Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Chicago State
EMU Returns to the Court Monday, Dec. 21, Against Chicago State
12/16/2009 1:15:49 PM | Women's Basketball
Green and White head to Chicago State for the first time since 2001
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EAGLES SWOOP INTO THE WINDY CITY FOR A TEST AT CHICAGO STATE: With final exams complete and the holiday season in full swing, the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team returns to the court Monday, Dec. 21, for a non-conference test at Chicago State University. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. CST at the Emil and Patricia A. Jones Convocation Center.
EMU enters the game with a 7-2 record after dispatching Rochester College, 108-24, in front of 2,034 fans on Education Day in Ypsilanti, Dec. 9. The Cougars are 4-7 on the season following a 73-56 setback to Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Dec. 13. CSU will have two more games prior to the EMU contest, as the Cougars battle the University of Akron, Dec. 17, and Northwestern University, Dec. 19.
ALMOST A FORTNIGHT AWAY: When the ball is tossed up Monday, Dec. 21, in Chicago, Ill., the Eagles will have experienced a 12-day hiatus from game action dating back to a Wednesday, Dec. 9, contest versus Rochester College at the EMU Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, Mich. The break is the longest of the season for the Green and White, as well as, the most days off during the season since a 13-day gap during the 2007-08 campaign.
THE SERIES WITH CHICAGO STATE: The Eagles and Cougars are meeting for the second consecutive season in a series that has been dominated by Eastern Michigan, winning all nine meetings dating back to a 58-53 victory at Bowen Field House, Dec. 8, 1993.
Last year in Ypsilanti, Cassie Schrock notched 19 points and nine rebounds and Tavelyn James chipped in 18 points of her own as the Eagles earned a 68-61victory. EMU led by as many as 15 points, 52-37, before CSU pulled within five, 61-56, on an Elana Wroten layup at the 2:42 mark. However, that would be all the closer the Cougars would get with Schrock finishing with seven consecutive points to seal the victory.
BEST START TO A SEASON SINCE 2004-05: The Eagles' 7-2 start to the 2009-10 season is the best by an EMU squad since the 2004-05 campaign. That season, the Green and White opened the year with eight straight victories before being tripped up, 56-42, at Indiana, Dec. 18. Eastern Michigan finished the year with a 23-8 record and a WNIT appearance.
ALL-TIME VERSUS THE GREAT WEST: Monday night's contest versus Chicago State marks the first time this season that Eastern Michigan University has squared off with a member of the Great West Conference. EMU will host the University of North Dakota, Jan. 4, 2010, at the Convocation Center.
The GWC includes Chicago State University, Houston Baptist University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University of North Dakota, University of South Dakota, Texas-Pan American and Utah Valley University.
IN THE NCAA RANKINGS: In the most recent NCAA Division I statistics rankings, junior Cassie Schrock cracks the list at fifth in assists per contest with 7.6 dimes while sophomore Tavelyn James is 10th nationally in points per game at 22.4. James is also 14th in three-point field goals per game.
DOUBLE VISION: In just 38 games during her brief career, sophomore Tavelyn James has reached double figures in points on 26 occasions. The Detroit native has scored 20 or more in 12 of those contests for a total of 628 points. Given her current pace of 16.5 points per game, James is on pace to become the second leading scorer in the program's 34-year history, trailing only Laurie Byrd.
Junior Cassie Schrock has also been a lock to reach double-digits in points, posting 10-or-more points in 33 of her 67 career contests. Just 20 points shy of 700 for her career, the Wadsworth, Ohio native is looking to become the 30th EMU student-athlete to surpass that scoring plateau.
QUEEN JAMES: Sophomore guard Tavelyn James scored a program-record 39 points as EMU upended Rochester, 108-24, at the Convocation Center, Dec. 9. James was 16-of-29 from the field in 27 minutes of work. The 39 points shattered the EMU single-game scoring record previously held by Laurie Byrd at 37 versus Miami University, Dec. 12, 1981.
James' 39 points are also the most points scored by an individual in the Mid-American Conference this season, besting the University of Toledo's Naama Shafir who had 36 versus Oakland University, Nov. 18. Also, the superb offensive output ranks fifth nationally, trailing only a 49-point effort by Memphis' Brittany Carter, a 44-point showing by Oklahoma State's Andrea Riley, a 44-point output by Oral Roberts' Kevi Luper and a 43-point performance by Mississippi State's Alexis Rack.
108 TIES SCHOOL'S RECORD FOR POINTS IN A GAME: EMU's 108 points against Rochester College, Dec. 9, equalled the school record for most points in a single game. The standard was originally set against Temple Baptist, Nov. 11, 2007. In addition, the Warriors' 24 points are the second lowest amount of points allowed by an EMU squad in the 34-year history of the program.
Other records either set or tied against Rochester were: most field goal attempts at the Convocation Center (82); most points scored (108); lowest opponent field goal percentage (.182); most points in a game by an Eastern player (James, 39); and made field goals in a game at the Convocation Center by a player (16).
STOP, THIEF!: In the victory over USCAA foe Rochester, Dec. 9, EMU racked up 26 steals, which is tied for the second-best effort in team history. Two seasons ago versus NCCAA member Temple Baptist (11-11-07), the Eagles stole the rock a record 29 times.
PITCHING THE SHUTOUT: Typically a term reserved more for EMU Baseball Head Coach Jay Alexander, but the Eagles pitched a shutout of their own versus Rochester, Dec. 9. The Warriors got on the board with a pair of free throw at the 18:30 mark, but did not pick up their first field goal until 11:33 to go in the stanza to make it 33-5.
Then Whitney Newsom hit a jumper for RC's last score of the first half with 1:41 to play, but it was not until the 11:47 mark of the second half before the Warriors notched another point. The 10:54 scoring drought is the longest the Eagles held an opponent scoreless this season.
EDUCATION DAY PROVIDES A WINNING ATMOSPHERE: It may not have been the crowd noise that affected Rochester, but it certainly did not hurt. There were 2,039 screaming fans, mostly elementary students representing 16 local schools, on hand for the Eagles' victory. This was the fifth year EMU has held Education Day, but only the third time it had been held in conjunction with a women's basketball game.
The crowd was the fourth largest to witness an EMU women's basketball game at the Convocation Center, and the largest since a record 5,423 fans watched the Eagles battle Western Michigan University, Feb. 12, 2005.
