Women’s Basketball Dominates Toledo

Box score.

YPSILANTI, Mich. — The Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team turned in a full team effort, as the Eagles dominated the visiting Toledo Rockets, 76-42, Saturday afternoon in the Convocation Center. The win improves the Eagles to 13-11, 7-5 MAC while the Rockets drop to 8-17, 4-9 MAC.

Record highs were the theme for the Eagles both as a team and as individuals. The Eagles were led by senior Sarah VanMetre (Noblesville, Ind.- Noblesville) who chipped in with 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Sophomore Kendra Gallert (Lowell, Mich.- Lowell) tied her career high with 14 points, going 4-of-7 from long-distance range. As a team, the Eagles set season highs on both ends of the floor. Offensively, the Eagles set a season high with 11 three pointers with 11 of the 14 players scoring. Defensively, the Rockets’ 42 points is the lowest scored against the Eagles all year.

Both teams opened the game perfect from the field on their first three possessions. After Toledo’s first miss of the game, Kendra Gallert (Lowell, Mich.- Lowell) connected twice from three-point range on consecutive possessions to give the Eagles a 12-6 early advantage.

After the teams matched each other for another three points, the Eagles used their long-range shooting to open up a bigger lead. Consecutive threes from Alyssa Pittman (Elkhart, Ind.- Elkhart Memorial) and another long gun from Gallert gave the Eagles a 21-10 lead with 11:04 remaining in the half.

Solid bench play for the Eagles was the catalyst for a 10-4 run that spanned over the next five minutes of play. Junior Canea Williams (Mansfield, Ohio- Mansfield Senior) continued Eastern Michigan’s long range dominance with two threes during the stretch which gave the Eagles a 31-14 lead.

Eastern Michigan closed out the half with a 9-5 advantage down the stretch, with continued solid play from the Eagles on both ends of the court. The teams entered halftime with Eastern Michigan holding a 40-19 edge d over Toledo.

Phenomenal shooting was one of the main reasons why Eastern Michigan dominated the first half. The Eagles shot 50.0 percent (15-of-30) from the field and 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from the behind the arc. Much of their offensive success can be attributed to their solid defensive play. The Eagles scored 15 points off 16 Toledo turnovers, and held an 11-4 advantage in second-chance points over the Rockets. The Eagles’ reserves also chipped in with 10 points in the first half.

The second half was much the same story for the Eagles. After the first six minutes of the second half, the Eagles were able to extend their lead to 29 points off of especially solid play from McKinney and VanMetre on both ends of the floor.

The sizable lead allowed for the Eastern Michigan reserves to step up in the rest of the second half. Sophomore Amber Land (Kulm, N.D.- Kulm) exhibited solid post play on both ends of the floor with Williams continuing to play well in the frontcourt. Bench play helped the Eastern Michigan lead remain at 25, with the Eagles holding a 60-35 advantage heading into the final eight minutes of play.

Even after taking out all of the starters, the rest of the half was no different for the Eagles. Momentum continued to favor the Eagles, as the Eastern Michigan advantage continued to grow as the game closed out. The Eagles finished the game with a 34 lead, sending the Rockets back to Toledo with a 76-42 loss.

The Eagles will return to the Convocation Center for another MAC tilt, Wednesday, Feb. 21, against in-state rival Western Michigan. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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