Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, March 10
Cleveland, Ohio
1 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
vs
Central Michigan
EMU Battles CMU for a Berth to the NCAA Tournament
3/9/2012 9:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Game time set for 1 p.m. at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio
Listen to the Game.
Live Stats.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The 2012 First Energy Mid-American Conference Women's Basketball Tournament Championship game will be for bragging rights throughout the State of Michigan, as the No. 2-seeded Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team tangles with the fifth-seeded Chippewas of Central Michigan University. Game time is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. inside Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Eagles sport a 22-8 mark, while the Chippewas boast a 20-14 record.
WEMU (89.1 FM) will broadcast the game, while Comcast Television, digital cable channel 900 in the Ypsilanti area, will televise the title tilt. Mike Cairns will handle the play-by-play and Jacki Windon adds analysis for the women's championship.
WOLVERINE STATE BACK IN THE FINALS: For just the second time in MAC history, the tournament championship game features two schools from the State of Michigan. The 1985 title game featured Western Michigan University and Central Michigan, with the Broncos posting a 73-63 victory at Centennial Hall in Toledo, Ohio.
Saturday's contest also marks the first time since 2003 that Bowling Green State University has not been a part of the MAC finale.
EMU VERSUS CMU IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT: The two schools have never met in the Eagles' 19 trips to the conference postseason.
SEEKING TITLE NUMBER TWO: For the second consecutive season and the third time overall, the Eagles have advanced to the championship game of the MAC Tournament. EMU is 1-1 all-time in the contest that decided the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. The Green and White defeated BGSU, 65-56, in the 2004 finale, March 13, and then fell to the Falcons, 51-46, in the 2011 title game, March 12.
After Friday's 59-57 win over Toledo, EMU now has a record of 3-4 in semi-final round games in the league tourney over the years.
NOT OUR FIRST DANCE: Even though this is the women's basketball team's third finals appearance, the school has had plenty of experience in the deciding game. The men's squad has four tournament titles in 1988, 1991, 1996 and 1998.
MAC TOURNAMENT SEEDING FACTS: In the 30 years of the tournament, the top seed has won the title 21 times. In 2011, the No. 5 Eastern Michigan Eagles became the highest seed to ever advance to the tournament championship game. Western Michigan, a No. 4 seed in 2003, is the highest seed to ever win the title. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds have met 15 times in the championship game, with the top seed winning 13 times.
A SPOTLIGHT ON THE CHIPPEWAS: The March 10 contest marks the 70th meeting between the Chippewas and Eagles, who first met during the 1976-77 season. CMU leads the overall series, 38-31, but EMU has won 18 of the last 24 meetings dating back to the 2000-01 campaign.
Earlier this season, EMU downed the Chippewas, 73-60, in the Convocation Center, Jan. 19. The Eagles started the game with a flurry, racing to a 32-12 lead in the game's first 12 minutes and never trailing on the way to the win. Senior guard Tavelyn James was one of four Eagles in double-figure scoring with 23. Sophomore forward Natachia Watkins added 19 points while senior forward Paige Redditt and sophomore guard Desyree Thomas contributed 11 each. Redditt also had 11 rebounds for a double-double.
Central Michigan had three players in double figures, led by Jas'Mine Bracey with 16, Taylor Johnson 15 and Jessica Green with 12.
Eastern would shoot 41.9 percent from the floor, making 26-of-62 shots while Central made just 23-of-61 for 37.7 percent. Eastern turned the Chippewas over a whopping 25 times.
Then just 11 days ago, James poured in a game-high 22 points but it was not enough for EMU in its bid to clinch at least a share of the Mid-American Conference regular-season championship. Eastern's in-state rival was able to pull off the 61-46 upset Tuesday, Feb. 28, in McGuirk Arena to snap the Eagles' nine-game winning streak. James posted her 107th career double-digit scoring contest and finished with at least 20 points for the 53rd time in her career. Paige Redditt added six points with eight rebounds and Amber Bogard contributed a career-best six points with four rebounds.
