Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Kent State
Eagles Hope to See Plenty of Red Versus the Golden Flashes
2/5/2010 11:18:26 AM | Women's Basketball
Green Goes Red Doubleheader Set for Saturday at the Convocation Center
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EAGLES HOPE TO SEE PLENTY OF RED VERSUS THE GOLDEN FLASHES: Do not be alarmed Saturday, Feb. 6, if you see Eastern Michigan University student-athletes and staff departing from their green and white colors, in favor of red. It is the University's way of supporting heart disease prevention for women as part of the American Heart Association's national Go Red for Women Day on Friday, Feb. 5.
To help with the cause the EMU Department of Athletics will be holding a “Green Goes Red” basketball doubleheader the Convocation Center. The women's basketball team hosts Mid-American Conference foe Kent State University at 2 p.m., followed by the men's game against Ohio University at 4:30 p.m.
All fans wearing a red shirt will be admitted free to the game to help cheer on the Eagles. Additionally, the American Heart Association will be providing heart-healthy information, as well as distributing 100 get healthy kids cookbooks and 100 EagleNation aprons prior to the women's game.
SETTING THE SCENE: The Eagles enter the game with a mark of 16-5 (6-3 MAC), just a game behind the University of Toledo which sits atop the MAC West Division. Meanwhile, the Golden Flashes are 14-7 (7-2 MAC) and have won five straight including upending the Rockets, 62-59, at the M.A.C. Center in Kent, Ohio, Feb. 3.
A BULLSEYE ON KENT STATE: Saturday afternoon's contest marks the 51st meeting between the Golden Flashes and Eagles, who first met during the 1980-81 season. KSU leads the series, 34-16, including winning 24 of the last 30 meetings between the two schools. Kent State took last year's lone regular-season meeting, Jan. 31, 2009, 84-52, at the M.A.C. Center in Kent, Ohio
Eastern has won the last three meetings in Ypsilanti dating back to the 2003-04 campaign, including a 71-59 decision Feb. 2, 2008, at the Convocation Center.
GILBERT LOOKING FOR CAREER WIN NUMBER 100: EMU Head Coach AnnMarie Gilbert is looking for career victory number 100 Saturday, Feb. 6, when Kent State comes to town. Gilbert sports a 99-174 career record in 11 seasons, including a 41-38 mark in three seasons in Ypsilanti. She would become the seventh active Mid-American Conference coach to reach 100 career victories.
JAMES HITS FOR 40 POINTS AT BUFFALO: Tavelyn James set the single-game standard for points with 40 in the Eagles' 78-65 victory over the University at Buffalo, Feb. 3. The Detroit native had set the record with 39 points earlier this season in the team's 108-24 victory over Rochester College, Dec. 9, 2009, at the Convocation Center.
With the prolific total, James became the first EMU women's basketball player to score 40 points in a game and just the seventh EMU student-athlete to do so. The last EMU basketball player to eclipse the 40-point plateau was Earl Boykins with 45 against Western Michigan University, Feb. 21, 1998, at Bowen Field House.
In a span of two minutes midway through the second half, James scored 10 straight Eagle points, connecting on three consecutive baskets and going 3-of-3 from the free throw line. She had 32 points with more than 11 minutes remaining in the game and finished the contest 13-of-22 from the field, including 5-of-11 from long distance and 9-of-11 from the line to give her 40 points, tying her for the 11th-highest single-game point total in the nation this season.
NEEDING TO GET BACK TO A REBOUNDING STATE ON MIND: The Eagles' struggles of late can partially be attributed to the team's inability to control the glass. Having dropped three of its last seven contests, EMU enters Saturday's contest looking to rekindle the rebounding magic that saw the squad jump out to a 12-2 mark to begin the season.
In EMU's first 14 games, the team held an eight rebound per game edge (45.4 to 37.3) as the Eagles out-scored opponents by nearly 18 points a game (75.1 to 57.6). However, since the Jan. 13 game at Toledo the statistics have dramatically changed. In the seven games since, Eastern has been out-rebounded by nearly six caroms a game (36.4 to 42.1) and holding a scoring margin of just one point (67.1 to 66.1).
EMU's second-chance points have also decreased from 15.9 points per contest to 11.4, while points in the paint sank from 31.4 per game to 27.6.
APPROACHING 1,000: Two Eagles are closing in on 1,000 career points. Sophomore Tavelyn James has scored 886 points during her career. She is 19th all-time and needs eight points to catch Emily Steinmetz for 18th. Junior Cassie Schrock has scored 841 points in her career and is 20th all-time. Currently, 14 players are in the 1,000-point club for EMU women's basketball.
A LOOK INSIDE THE SPECIALTY STATS: The Eagles are averaging 30.1 points per game in the paint, 25.0 points off the bench, 23.5 points per game off of turnovers, 14.4 second chance points and 12.3 fastbreak points per game.
WINNING WAYS: The Eagles are 16-5 overall, their .762 winning percentage is third in the Mid-American Conference and 40th best in the nation. EMU's 16 victories are tied for sixth most all-time with the 1981-82, 1999-00, 2000-01 and the 2006-07 squads.
With a victory Saturday, the team will equal the 2007-08 team for the fifth most victories in a season.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: Eastern Michigan is 8-1 at the Convocation Center this season. The Eagles have won nine of the last 10 games at home, dating back to last year.
IN THE NCAA RANKINGS: In the most recent NCAA Division I statistics rankings, junior Cassie Schrock cracks the list at 13th in assists per contest with 6.1 dimes while sophomore Tavelyn James is 11th nationally in points per game at 21.0. James is also 10th in three-point field goals per game. As a team, the Eagles rank 11th in steals with 12.0 swipes per contest.
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 21.9 points per game, the Detroit native is on pace to total 635 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 equal the 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.
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 contests to close the regular season. Eastern Michigan has posted a 23-19 record versus MAC East Division opponents since the 2004-05 campaign.
AN EMPIRE STATE OF MIND: The Eagles' have been dominant versus schools from the State of New York, posting a 14-game winning streak against the Empire State dating back to the 2003-04 campaign. Eastern Michigan's last loss to a team that hailed from the state was a 71-65 setback to Buffalo, Jan. 15, 2003.
EMU is 3-0 in games played inside the nation's 11th state with a 77-55 win at Siena, Nov. 20, an 83-68 victory at Niagara, Nov. 22, and a 78-65 triumph at Buffalo, Feb. 3. The Eagles' last loss on New York soil occurred Jan. 2, 2000, in a 66-61 setback at Buffalo.
