Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Northern Illinois
Women's Basketball Rallies Past Northern Illinois, 72-63
1/16/2010 4:44:35 PM | Women's Basketball
Sophomore Tavelyn James notched 29 points in the victory
Box score.
Photo Gallery.
Click Here to Re-Watch the Game on All-Access.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team rallied from a sluggish first half to turn on the offense in time to record a 72-63 win over Northern Illinois University here Saturday, Jan. 16, in a Mid-American Conference West Division game at the Convocation Center.
After shooting a frigid 31.4 percent from the field (11-of-35) in the first half the Eagles warmed up to shoot a torrid 63.6 percent (14-of-22) from the field in the second half. Eastern also held a slight edge on the boards, 46-43. The EMU defense limited NIU to just 34.8 percent from the field (23-of-66) for the game.
Sophomore guard Tavelyn James (Detroit, Mich.-Mumford) paced the Eagles, now 13-3 overall and 3-1 in the MAC, with a game-high 29 points while junior guard Cassie Schrock (Wadsworth, Ohio-Wadsworth) added 17.
Senior guard Kylie York led NIU, now 7-9 overall and 1-3 in MAC action, with 23 with redshirt junior Marke Freeman adding 17 and sophomore guard Sarah Rogers scoring 13.
EMU junior Kristin Thomas (Winter Park, Fla.-Edgewater) hit the game's first shot, but the Huskies, behind four three-point shots from York, raced to a 14-9 lead at the 12:37 mark.
Northern would gradually build a double-digit lead, 26-14, with 8:04 left in the first half before Schrock made two baskets sandwiched around another three from York to make it 29-18 with 7:23 remaining.
The Eagles would chip away at that large deficit to pull within one. 32-31, with James scoring on a layup with 1:16 left. Eastern had several chances to take a halftime lead, but they all fell short as Northern entered the lockerroom with a 32-31 lead.
James led all scorers in the first half with 18 points while NIU's York scored 14 and Freeman added 11 for the Huskies in the first 20 minutes.
Both teams charged out of halftime on fire, rolling up 21 total points in the first four minutes of the half with EMU taking a 42-41 lead in the early going.
The Eagles would go on to build a nine-point lead, 60-51, on a layup by Schrock with 7:32 left, but the Huskies would go on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to three, 60-57, with 5:12 left.
Eastern would then go on to control the final five minutes, going up by as much as 10 before finishing with a nine-point win.
