Eastern Michigan Athletics
EMU Travels to Ohio for Battle With MAC East Leader
2/4/2008 3:18:41 PM | Women's Basketball
The contest will be shown on Comcast Local television (Channel 8 in the Ypsilanti area) and FSN Ohio with a noon tip-off.
Click Here for Complete Notes (PDF).
Click Here to Listen to the Game via WEMU.
Click Here for Live Stats.
EAGLES TRAVEL TO ATHENS FOR BATTLE WITH MAC EAST LEADER: The Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team returns to the road with a stop in Athens, Ohio to face the Bobcats of Ohio University, Feb. 9. The Eagles enter the game with a mark of 11-9 (5-3 MAC), on the other side of the court the Bobcats are 13-8 (6-3 MAC) and atop the MAC East Division. The contest will be shown on Comcast Local television (Channel 8 in the Ypsilanti area) and FSN Ohio. Dave Weekley will provide the play-by-play while Robin Muller will serve as the analyst.
THE SERIES WITH OHIO: Saturday’s contest marks the 46th meeting between the Bobcats and Eagles, who first met during the 1980-81 season. Ohio leads the series, 28-17, but the two sides split a pair of games last season. Ohio won a 70-62 decision at the EMU Convocation Center, Feb. 10, 2007, but Eastern got the better of OU in the MAC Tournament Quarterfinals, 79-69, at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, March 6, 2007.
EMU AT THE CONVO: Historically, Ohio University’s Convocation Center has been a building that Eastern Michigan teams have struggled in. The Green and White have posted an all-time record of 5-16 in the 40-year old building. However, in the team’s last meeting at the Convo, EMU picked up a 62-56 victory by outlasting Ohio, Feb. 8, 2006. The Eagles, who led by as many as 19 points in the first half, held off the Bobcat charge as Ryan Coleman sank a pair of free throws and forced a turnover with less than 10 seconds remaining to seal the victory. Prior to the 2006 win, EMU’s most recent victory in Athens occurred Jan. 27, 1999, when Eastern rolled to a 93-70 victory.
THE WILD AND WACKY MAC: The Eagles have been searching for consistency during the Mid-American Conference portion of the 2007-08 schedule. Through eight league games, Eastern holds a 5-3 mark. In the wins, EMU is out-scoring the opposition by more than eight points per game (67.8 to 59.4) along with shooting 43.7 percent (124-of-284) from the floor. In those four victories Colleen Russell is chipping in 17.4 points and grabbing 5.6 rebounds per game to go along with Alyssa Pittman’s 10.6 points. On the flip side, in the setbacks the Green and White are falling by almost 10 points a game (68.7 to 78.3) and managing just a 39.8 percent (80-of-201) shooting clip. Kelly Watts leads the way in these game at 13.7 points and 12.3 rebounds per game to go along with Amanda Compton’s average of 12.3 points and 3.3 assists per contest.
COMPTON SHINING VERSUS THE MAC: Since Mid-American Conference play started, junior Amanda Compton has been outstanding. After scoring just 28 points in the first 11 games, Compton has scored 75 points for an average of 9.4 points per game, including a career-best 21 points against Ball State, Jan. 15. The 5-foot-9 guard is shooting 40.4 percent from the floor and 45.0 percent from behind the three-point line.
COUNTDOWN TO 400: The Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team is counting down to the program’s 400th victory in the program’s 32-year history. The Green and White have posted a 395-447 since the school began awarding scholarships in 1976-77 as a part of Title IX legislation.
JUST THREE HOME GAMES LEFT: The Eagles return to the Convocation Center just three more times in the 2007-08 regular season. EMU hits the road for trip to Ohio (Feb. 9) before hosting Akron (Feb. 12) at 7 p.m. on Comcast Local television. The Green and White then make short treks to Bowling Green (Feb. 16) and Western Michigan (Feb. 19). Eastern returns home to face Ball State (Feb. 23) at the Convo before heading to Toledo (Feb. 27) and Northern Illinois (March 1). EMU wraps up the home schedule by honoring its three seniors against Central Michigan (March 5).
EAGLES VERSUS THE EAST DIVISION: Eastern Michigan has posted a 14-7 record versus MAC East Division opponents since the 2004-05 campaign. Eastern is already 2-1 this season and was 3-3 in cross-divisional games in 2006-07, 5-1 in 2005-06 and 4-2 in 2004-05.
BACK-TO-BACK WINS OVER THE FLASHES: With the Eastern Michigan’s 71-59 victory over Kent State, Feb. 2, the Green and White have won back-to-back games over the Golden Flashes for the first time since 1989-90 campaign. In 1990, the television show Seinfeld premiered, George H.W. Bush was in the White House and EMU freshman Tara Johnson was just a year old.
SWARMING DEFENSE: The Eagles have forced their opponents into committing at least 10 turnovers in each of the team’s 20 games this season. EMU has forced 15-or-more turnovers in 16 games this season.
AN ACCURATE DUO: Eastern Michigan boasts two of the conference’s most prolific three-point shooters, with junior guard Amanda Compton and sophomore guard Alyssa Pittman each ranking among the top 15 in shooting percentage from beyond the arc. Compton ranks sixth in the Mid-American Conference at 45-percent and Pittman ranks 13th at 39.1-percent.
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.
HOME IS WHERE THE "W" IS: The Eagles have won 64 of the last 81 home games dating to the 2001-02 campaign. EMU out-scored its opponents by 10.3 points per game at the Convo last season.
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 nine 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 nine 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. 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. Most recently, the Eagles fell behind Miami by 20 points, Jan. 29, before slicing the margin to six points in the second half as the RedHawks rolled to an 80-71 win.
‘TIS BETTER TO SCORE...AND STEAL: Sophomore Alyssa Pittman leads the Eagles in both scoring (13.8 ppg) and steals (1.6 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 10th in steals.
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 178 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.
