Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Akron
Eagles and Zips Meet Saturday
2/5/2009 12:18:20 PM | Women's Basketball
Eastern Michigan seeks to break nine-game losing skid
Click Here for the Complete Release (PDF). EASTERN MICHIGAN RETURNS TO THE ROAD SATURDAY: The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team returns to the road Saturday, Feb. 7, for a Mid-American Conference cross-divisional tilt versus the University of Akron. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. at James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio. The Eagles are out to snap a nine-game losing skid that has dropped the squad's record to 4-16 (0-8 MAC). Meanwhile, the Zips are 8-13 (3-5 MAC) but are coming in following a 73-66 setback at Northern Illinois University, Feb. 4.
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ALL-TIME VERSUS AKRON: Saturday's contest marks the 26th meeting between the Zips and Eagles, who first met during the 1981-82 season. UA leads the series, 13-12, but EMU has won seven of the last eight meetings. Last year, the Eagles overcame a slow start to beat the Zips, 76-71, at the Convocation Center. The Eagles were led by center Colleen Russell with 36 points, the most scored since LaTonya Watson scored 36 against Ball State, March 2, 1991. Russell was 11-of-18 from the field and 14-of-20 from the free throw line and set a Convocation Center and an EMU team record for free throws made and attempted in a game.
ROAD STRUGGLES: The Eagles are still in search of their first road victory of the season and have posted a 0-10 mark away from the confines of the Convocation Center. Nationally, Eastern Michigan is one of 14 teams still looking for its first victory away from home.
STILL SEARCHING FOR THAT RIGHT COMBO: Head coach AnnMarie Gilbert has had to tinker with the starting lineup this season to try and get the Eagles back on track. Through 20 games, the Eagles have utilized 12 different starting combinations. Sophomore guard Cassie Schrock has been the common denominator in all the games, as the only EMU student-athlete to start every contest. Shana McKinney and Sydney Huntley Rogers have both started 14 times, while De'Ja Wills (12), Tavelyn James (11), Amber Land (9), Mary Lawson (9), Paige Redditt (4), Tara Johnson (2), Brittany Simmons (2), Kimberly Davis (2) and Carla Warren (1) have also started for the Green and White.
BUFFALO ON THE HORIZON: Wednesday's, Feb. 11, contest marks the 14th meeting between the Bulls and Eagles, who first met during the 1993-1994 season. EMU leads the series, 9-4, including winning the last six meetings between the two schools by an average of 17 points per game (71.5 to 54.5). The teams met only once during the 2007-08 regular season with EMU claiming a 74-71 decision in Buffalo, N.Y., Jan. 26, 2008.
EAGLES VERSUS THE EAST DIVISION: Eastern Michigan has posted a 19-15 record versus MAC East Division opponents since the 2004-05 campaign. Eastern is 0-3 this season after finishing 4-3 last season. Eastern was 4-4 in cross-divisional games in 2006-07, 6-2 in 2005-06 and 5-3 in 2004-05.
JAMES AMONG NATION'S ELITE: Freshman Tavelyn James in making a name for herself not only in the Mid-American Conference but nationwide. The Detroit, Mich. native is ranked sixth among the nation's leaders in freshman scoring average at 13.8 points per game (as of Feb. 3). Long Island's Ashley Palmer tops all freshmen at 17.4 ppg, followed by Missouri State's Casey Garrison (16.2 ppg), Eastern Kentucky's Kayla Drake (15.1 ppg) and Oral Roberts' Georgia Jones (14.5 ppg). Rounding out the list are are Washington State's Jazmine Perkins (14.4) and Tennessee's Shekinna Stricklen (13.8).
OUT TO BREAK A TREND: Eastern Michigan's 0-8 start to the Mid-American Conference schedule marks the team's slowest start to a league schedule since the 1993-94 campaign. That season head coach Paulette Stein's crew finished 0-18 in the Mid-American Conference and 1-24 overall. Additionally, the team's nine-game losing streak is the longest since the 1994-95 campaign when the team lost 12 in-a-row. In 33-years of basketball, Eastern has now lost seven-or-more games on seven different occasions.
FROM THE PEACE GARDEN STATE TO THE WOLVERINE STATE: Senior forward Amber Land's parents, Arlyn and Sharalyn, have made the move from North Dakota to Ypsilanti for the winter to follow their daughter during her senior season. The Lands have been to every EMU game since the start of the new year.
MINUTES COMING FROM THE UNDERCLASSMEN: To further illustrate the point that Eastern Michigan is a young team growing before our eyes, 76 percent of the minutes played this season have come from underclassmen who have at least two more years of eligibility remaining.
