Eagles Falter Down Stretch, As Miami Upends EMU, 75-69

Box Score.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Despite a career-high 31 points from freshman Tavelyn James (Detroit, Mich.-Mumford), the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team could not manage to hold off Miami University down the stretch, as the Eagles fell, 75-69, Wednesday afternoon, March 11, to the RedHawks in the opening round of the 2009 Kraft Mid-American Conference Tournament.

James tallied 31 points on 12-for-24 shooting from the field in the loss, including a 4-for-7 mark from beyond the arc. Miami's Jenna Schone finished just behind James, scoring 30 points on 10-for-16 shooting, including a 6-for-9 mark from beyond the arc.

The Eagles finish the season with an 8-21 record, while Miami improves to 16-14 with the win and moves on to the quarterfinals to face Ball State University, March 13.

The Eagles were up by as many as 16 points with 11:39 remaining in the game, but the RedHawks managed to pull within four points with less than four minutes remaining, as a jumper by Stephanie Ford limited EMU to a 67-63 lead. Schone pulled Miami within two with fewer than three minutes remaining, as her layup made it a 67-65 game and forced EMU head coach AnnMarie Gilbert to call a timeout.

After the timeout, the RedHawks closed the game on a 10-2 run, as EMU could not find an answer for Schone down the stretch, as she scored 10 points in the final three minutes to help Miami move on in the tournament and end EMU's season.

The two teams traded basket-for-basket in the opening frame, but back-to-back three pointers by junior Mary Lawson (Alexandria, Va.-West Potomac (Jacksonville College) and James with under seven minutes remaining in the first half to give EMU a 27-23 advantage. The Eagles closed the half on an 11-5 run to carry a 38-28 lead into intermission.

The Eagles had one of their best first half outputs from beyond the arc in the opening frame, as EMU shot 50 percent (6-for-12) from long distance, while the RedHawks shot just 2-for-6 from three-point land. Miami carried a 23-19 edge on the boards into the half and shot 41 percent from the field (12-for-29). The Eagles shot 37 percent (11-for-30) from the field in the opening frame, as James and sophomore Cassie Schrock (Wadsworth, Ohio-Wadsworth) each tallied a game-best 11 points in the first 20 minutes. Schrock finished with 19 points, including a 12-for-12 mark at the charity stripe, but left the game with an injury late in the second half.

The Eagles shot 37 percent (22-for-60) from the field in the loss, including a 9-for-19 performance from beyond the arc. EMU forced the Redhawks into 13 turnovers, but Miami maintained a 42-32 advantage on the boards to help seal the victory.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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