Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eagles Host Broncos Wednesday
1/21/2008 1:50:51 PM | Women's Basketball
Game time set for 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center
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EAGLES HOST BRONCOS IN WEDNESDAY NIGHT SHUFFLE: The Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team is set for a Wednesday night, Jan. 23, match up with instate rival Western Michigan University. The Eagles are 9-7 and 3-1 in Mid-American Conference action while the Broncos are 6-12 overall and 3-1 in the league. Wednesday’s contest also wraps up the Green and White’s first run through of West Division opponents. Following the game, the team will now turn its attention to the five East Division opponents before returning to divisional action again Feb. 19 in Kalamazoo, Mich.
OWNING THE WOLVERINE STATE: With Eastern Michigan’s 68-66 victory over Central Michigan Saturday, Jan. 19, the Eagles have won its last 12 contests versus its instate rivals Western Michigan and CMU. The streak dates back to the 2004-05 campaign. The Green and White’s last loss to either the Broncos or Chippewas occurred Jan. 15, 2005, when the Broncos walked away with an 85-80 decision at University Arena in Kalamazoo, Mich.
THE SERIES WITH WMU: Wednesday’s contest marks the 62nd meeting between the Broncos and Eagles, who first played during the 1976-77 season. EMU leads the all-time series, 33-28, along with winning the last four consecutive meetings. EMU captured a 79-58 win last year in Kalamazoo, Mich., Jan. 10, 2007, and a 69-45 victory at the Convocation Center, Feb. 21, 2007.
EMU LOOKING FOR THIRD MICHIGAN MAC TITLE: For the third consecutive season the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame is sponsoring the Michigan Mid-American Conference Women’s Trophy. The trophy is awarded annually to the team that wins the season series among Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, and Central Michigan. Eastern Michigan has won the trophy the previous two seasons, finishing 2006-07 with a 4-0 record, while CMU and WMU both went 1-3. Already this season EMU is 1-0, WMU is 1-0 and CMU is 0-2.
STRAIGHT OUT OF COMPTON: Junior Amanda Compton had a breakout game versus Ball State, Jan. 15, connecting on seven three-point field goals for a total of 21 points in the team’s setback. The seven treys are tied for the second most by an Eagle in a single-game and the most since Alyssa Pittman made seven versus Massachusetts, Dec. 13, 2006. Prior to the Ball State game, Compton’s career-high in points was 11 versus Temple Baptist, Nov. 11, and entering the season her previous high was just three points.
A LONG WAY TO CLIMB: The 2007-08 campaign has been one of dramatic runs and rallies for the Eagles. Eastern has trailed by 10-or-more points during seven games, including overcoming an 11-point hole to defeat Duquesne in double-overtime, Dec. 28. On the other side of the equation, Eastern has led by double digits on eight different occasions. After trailing by as many as 14, the Eagles pulled within four points before falling at Weber State, 61-49, Nov. 29. Versus Florida Atlantic, Eastern fell behind by 11 points before clawing back to take a slim one-point edge, but the Owls were still able to pull out the 75-71 decision, Dec. 6. Against Utah, the Green and White trailed by as many as 21 points before cutting the deficit to a pair before the Utes regrouped to picked up the 70-56 victory, Jan. 5. Most recently, EMU fell behind to Ball State, Jan. 15, by 17 points before using a 40-20 run to take a three point advantage late in the contest. However, BSU would close the game on a 13-5 run to close the game for a 71-64 win.
‘TIS BETTER TO SCORE...AND STEAL: Sophomore Alyssa Pittman leads the Eagles in both scoring (13.8 ppg) and steals (1.8 spg). She posted a pair of 26 point outings versus Detroit, Nov. 14, and Wright State, Nov. 17, and then notched a career-best eight steals against Northern Illinois, Jan. 9. Currently, she is the Mid-American Conference’s seventh leading scorer as well as being sixth in steals.
HOME IS WHERE THE "W" IS: The Eagles have won 63 of the last 79 home games dating to the 2001-02 campaign. EMU out-scored its opponents by 10.3 points per game at the Convo last season.
STEPPIN’ UP SENIOR: Senior Colleen Russell is averaging 9.7 points this season. This is up over six points per game from her career total of 2.6 ppg entering the season. Russell set a personal-best with 25 points at Central Michigan, Jan. 19, and has posted double figures eight times this season. Russell played a huge role as the Eagles got off to a 3-1 start to Mid-American Conference play. Versus the Chippewas, Russell collected her first career double-double with a personal-best 25 points and 12 rebounds in the Eagles’ two-point victory. Versus Ball State, Jan. 15, Russell equaled a career-high with four blocks, which is one shy of the league-best of five rejections so far in 2007-08. Prior to the CMU game, Russell’s previous high in points was 22 against Toledo (1-12-08) and in rebounds was eight at Duquesne (12-28-07).
EMU VERSUS THE MAC: This is EMU’s 27th season competing in the Mid-American Conference. The Eagles hold a 185-251 record against conference foes and have posted seven straight winning seasons in the MAC. EMU has had the most success against Northern Illinois, going 20-8, and the least versus Miami, 11-33. Western Michigan has been the Green and White’s most frequent opponent with 61 meetings while Buffalo holds the distinction of the fewest conference games against the Eagles with 12.
CONFERENCE SUCCESS: Eastern Michigan has been one of the most successful teams in Mid-American Conference over the last five years (2003-07) winning 57 league games. Kent State has also posted 57 wins over the same span to tie for second place while Bowling Green leads the way with 60 MAC victories.
ONE OF THE BEST IN MICHIGAN: Over the past five seasons the EMU women’s team has posted the second best conference mark of the 14 Division I program’s – men’s or women’s – in the state of Michigan. During the past five years EMU has combined for 57 league wins and just 23 setbacks. That is one less conference win than the Michigan State University women’s team (58-22) and two more than the Western Michigan University men (55-33).
HOLD ON TO YOUR RED POP, THIS ONE IS GOING TO THE WIRE: For the first time in nearly eight years the Eagles needed double overtime to decide the outcome of a game. In a hotly contested non-conference battle the Eagles escaped with a 79-77 non-conference victory over Duquesne, Dec. 29, at the A.J. Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh, Pa. Prior to that, the last time Eastern played in a two overtime game was March 3, 2000, versus Kent State University in the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Public Hall in Cleveland, Ohio. Additionally, the game marked EMU’s first overtime contest since Jan. 28, 2003, when Miami and EMU needed an extra session at the EMU Convocation Center.
WORKING OVERTIME: EMU’s 79-77 double-overtime win over Duquesne marked the first time the Green and White had won an overtime contest since Jan. 8, 2003 versus Central Michigan University at the EMU Convocation Center (W, 65-61). Additionally, it is EMU’s first road overtime win since Jan. 23, 1998 in Kalamazoo, Mich. versus Western Michigan University (W, 75-66). In the 32-years of women’s basketball at EMU the program is 13-8 overall in overtime, including 3-1 in double overtime contests.
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 174 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.
