Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Treks to Pittsburgh for Final Game of 2007
12/27/2007 12:40:45 PM | Women's Basketball
Game time is set for 4 p.m. at the A.J. Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.
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EASTERN TREKS TO PITTSBURGH FOR FINAL GAME OF 2007: The Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team hits the road Friday, Dec. 28, for a post-Christmas affair with Duquesne University. Game time is set for 4 p.m. at the A.J. Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Eagles are 5-5 on the young season while the Dukes are 7-4. Friday’s game marks the Green and White’s first venture into the city of Pittsburgh since 1987 when the then-Hurons defeated Robert Morris University, 65-50, Nov. 28. EMU is 2-1 all-time in the Steel City, also splitting a pair of contests with the University of Pittsburgh (L, 59-73 – Feb. 3, 1979 and W, 75-67 – Dec. 30, 1983).
CLOSING OUT THE YEAR: Friday’s game at Duquesne marks the Eagles’ final game during the 2007 calendar year, as the team will usher in 2008, Jan. 5, in Salt Lake City, Utah versus the University of Utah. Eastern Michigan is 14-16 all-time in the final game during the month of December, including winning four of the last five contests dating back to 2002.
EMU VERSUS DUQUESNE: Eastern Michigan and Duquesne have never met on the hardwood prior to Friday’s scheduled contest. But the Eagles and Dukes have met in men’s basketball (EMU leads series, 2-1), women’s soccer (EMU leads series, 2-0) and volleyball (EMU leads series, 1-0).
EMU VERSUS THE ATLANTIC 10: Eastern is 4-6 all-time versus the Philadelphia, Pa. based Atlantic 10 Conference, having only played against four of the 14 member institutions. EMU is 1-0 against St. Bonaventure, 1-0 versus Saint Louis, 2-1 versus Massachusetts and 0-5 against Dayton.
EDUCATION DAY x3: For the third time the Eastern Michigan University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics hosted Education Day at the Convocation Center, Dec. 21, versus the University of Dayton. The 800 elementary and middle school students were treated to a pregame program of guest speakers from throughout the community. This was the second time the day was part of a women’s basketball game, with the men’s basketball team having played host to Brown University, Nov. 9, earlier this season. Prior to the Dayton game, the last time the women’s basketball team hosted the matinée affair was 2005, when the Green and White posted a 67-59 win over Saint Louis, Dec. 13, 2005, in front of 1,627 at the Convocation Center.
LOOK MOM, I’M ON TV: The Eagles are slated for at least four television appearances during the Mid-American Conference portion of the schedule. EMU will tangle with Ohio, Feb. 9, and Northern Illinois, March 1, as part of the MAC Game of the Week package while playing Akron, Feb. 12, and Central Michigan, March 5, on Comcast Local. Eastern has posted a 7-7 record the past three seasons while playing on the small screen, including a 3-3 mark in 2006-07, a 3-1 record in 2005-06 and a 1-3 record in 2004-05.
GETTING SOME NATIONAL RECOGNITION: Sophomore guard Alyssa Pittman is second in the nation in three-point field goals made per game (3.4) according to the most recent NCAA Statistics as of Dec. 16. The Elkhart, Ind. native is also ranked 44th in points per game (18.2) and 49th in three-point field goal percentage (41.9). As a team the Eagles are ranked 22nd in three-point field goal percentage (38.4), 30th in three-pointers made (6.8) 31st in scoring defense (55.1), 50th in steals (11.2) and 54th in scoring margin (+11.3).
EMU RELIES HEAVILY ON SOPHOMORES: The Eagles are very dependant on its sophomore class. As a group, EMU’s sophomores are averaging 27.5 points per game, which accounts for 42 percent of the offense.
HOME IS WHERE THE "W" IS: The Eagles have won 61 of the last 77 home games dating to the 2001-02 campaign. EMU out-scored its opponents by 10.3 points per game at the Convo last season.
WILLIAMS SELECTED MAC WEST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Redshirt junior Canea Williams was named Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week, the conference office announced Dec. 10. It marks the first time she has won the award in her career. Williams led the Eagles to a 1-1 week in the state of Florida with a 77-58 victory over Florida International, Dec. 8, and a 75-71 setback to Florida Atlantic, Dec. 6. On the week the redshirt junior averaged 17.0 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and a 50.0 percent shooting percentage in 36.0 minutes at the point guard spot. A gainst FAU, the Mansfield, Ohio native posted a career-high 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting to go along with four rebounds and four assists. The 26 points bests her previous high of 24 versus Ohio University, Feb. 25, 2004. She followed it up at FIU with eight points, six assists and four rebounds in 34 minutes of work.
Free Throws Clutch Versus FIU: During the Eagles’ 77-58 victory over Florida International, Dec. 8, the Green and White were a stellar 17-of-18 from the charity stripe for a 94.4 percent clip. The percentage is one of the best in the program’s history. It won’t make the all-time list which, because its falls short of the minimum 20 attempts. The school-record for a single game is .952 (20-of-21) versus Western Michigan, Jan. 11, 1995. Freshman Cassie Schrock also had a solid afternoon, turning in a perfect 10-of-10 from the line. The performance is tied for the 11th best single-game performance in school history and the best since Patrice McKinney made 10 free throws last season versus New Orleans, Nov. 17, 2006.
SCHROCK COMES OF AGE IN FLORIDA: Freshman Cassie Schrock posted a pair of solid games during the Eagles’ two-game road swing through the state of Florida, Dec. 6-8. The Wadsworth, Ohio native averaged 10.5 points 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists while posting a 50.0 field goal percentage (5-of-10). She was also a stellar 90.9 percent (10-of-11) from the charity stripe. In the opener versus Florida Atlantic, Schrock turned in four points, six rebounds in 23 minutes of work. In the finale versus Florida International, she collected her first career start and made it count, posting a career-high 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals in 39 minutes of action.
TRIFECTA, YOU BET YA: The three-point shot has been a key to the Eagles’ offense early on this season. As a team, EMU leads the MAC with a shooting percentage of 38.5 (61-of-159) from beyond the arc. On the other side, the Eagles’ defense has done a good job defending the long ball as Eastern Michigan has limited its opposition to just 31.4 percent (45-of-141) shooting from three-point land, which is third best in the conference. EMU’s perimeter defense was at its best in the team’s win over Temple Baptist, Nov. 14, when it limited the Rams to just a pair of three-pointers.
THE KIDS CAN PLAY: The average 2007-08 EMU women’s basketball player stands 5-feet-9 inches tall and is 19.9 years old. The youngest Eagle is Cassie Schrock, who turned 18, Oct. 13, 2007. Canea Williams is the oldest Eagle having turned 22, March 24, 2007.
HITTING THE CENTURY MARK: Sophomore guard Alyssa Pittman’s three-pointer at the 19:32 mark of the first half against North Carolina State, Nov. 24, not only put the Eagles on top, 3-0, it also made her the 10th player in EMU history to collect 100 triples in her career. The Elkhart, Ind. native accomplished the feat in just 34 games.
HITTING FROM LONG RANGE: EMU’s women’s basketball team has shown it can hit from long range and has for quite a while now. Eastern has made at least one three pointer in the last 168 games, dating back to Jan. 31, 2002. The last time the Eagles did not make one was on Jan. 26, 2002 in a 52-43 road victory over Central Michigan.
