Eastern Michigan Athletics
Wednesday, February 23
Toledo, Ohio
7 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
64
at
65
Toledo
Photo by: Scott W. Grau/Icon SMI
EMU Comes Up Short in Battle of MAC West Heavyweights, 65-64
2/23/2011 11:29:48 PM | Women's Basketball
Rocket standout Naama Shafir hit a buzzer-beating three-point bomb with just under a minute to play
Box score.
Photo Gallery.
Re-Listen to the Game.
TOLEDO, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – Despite a combined 44 points from Cassie Schrock (Wadsworth, Ohio-Wadsworth) and Tavelyn James (Detroit, Mich.-Mumford), the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team could not survive a second-half rally by the University of Toledo Wednesday night, Feb. 23, at Savage Arena. Rocket standout Naama Shafir poured in a season-high 32 points, including a buzzer-beating three-point bomb with just under a minute to play, to push UT to the heart-stopping 65-64 victory.
With the setback, Eastern Michigan drops to 9-5 in Mid-American Conference play and 18-10 overall. The loss also snaps EMU's six-game road winning streak. Meanwhile, the Rockets (21-6, 13-1 MAC) clinched the outright MAC West Division title and a share of the overall conference regular-season title.
Shafir was the driving force for the Midnight Blue and Gold, who trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half. The Rockets would battle back though, recording their first lead since the opening basket of the game when Shafir hit a pair of free throws with 12:13 to play to go on top by a score of 45-44.
Neither side was willing to give in, as they battled toe-to-toe from that point on and exchanged the lead three more times until the final minute.
EMU knotted it at 62-all tie on a jumper by India Hairston (Flint, Mich.-Hamady) with 3:23 to play. The score remained tied until Shafir knocked down a trilighter with two seconds on the shot clock to give Toledo the 65-62 edge with 57 seconds remaining.
Kristin Thomas (Winter Park, Fla.-Edgewater-Hillsborough C.C.) answered with a layup to cut the advantage to one, 65-64, with 37 seconds still showing on the clock.
UT's Melissa Goodall missed a three-point field-goal attempt as the shot clock was winding down and eight seconds remaining on the clock. EMU's Thomas and Toledo's Lecretia Smith both came down with the rock, but the Rockets were awarded the ball via the alternating possession arrow. Toledo was then able to run out the clock and secure the one-point decision.
Schrock finished with a team-best 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting, but struggled at the free throw line making just seven of 14 attempts. She also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out seven assists in 38 minutes of work. James notched 21 points, scoring 16 in the opening 20 minutes of work, and Paige Redditt (Kansas City, Mo.-Belton) tossed in eight.
Shafir made 14-of-15 free throws to go along with a team-high seven assists. Yolanda Richardson was the only other Rocket in double figures with 10 points off the bench.
Eastern Michigan opened the contest red-hot from the field, connecting on six of the first seven shots and held a 13-3 lead at 16:01. The visitors pushed their lead to a game-high 15 points, 25-10, with just under 11 minutes to play in the stanza.
Toledo stormed back, utilizing a 19-6 burst to cut the margin to 31-29 with 2:43 left. The teams would head into the lockerroom with EMU clinging to a 36-31 edge.
Following the intermission, the Green and White extended the margin nine, 44-35, before the Rockets started their game-altering rally. UT opened with a 10-0 run, capped by a pair of free throws by Shafir to give Toledo the 45-44 lead with 12:13 to play.
Eastern Michigan hits the road for the final time in the 2010-11 regular season Saturday, Feb. 26, with a visit to Mount Pleasant, Mich. Tipoff versus Central Michigan University is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Photo Gallery.
Re-Listen to the Game.
TOLEDO, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – Despite a combined 44 points from Cassie Schrock (Wadsworth, Ohio-Wadsworth) and Tavelyn James (Detroit, Mich.-Mumford), the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team could not survive a second-half rally by the University of Toledo Wednesday night, Feb. 23, at Savage Arena. Rocket standout Naama Shafir poured in a season-high 32 points, including a buzzer-beating three-point bomb with just under a minute to play, to push UT to the heart-stopping 65-64 victory.
With the setback, Eastern Michigan drops to 9-5 in Mid-American Conference play and 18-10 overall. The loss also snaps EMU's six-game road winning streak. Meanwhile, the Rockets (21-6, 13-1 MAC) clinched the outright MAC West Division title and a share of the overall conference regular-season title.
Shafir was the driving force for the Midnight Blue and Gold, who trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half. The Rockets would battle back though, recording their first lead since the opening basket of the game when Shafir hit a pair of free throws with 12:13 to play to go on top by a score of 45-44.
Neither side was willing to give in, as they battled toe-to-toe from that point on and exchanged the lead three more times until the final minute.
EMU knotted it at 62-all tie on a jumper by India Hairston (Flint, Mich.-Hamady) with 3:23 to play. The score remained tied until Shafir knocked down a trilighter with two seconds on the shot clock to give Toledo the 65-62 edge with 57 seconds remaining.
Kristin Thomas (Winter Park, Fla.-Edgewater-Hillsborough C.C.) answered with a layup to cut the advantage to one, 65-64, with 37 seconds still showing on the clock.
UT's Melissa Goodall missed a three-point field-goal attempt as the shot clock was winding down and eight seconds remaining on the clock. EMU's Thomas and Toledo's Lecretia Smith both came down with the rock, but the Rockets were awarded the ball via the alternating possession arrow. Toledo was then able to run out the clock and secure the one-point decision.
Schrock finished with a team-best 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting, but struggled at the free throw line making just seven of 14 attempts. She also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out seven assists in 38 minutes of work. James notched 21 points, scoring 16 in the opening 20 minutes of work, and Paige Redditt (Kansas City, Mo.-Belton) tossed in eight.
Shafir made 14-of-15 free throws to go along with a team-high seven assists. Yolanda Richardson was the only other Rocket in double figures with 10 points off the bench.
Eastern Michigan opened the contest red-hot from the field, connecting on six of the first seven shots and held a 13-3 lead at 16:01. The visitors pushed their lead to a game-high 15 points, 25-10, with just under 11 minutes to play in the stanza.
Toledo stormed back, utilizing a 19-6 burst to cut the margin to 31-29 with 2:43 left. The teams would head into the lockerroom with EMU clinging to a 36-31 edge.
Following the intermission, the Green and White extended the margin nine, 44-35, before the Rockets started their game-altering rally. UT opened with a 10-0 run, capped by a pair of free throws by Shafir to give Toledo the 45-44 lead with 12:13 to play.
Eastern Michigan hits the road for the final time in the 2010-11 regular season Saturday, Feb. 26, with a visit to Mount Pleasant, Mich. Tipoff versus Central Michigan University is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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