Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Ohio
Eagles Travel to Athens, Ohio for a Crossover Tilt with the Bobcats
1/25/2010 3:30:30 PM | Women's Basketball
East Division meets West Division as six-game cross-divisional stretch continues
Click Here for the Complete Release (PDF).
Click Here to Watch the Game.
Click Here for Live Stats.
EAGLES TRAVEL TO ATHENS, OHIO FOR A CROSSOVER TILT WITH THE BOBCATS: 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, Jan. 27. Tip-off for the Mid-American Conference cross-divisional tilt at the Convocation Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The Eagles enter the game with a mark of 14-4 (4-2 MAC), one game behind the University of Toledo who sits a top the MAC West Division. Meanwhile, the Bobcats are 5-14 (1-5 MAC) after dropping a 59-56 decision Saturday, Jan. 23, at Central Michigan University.
A BULLSEYE ON OHIO: Wednesday's contest marks the 49th meeting between the Bobcats and Eagles, who first met during the 1980-81 season. Ohio leads the series, 30-19, with the Bobcats posting a 52-41 victory in the team's only meeting last season back in Ypsilanti, Feb. 4, 2009.
EMU AT THE CONVO: Historically, Ohio University's Convocation Center has been a building that Eastern Michigan teams have struggled in over the years. Eastern has an all-time record of 6-16 in the 42-year old building. However, in the team's last meeting at the Convo, EMU picked up a 65-56 victory by outlasting Ohio, Feb. 9, 2008.
That afternoon, Eastern Michigan used a 19-6 run over the final 4:22 of the game to upset the East Division-leading Bobcats on Think Pink Day. The Eagles, who trailed by as many as 16 points, out-scored the Bobcats 41-21 in the second half. Senior guard Brittany Tyson took control down the stretch, scoring eight of her 11 points in the game's final 3:11 to finish as the team's leading scorer.
TIES WITH THE BOBCATS: The EMU-Ohio game will mark the fourth time Head Coach AnnMarie Gilbert has squared off versus the Bobcats. Gilbert began her collegiate career at Ohio University, playing two seasons (1986-88) before transferring to Oberlin College. She transferred to Oberlin for her junior and senior seasons (1989-91), where she was a two-time Kodak first team All-American, a two-time NCAC Player of the Year, the Honda Division III Athlete of the Year.
Additionally, Gilbert and Ohio's Head Coach Semeka Randall worked together as assistant coaches at Michigan State University from 2005-07.
EAGLES VERSUS THE EAST DIVISION: The 2009-10 season is the fifth utilizing the current Mid-American Conference scheduling format for women's basketball. Each of the 12 schools opens league action with five divisional games, followed by six cross-divisional games and then five more divisional contest to close the regular season.
Eastern Michigan has posted a 21-18 record versus MAC East Division opponents since the 2004-05 campaign. Eastern finished 2-5 last season and was 4-3 in cross-divisional games in 2007-08, 4-4 in 2006-07, 6-2 in 2005-06 and 5-3 in 2004-05.
FALCONS PROVE TO STILL BE A THORN IN THE EAGLES' SIDE: Bowling Green proved to still be a thorn in Eastern Michigan's side, as the Falcons remained the only team in the MAC that Head Coach AnnMarie Gilbert has yet to beat in her three-year tenure in Ypsilanti. Additionally, BG has handed EMU seven straight losses dating back to the 2004-04 campaign.
In a battle of Mid-American Conference division leaders, the Orange and Brown led by as many as 25 points during the 83-71 victory in front of a raucous crowd at Anderson Arena, Jan. 23. The Eagles gave up a season-high 83 points, and turned the ball over a season-worst 24 times en route to 29 BGSU points.
DOUBLE VISION: In just 47 games during her brief career, sophomore Tavelyn James has reached double figures in points on 34 occasions. The Detroit native has scored 20 or more in 18 of those contests for a total of 810 points. Given her current pace of 17.2 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 41 of her 76 career contests. The Wadsworth, Ohio native became the 30th EMU student-athlete to surpass the 700-point scoring plateau against Cleveland State, Dec. 29.
JAMES ON PACE TO SET THE EMU RECORD FOR POINTS IN A SEASON: With her proficiency to score in bunches sophomore guard Tavelyn James is currently charting a course to set the EMU single-season record for points in a season. With an average of 21.3 points per game, the Detroit native is on pace to total 618 points this season and surpass Laurie Byrd's mark of 602 in 26 games during the 1981-82 season.
At her current pace, James' total would rank fifth all-time among sophomores in Mid-American Conference history. Ohio's Caroline Mast holds down the league's current standard of 635 points during the 1983-84. EMU's record for most points by a sophomore is 507 by Kristy Maska in 1998-99.
IN THE NCAA RANKINGS: In the most recent NCAA Division I statistics rankings, junior Cassie Schrock cracks the list at 12th in assists per contest with 6.1 dimes while sophomore Tavelyn James is 11th nationally in points per game at 21.3. James is also 11th in three-point field goals per game.
TIED FOR THE BEST 18-GAME START IN SCHOOL HISTORY: The Eagles' 14-4 start to the 2009-10 season is tied with the 2004-05 EMU squad for the best 18-game beginning of a season. The 2004-05 crew won its 19th game versus Ball State University to improve to 15-4.
