Verdi Era Begins Against Northeastern Sunday at Noon

EMU OPENS 2012-13 CAMPAIGN VERSUS NORTHEASTERN: The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team tips off its 2012-13 season against Northeastern University Sunday, Nov. 11. The opening tip is scheduled for noon inside the Convocation Center. First-year Head Coach Tory Verdi and the Eagles return nine letterwinners from last year's squad that finished 23-9 overall and 13-3 in Mid-American Conference play.

A SPOTLIGHT ON NORTHEASTERN: The schools are meeting for the second time with EMU holding a 1-0 edge in the series. Last season the Eagles downed the Huskies, 83-53, in a non-conference affair at Solomon Court, Nov. 11, 2011. Tavelyn James had a record-setting, 42-point performance to set the EMU single-game points record. With the prolific total, James became the first Mid-American Conference women's basketball player ever to score 40-or-more points in their team's first game of a season.

FINDING THE GAME ON YOUR RADIO DIAL: Sunday's contest will only be broadcast on Eagle All-Access rather than WEMU (89.1 FM). Ryan Wooley will have the call beginning at 11:50 a.m. from the Convocation Center. As always, on demand replays of most EMU basketball games are available to subscribers at EMUEagles.com/showcase.

EMU VERSUS THE COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION: Eastern is 2-1 all-time versus the Richmond, Va. based Colonial Athletic Association, having only played against three of the 12 member institutions. The Green and White upended UNC Wilmington, 63-54, in the second round of the 2011 WNIT and downed Northeastern, 83-53, in Boston, Mass. in the 2011-12 season opener. Meanwhile, EMU is 0-1 against James Madison, dropping an 80-76 decision at the Caribbean Challenge in Cancun, Mexico, Nov. 27, 2008.

VERDI BEGINS A NEW ERA OF EMU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: First-year EMU Head Coach Tory Verdi and his staff of Rob Norris, Candice Finley, Kristin Haynie and Nikki Bober bring 41 years of combined coaching experience to the Eagles that include stops along the way in the Big XII, the Metro Atlantic Athletic, the Ohio Valley and the WNBA, to name a few. Verdi spent the last two years helping turn the University of Kansas into a national power under Head Coach Bonnie Henrickson. In 2011-12, Kansas posted a 21-13 overall record and an 8-10 league mark to finish tied for sixth place in the Big XII Conference. The Jayhawks were awarded an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and then surprised the hoops world with wins in the first and second rounds to advance to the team's first NCAA “Sweet 16” since 1998.

ALL-TIME IN SEASON LID LIFTERS: The Nov. 11 contest against Northeastern marks the start of Eastern Michigan University's 37th year of women's basketball which began in 1976-77. The Eagles' first-ever collegiate contest since the school began offering scholarships was a 63-53 setback to the University of Michigan, Jan. 11, 1977. All-time the Eagles are 23-13 in season lid lifters, including winning 10 of their last 11 openers dating back to a 82-67 victory over Cornell University, Nov. 16, 2001 at the Convocation Center.

FILLING THE SNEAKERS: With EMU's all-time leading scorer Tavelyn James having graduated, senior transfer Miranda Tate has emerged in the preseason as a senior leader to replace James. Tate led the Eagles in scoring for both exhibition contests, scoring 20 points against Madonna and 23 points against Wayne State.

GRABBING BOARDS AND MAKING BUCKETS: The Eagles return two players that know a thing or two about securing rebounds and scoring points. Olivia Fouty and Natachia Watkins are ranked ninth and 11th respectively on EMU's double-double leaders list. Fouty has seven career double-doubles while Watkins has five through her two seasons at EMU. Both players are currently chasing Sarah VanMetre's record of 17 career double-doubles.
For the complete list, turn to page seven of this release.

Finding Points: EMU lost two of the team's top three scorers from last season to graduation The duo of Tavelyn James and Paige Redditt combined for 50.1 percent of the team's 2011-12 point total.

RECEIVING THE RINGS: Prior to the final exhibition contest against Wayne State, Nov. 6, the Eagles received their championship rings and raised a pair of banners for winning the 2012 Mid-American Conference Tournament with the program's second berth into the NCAA Tournament.

FROM 10 TO 50: Junior Natachia Watkins, will go from wearing No. 10 last year to No. 50 for this season in honor of her sister who passed away following last season. Watkins' sister wore No. 50 during her basketball playing days in high school and at Notre Dame College.

EMU VERSUS THE MAC: This is EMU's 32nd season competing in the Mid-American Conference. The Eagles hold a 232-281 record against conference foes and have posted winning seasons in the MAC in 11 of the last 12 campaigns. EMU has had the most success against Northern Illinois, going 28-9, and the least versus Bowling Green, 14-46. Western Michigan has been the Green and White's most frequent opponent with 71 meetings, while Buffalo holds the distinction of the fewest conference games against the Eagles with 19.

SIX POSTSEASONS IN THE PAST NINE YEARS: Playing in late March has become a regular tradition for Eastern Michigan, as the Eagles have participated in the postseason six times in the past nine years. Prior to the 2003-04 campaign, EMU had never even advanced to the championship game of the Mid-American Conference Tournament. However, all that changed when EMU won the 2004 MAC Tournament and earned the automatic bid to the program's first NCAA Tournament. The Green and White have since followed it up with appearances in the 2005, 2006, 2010 and 2011 Women's National Invitational Tournaments (WNIT). Last season, EMU again returned to the NCAA Tournament after winning the MAC Tournament.

