Eagles a 26-11 advantage with less than eight minutes to play in the half.

The momentum shifted to Central Michigan’s favor, as the Chippewas responded with a 21-6 run over the stanza’s final 7:17, to tie the game at 32 heading into the locker room. Eagles were paced by Pittman and VanMetre with 10 points each, while Central was lead by Ann Skufca with a team-best nine points.

Both teams exploded offensively coming out of the gate in the second half. After seven minutes of play, the Eagles had scored 24 points compared to 15 from the Chippewas. Eastern Michigan primarily found their success from behind the three point line, as Pittman connected three times from long distance and VanMetre connected twice. Another three-pointer from Gallert gave the Eagles a 59-49 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

The Eagles’ lead hovered around double digits, with Eastern leading 66-54 with six minutes left to play. The rest of the game found each team trading baskets and foul shots, as Eastern Michigan nabbed an 11-8 advantage on their way to the 77-62 win.

With five games against West Division foes in the books, Eastern will now switch to East Division opponents beginning Saturday, Jan. 20, at Kent State University. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center in Kent, Ohio.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

Related News

Next Event

Related Videos