Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Northern Illinois
EMU Opens MAC Play with a Win Over Northern Illinois, 61-42
1/9/2008 9:29:52 PM | Women's Basketball
Senior Colleen Russell leads the way with 16 points
Box score.
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YPSILANTI, Mich.- The Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team opened Mid-American Conference play with a 61-42 win over Northern Illinois University Wednesday evening here at the Convocation Center. EMU took control of the game in the second half with a 14-3 run to take a 36-21 advantage with 12:05 remaining in the game.
With the win, EMU improves to 7-6 (1-0 MAC) on the season, while Northern Illinois drops to 4-10 (0-1 MAC).
The Green and White were led by senior center Colleen Russell (Windsor, Ont.-Brennan) with 16 points and four rebounds. For NIU, Shari’ Welton scored 13 points.
For the game, turnovers were the story, with the Huskies committing 28 and the Eagles making 25 miscues. NIU shot 30.5 percent (18-of-59) for the game, while the Green and White shot 42.3 percent (22-of-52).
Northern Illinois came out of the break with a 6-2 spurt, forcing head coach AnnMarie Gilbert to burn a timeout at the 17:40 mark. The Eagles responded with the decisive 14-3 run to put the game out of reach for the Huskies. Junior Amber Land’s (Kulm, N.D.-Kulm) lay-up and free throw sparked the run, with Russell chipping in four points during the surge.
The Eagle lead would climb to 23 points after a Kivilcim Yamanoglu (Antalya, Turkey-Ozel Antayla) three-pointer and a Land put-back, forcing a Northern Illinois timeout with 4:02 left in the game.
EMU got off to a slow start in the first half, as they did not score from the field until a Russell bucket at the 14:35 mark. A Brittany Tyson (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Huron) lay-up would give the Eagles a two-point advantage, 8-6, with 12:32 remaining.
The two teams went almost four minutes without scoring until a Russell lay-up and a Kelly Watts (Gary, Ind.-East Chicago Central) fastbreak score ignited a 10-2 run to give the Eagles an 18-10 lead with three minutes remaining in the frame.
Eastern headed into the locker room with a 20-12 advantage. Russell led the way for the Eagles at the break with 10 points. NIU was led by Shari’ Welton and Whitney Lowe, who score four points apiece. The teams set a Convocation Center record for fewest combined points in a half with 32.
The first half featured 33 turnovers between the two teams, with NIU committing 17 to the Eagles’ 15. EMU shot 25.9 (7-of-27) in the frame, compared to 28.6 (6-of-21) for the Huskies.
The Eagles return to action Saturday when they host West Division rival Toledo. The game is part of a double-header with the men’s team set to play Western Michigan. Tip-off for the women is set for 2 p.m.
