Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Marygrove (Exhibition)
Women's Basketball Opens With Exhibition Win
11/9/2008 6:47:07 PM | Women's Basketball
Eagles have four players in double figures
Box score.
YPSILANTI, Mich. — The Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team made the most of its only exhibition game of the 2008-09 season with a convincing 96-56 win over a visiting Marygrove College team here Sunday afternoon, Nov. 9, in the Convocation Center.
Head coach AnnMarie Gilbert’s Eagles placed four players in double figures with sophomore guard Cassie Schrock (Wadsworth, Ohio-Wadsworth) leading the way with a game-high 26 followed by sophomore guard De’Ja Wills (Anderson, Ind.-Anderson) with 16, sophomore guard Sydney Huntley-Rogers (Cincinnati, Ohio-Marian Purcell) with 15 and freshman guard Tavelyn James (Detroit, Mich.-Mumford) with 10.
The Eagles made 33-of-66 shots from the floor for 50 percent and also connected on 9-of-19 three-point attempts for 47.4 percent. Eastern won the battle of the boards, 48-33, with Schrock pacing the attack with seven caroms.
Marygrove shot 31.3 percent from the field (20-of-64) and made just 9-of-25 triple tries (36 percent). Leading Marygrove in scoring was Shantae Nash with 19 while Lonnie Terrell added 13 and Nicole Carr 11. Carr led all rebounders with eight.
Marygrove opened the game with a layup by Nicole Gilliard just eight seconds into the game, but the Eagles roared back to grab a 12-5 lead and never looked back. Eastern increased its advantage to 21, 38-17, at the 5:06 mark.
The Eagles kept its defensive pressure throughout the first half, resulting in a host of layups after steals to boost EMU to a 48-19 lead with 1:29 left in the first half.
James helped the Eagles close out the first 20-minute session with a flurry, launching two three-point field goals in the final eight seconds to send Eastern into the locker room with a 57-25 lead.
Schrock led all scorers in the first half with 15, while Huntley-Rogers and Wills added 13 each. The Eagles shot 54.1 percent from the field in the first half, making 20-of-37 field goals and 8-of-14 triple tries. Marygrove hit just 31 percent from the field, making 9-of-29 with Shantae Nash leading the way with nine points.
The second half saw Eastern quickly built the lead to 36, 61-25, on a free throw by senior forward Amber Land (Kulm, N.D.-Kulm) and a layup by Schrock and the advantage remained in high double digits the rest of the way.
The Eagles are set to open the regular season, Friday, Nov. 14, in a road game at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D.
