EMU Takes at Least a Tie of The MAC West Title With Win Over BSU

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YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team made Senior Day extra special as the Eagles clinched at least a tie for the Mid-American Conference West Division title as well as the No. 2 seed in the upcoming 2012 FirstEnergy Women's Basketball Tournament in Cleveland with a 74-43 win over Ball State University here Saturday, Feb. 25, afternoon in the Convocation Center. The EMU win also avenged a 54-51 loss to BSU, Jan. 5, in Muncie, Ind.

Head Coach AnnMarie Gilbert's Eagles, now 13-2 in league play and 21-7 overall, remain with a one-game lead over Toledo in the MAC West and a tie for first overall with East Division leader Bowling Green. BGSU stayed tied with EMU with a Saturday win over Miami and Toledo downed Northern Illinois, 49-39.

EMU's two seniors, guard Tavelyn James (Detroit, Mich.-Mumford) and forward Paige Redditt (Kansas City, Mo.-Belton), closed out their Convocation Center careers with outstanding efforts with James leading all scorers with 23 points while Redditt turned in her eighth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore forward Olivia Fouty (Toledo, Ohio-Sylvania Northview) added 17 points and nine rebounds and sophomore forward Natachia Watkins (Euclid, Ohio-Brush) recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Ball State, now 9-19 overall and 4-11 in the MAC, was paced by Suzann Grossnickle with 13 and Brittany Carter tallied eight.

Eastern shot 41.7 percent for the game, making 30-of-72 field-goal attempts while holding Ball State to just 23.2 percent for the game, on 13-of-56 shooting. Eastern held a slim, 49-47, rebound edge and the defense turned the Cardinals over 23 times to go along with 26 steals.

The Eagles used their usual fast-paced offense to race to an 8-2 lead in the game's first three minutes, with four of those points coming off fast-break opportunities for James and Fouty.

The home team kept the offense rolling, increasing the lead to 18-5 at the 12:20 mark of the first half and the Green and White would lead by as much as 33, 47-14, at intermission.

James blistered the nets for 22 points in the first half while Fouty added 11. Watkins scored eight with eight boards.

The Eagles finished the first 20 minutes shooting 51.3 percent, making 20-of-39 field goals while the defense held the Cardinals to just 13.3 percent from the field, making just 4-of-30 attempts. Eastern also turned over BSU 12 times in the first half.

The pace of the second half slowed considerably, but the Eagles managed to keep the lead in the 20s most of the way, taking a 24-point edge, 60-33, with 8:41 left and eventually cruising to the 74-43 victory.

Eastern will close out the regular season Tuesday, Feb. 28, in a 7 p.m. game at Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant.

EMU Takes at Least a Tie of The MAC West Title With Win Over BSU

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Team Stats

Tavelyn James

Olivia Fouty

Natachia Watkins

Paige Redditt

Eastern Michigan Athletics