Jessica Green led all Chippewa players with 12 points. Taylor Johnson notched 10 points followed by 10 points from Crystal Bradford.
Live Stats.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The 2012 First Energy Mid-American Conference Women's Basketball Tournament Championship game will be for bragging rights throughout the State of Michigan, as the No. 2-seeded Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team tangles with the fifth-seeded Chippewas of Central Michigan University. Game time is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. inside Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Eagles sport a 22-8 mark, while the Chippewas boast a 20-14 record.
WEMU (89.1 FM) will broadcast the game, while Comcast Television, digital cable channel 900 in the Ypsilanti area, will televise the title tilt. Mike Cairns will handle the play-by-play and Jacki Windon adds analysis for the women's championship.
WOLVERINE STATE BACK IN THE FINALS: For just the second time in MAC history, the tournament championship game features two schools from the State of Michigan. The 1985 title game featured Western Michigan University and Central Michigan, with the Broncos posting a 73-63 victory at Centennial Hall in Toledo, Ohio.
Saturday's contest also marks the first time since 2003 that Bowling Green State University has not been a part of the MAC finale.
EMU VERSUS CMU IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT: The two schools have never met in the Eagles' 19 trips to the conference postseason.
SEEKING TITLE NUMBER TWO: For the second consecutive season and the third time overall, the Eagles have advanced to the championship game of the MAC Tournament. EMU is 1-1 all-time in the contest that decided the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. The Green and White defeated BGSU, 65-56, in the 2004 finale, March 13, and then fell to the Falcons, 51-46, in the 2011 title game, March 12.
After Friday's 59-57 win over Toledo, EMU now has a record of 3-4 in semi-final round games in the league tourney over the years.
NOT OUR FIRST DANCE: Even though this is the women's basketball team's third finals appearance, the school has had plenty of experience in the deciding game. The men's squad has four tournament titles in 1988, 1991, 1996 and 1998.
MAC TOURNAMENT SEEDING FACTS: In the 30 years of the tournament, the top seed has won the title 21 times. In 2011, the No. 5 Eastern Michigan Eagles became the highest seed to ever advance to the tournament championship game. Western Michigan, a No. 4 seed in 2003, is the highest seed to ever win the title. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds have met 15 times in the championship game, with the top seed winning 13 times.
A SPOTLIGHT ON THE CHIPPEWAS: The March 10 contest marks the 70th meeting between the Chippewas and Eagles, who first met during the 1976-77 season. CMU leads the overall series, 38-31, but EMU has won 18 of the last 24 meetings dating back to the 2000-01 campaign.
Earlier this season, EMU downed the Chippewas, 73-60, in the Convocation Center, Jan. 19. The Eagles started the game with a flurry, racing to a 32-12 lead in the game's first 12 minutes and never trailing on the way to the win. Senior guard Tavelyn James was one of four Eagles in double-figure scoring with 23. Sophomore forward Natachia Watkins added 19 points while senior forward Paige Redditt and sophomore guard Desyree Thomas contributed 11 each. Redditt also had 11 rebounds for a double-double.
Central Michigan had three players in double figures, led by Jas'Mine Bracey with 16, Taylor Johnson 15 and Jessica Green with 12.
Eastern would shoot 41.9 percent from the floor, making 26-of-62 shots while Central made just 23-of-61 for 37.7 percent. Eastern turned the Chippewas over a whopping 25 times.
Then just 11 days ago, James poured in a game-high 22 points but it was not enough for EMU in its bid to clinch at least a share of the Mid-American Conference regular-season championship. Eastern's in-state rival was able to pull off the 61-46 upset Tuesday, Feb. 28, in McGuirk Arena to snap the Eagles' nine-game winning streak. James posted her 107th career double-digit scoring contest and finished with at least 20 points for the 53rd time in her career. Paige Redditt added six points with eight rebounds and Amber Bogard contributed a career-best six points with four rebounds.
Jessica Green led all Chippewa players with 12 points. Taylor Johnson notched 10 points followed by 10 points from Crystal Bradford.
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