Eastern Michigan Athletics
Pack the House Versus Notre Dame
12/1/2008 2:37:19 PM | Women's Basketball
Eagles raise 2007-08 championship banner prior to hosting the Fighting Irish
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EASTERN HOSTS NATIONALLY RANKED NOTRE DAME: The Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team returns home to the friendly confines of the Convocation Center Tuesday evening, Dec. 2, for a non-conference affair versus the University of Notre Dame. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. with a special pregame ceremony featuring the unveiling of the Eagles’ 2007-08 Mid-American Conference West Division Championship banner. EMU enters the game with a mark of 2-4 after dropping a pair of games to James Madison University (L, 76-80, Nov. 27) and No. 22/24 Texas Christian University (L, 55-71, Nov. 28) at the Caribbean Challenge in Cancun, Mexico. Notre Dame, ranked 14th in the latest Associated Press poll and 10th in the current ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll, is 5-0 on the young season.
TOP-25 OPPOSITION AND THE EAGLES: For the second time this season, Eastern Michigan will square off with a team ranked. Earlier this season TCU, ranked 22th/24th at the time, defeated the Eagles 71-55 in the finale of the Caribbean Challenge, Nov. 28, in Cancun, Mexico. In the program’s 33 years, EMU has never knocked off a ranked opponent, posting a 0-8 record. Prior to the TCU meeting the Eagles last top-25 matchup came against No.18/20 Bowling Green State University, March 9, 2007, in the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The last ranked team to visit the Convocation Center came Dec. 21, 2005, against 21st ranked Utah. The Utes left Ypsilanti with a hard-fought 72-67 victory.
EMU VERSUS THE BIG EAST: Eastern is 6-14 all-time versus the Providence, R.I. based Big East Conference, having only played eight of the 16 member institutions. EMU is 3-0 versus South Florida, 2-2 against Pittsburgh, 1-4 versus Cincinnati, 0-3 against DePaul, 0-1 versus Louisville, 0-2 against Notre Dame, 0-1 versus Providence and 0-1 against St. John’s.
EMU VERSUS NOTRE DAME: The Eagles and Fighting Irish are meeting for the third time on the hardwood and the first since 1984 when Notre Dame posted a 70-59 victory, Nov. 30, at venerable Bowen Field House. In the only other meeting, UND cruised to a 75-58 win in South Bend, Ind., Dec. 15, 1982.
TONIGHT WE RAISE ANOTHER BANNER: The 2007-08 season was a magical year for the Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team, as the Eagles captured the a share of the Mid-American Conference West Division Championship. The title was Eastern’s third in the past five seasons, as first-year head coach AnnMarie Gilbert guided the Eagles to a 17-12 record and an 11-5 league mark. Gilbert became just the fourth first-year head coach in league history to lead her team to a MAC title. Additionally, her 17 wins was an EMU record for most victories by a first-year mentor, and it also ranks ninth best in conference history for a rookie coach. Led by senior center Colleen Russell, a second-team All-MAC selection, the Eagles were one of the most dominant teams in the MAC. Of the 19 separate statistical categories the MAC keeps throughout the season, EMU ranked in the top five in 10 categories. Nationally, the Green and White finished 24th in three-point percentage, 53rd in assists, 59th in steals and 59th in three-pointers made.
MEXICO WAS WARM, BUT THE OPPONENTS WERE HOT: And it ended up with EMU losing a pair of games, falling to James Madison, 80-76, Nov. 27, and to No. 22/24 TCU, 71-55, Nov. 28. In the opener, the Eagles were down by 15 points with 3:03 remaining and pulled within three with 17 seconds remaining but were unable to complete the rally. Four EMU players hit double figures, led by Cassie Schrock with 21 points and nine rebounds. Against TCU, Eastern struggled offensively, shooting only 34 percent (22-for-64) from the field and 26 percent (7-for-27) from beyond the arc. The Lady Frogs also forced the Eagles into a season-high 23 turnovers, resulting in 27 TCU points. Tavelyn James with 17 points while Tara Johnson notched her first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 11 boards.
NOW I’M FOLLOWING YOU: EMU currently holds the longest streak in the Mid-American Conference for most consecutive non-losing league campaigns at 10. Kent State had held the standard for above .500 campaigns at 17 dating back to 1990-91, but the Golden Flashes’ streak ended last season.
RESERVATIONS FOR SIX: To say the defense stood up to the challenge would be an understatement, as Eastern Michigan held Madonna to a school-record six points in the first half of the non-conference contest, Nov. 22. The Crusaders six points were also a Convocation Center record for fewest points in a period, as the total bested the mark from last season when the Green and White held Temple Baptist (11-11-07) to just 10 points in the first frame.