AGAINST IN-STATE SCHOOLS: Eastern Michigan has had great success against other collegiate programs in the state of Michigan over the past 10 seasons. Since the beginning of the 2002-03 season, the Eagles are 43-15 (74.1%) against in-state rivals.

I WOULD WALK 10,000 MILES OR 9,670 TO BE EXACT: Pack your bags and grab some information about frequent flyer programs because the Eagles will earn plenty of mileage over the next month and a half. The team will make stops in Indiana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Missouri, Louisiana and Michigan. Altogether the EMU road trips will tally over 9,670 miles during the non-conference season. During the Mid-American Conference season the Eagles will rack up only 1,443 miles of travel during their eight league road contests.

INTERESTING STATS ABOUT EMU: In its 23 victories last season, EMU averaged 73.0 points while the opposition posted just 53.3 points. In those games, opponents shot 37.6 percent from the field compared to 43.1 percent for the Eagles. In defeats, the Eagles only scored 59.0 points, while giving up 68.0. Another factor in the Eagles' success was the ability to control the glass. EMU grabbed 41.6 rebounds to just 32.7 for the opponents in the wins, while in setbacks EMU was out-rebounded its opponents by only two caroms (39.9 to 37.4).

BEST TEAM IN WASHTENAW COUNTY?: The combined efforts between Tory Verdi, AnnMarie Gilbert and Suzy Merchant have quietly built Eastern Michigan into one of the most dominant teams in the state of Michigan. Since the 2003-04 campaign, the Eagles have won 177 games, posted six 20+ victory seasons and made six postseason tournament appearances.

EMU COACHES IN THEIR FIRST YEAR: First-year EMU Head Coach Tory Verdi is the eighth head coach in the program's 37-year history. Verdi is out to become the fifth first-year head coach to post a winning record in his inaugural campaign joining Kathy Hart, Suzy Merchant, Shane Clipfell and AnnMarie Gilbert. Hart recorded a 13-8 mark in 1976-77, Merchant turned in a 14-13 record in 1998-99, Clipfell added a 13-11 mark in 2006-07 and Gilbert won the MAC West title with an 16-12 record in 2006-08.

ALLOWING 50 OR LESS: Eastern Michigan is 94-0 all time when allowing 50 points-or-less. Since 2003-04, the Green and White has accomplished the feat 49 times with 25 of those coming against Mid-American Conference foes.

EMU RECORDS SIXTH 20-WIN SEASON: With the team's 54-33 victory over Toledo, Feb. 21, 2012, the Eagles secured their sixth 20-win season in the past nine campaigns. Prior to the 2003-04 year, Eastern Michigan had never won more than 18 games in a single season.

CAPTURING THE WEST: The EMU men's and women's teams both claimed at least a share of the 2011-12 Mid-American Conference West Division titles. Since division play started in 1997-98, both men's and women's teams winning division titles has happened just four times. The 1998-99 Toledo teams, the 2001-02 and 2008-09 Ball State squads, and last year's EMU teams are the only duos to turn in that feat.

EMU GRABS FOURTH MAC WEST CROWN: With the 74-43 victory against Ball State, Feb. 25, 2012, the Eagles captured a share of the team's fourth Mid-American Conference West Division championship. Since the league switched to the current division format for the 1997-98 campaign, EMU has claimed MAC West titles in 2004, 2006, 2008 and now 2012. EMU shared the honor with the University of Toledo as both posted identical 13-3 MAC records.

SECOND-BEST RECORD IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT: During the past eight MAC Tournaments dating back to the 2004 championship, Eastern Michigan has posted a 13-7 mark, the second-best record over that span. EMU was 3-0 in 2004; 2-1 in 2005; 1-1 in 2006, 2007 and 2010; 0-1 on 2008 and 2009; 3-1 in 2011 and 2-0 in 2012. Bowling Green is 21-4 during that time while Toledo is 12-9, Ball State is 9-7 and Kent State is 6-8.

EAGLES FINISH WITH THE SECOND-MOST MAC WINS IN PROGRAM HISTORY: The 2011-12 Eagles won 13 Mid-American Conference contests, which ranked second-best in program history. The 2005-06 club holds the EMU standard with a 15-1 record.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: Eastern Michigan was 11-1 at the Convocation Center last season, marking the sixth time since moving to the Convo the Green and White has tallied double-digit home wins. Last year's team also joined the 2004-05 squad as the only ones to tally just one home blemish. That team also posted an 11-1 mark at home en route to a 23-8 overall record.
The Eagles have won 36 of the last 45 home games dating back to the 2008-09 campaign. Eastern Michigan has racked up a solid home-court advantage inside the friendly confines of the Convocation Center since the doors opened during the 1998-99 campaign. The Green and White has won 70.7 percent of the contests played in the building, piling up a 130-54 all-time mark.

DOUBLE DIGIT WINS IN MAC PLAY: The 2011-12 campaign marked the eighth time in the last nine years that EMU has posted at least 10 victories in Mid-American Conference play. Prior to the 2001-02 season, EMU had never won more than nine games in league action.

EMU ON THE SMALL SCREEN: EMU will be part of two televised games during the 2012-13 season. The EMU-Miami game set for Sunday, Jan. 20, in Oxford, Ohio, will be a televised on Comcast Michigan. Eastern will return to the small screen two weeks later when the Eagles host Ohio, Feb. 9, at noon inside the Convocation Center.
Additionally, all EMU women's basketball home games will be video streamed on Eagle All-Access. Subscription packages are just $6.95 for a 24-hour pass, $10.95 for an entire month or $79.95 for a full calendar year.

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