EMU Squares Off Against CMU in Rematch of MAC Championship Game

EMU SQUARES OFF AGAINST CMU IN REMATCH OF MAC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Looking to build off the momentum of a 56-52 victory over Western Michigan University, the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team makes the 140-mile trek to Mount Pleasant, Mich. Sunday, Jan. 13, for a Mid-American Conference West Division tilt versus Central Michigan University. Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m. at McGuirk Arena.
The contest is a rematch of the 2012 MAC Championship game, which the Eagles won thanks to a Paige Redditt layup with 1.8 seconds left in the contest. This season both sides have had their share of ups and downs. Eastern Michigan enters the game with a mark of 3-11 (1-0 MAC), while Central Michigan is 7-7 (1-0 MAC) on the season following a 73-66 road victory at the University of Toledo, Jan. 10.

A SPOTLIGHT ON THE CHIPPEWAS: The Jan. 13 contest marks the 71st meeting between the Chippewas and Eagles, who first met during the 1976-77 season. CMU leads the overall series, 38-32, but EMU has won 19 of the last 25 meetings dating back to the 2000-01 campaign.
The teams played three times last year, with the Eagles claiming a 73-60 victory in Ypsilanti, Jan. 19, and a 72-71 win in the MAC Tournament Championship game, March 10. CMU returned the favor with a 61-46 decision in Mount Pleasant, Feb. 28.

BACK-TO-BACK ON THE ROAD: EMU plays back-to-back road contests to open the 2013 Mid-American Conference schedule. The last time the oddity occurred was in 2000-01 when the Eagles traveled to Central Michigan and Kent State before returning home to host Northern Illinois.

CAGE'S 25 POINTS LIFTS EMU PAST WMU: Freshman Bianca Cage scored a career-high 25 points, all coming in the second half, to lead the Eagles to a 56-52 victory at Western Michigan, Jan. 10. The freshman guard scored 25 of the team's final 33 points in the win. Cage finished 10-of-16 shooting from the floor including 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. Prior to the breakout performance, she had tallied just 11 points in the first four games of her EMU career.
Cage's 25-point performance marked the first time an EMU “true” freshman had scored more than 20 points in a game since March 11, 2009. EMU's all-time leading scorer Tavelyn James notched 31 points in a first round of the MAC Tournament against Miami University to cap a season in which she surpassed the 20-point plateaux on seven different occasions.

CONTRASTING STYLES COLLIDE: How do you like your basketball? EMU and CMU could not be more different when it comes to their style of play. Eastern Michigan has focused on defense and limiting the opposition to an average of 62.6 points per game while scoring 56.8 points. Meanwhile, Central Michigan likes to light up the nets to a tune of 73.6 points per game while giving up 71.0 points.
The Eagles rank 198th nationally in scoring defense and 269th in scoring offense, while the Chippewas are 23rd in scoring offense and 316th in scoring defense. CMU has reached 75-or-more points in a game four times with EMU yet to score more than 74 points in a single contest.

A LOOK BACK AT THE LAST MEETING WITH CMU: The No. 2 seeded Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team needed just one field goal in the final 8:14 of play to dispatch fifth-seeded Central Michigan University, 72-71, Saturday, March 10, in the championship game of the 2012 Mid-American Conference Women's Basketball Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena. Paige Redditt stuffed home the game-winning layup with 1.8 seconds left to earn the Eagles their first MAC title since 2004 and an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Tavelyn James and Natachia Watkins were named to the MAC All-Tournament Team, and James was selected as the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
Eastern Michigan claimed its second MAC crown in school history and is 2-1 in MAC Tournament championship games. The game also marked the first meeting between the Eagles and Chippewas in the EMU's 19 trips to the annual 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 44-17 (72.1 winning percentage) against in-state rivals.

EMU ADDS A TRANSFER FOR 2013-14: Head Coach Tory Verdi announced Jan. 9, the addition of Shannise Heady (Hazel Crest, Ill.-Hillcrest), who has transferred from Seton Hall University and enrolled in classes at EMU.
Heady, a 5-11 small forward from Hazel Crest, Ill., played in two games this season for the Pirates and will have three seasons of eligibility remaining. She will sit out this season due to NCAA transfer regulations and will become eligible following the 2013 fall semester.
As a freshman this season, Heady contributed two points, one rebound and an assist off the bench while making a pair of appearances. Heady was ranked the 73rd-best overall player by The Jump-Off Plus Report coming out of high school. The two-time Suburban Conference Player of the Year scored over 1,500 points at Hillcrest High School in Hazel Crest, Ill.During her four-year varsity career, Hillcrest notched a 116-16 record.

ON THE HORIZON: The Jan. 16 contest marks the 69th meeting between Toledo and Eastern Michigan, who first met during the 1977-1978 season. The Rockets lead the overall series, 41-27, however the Eagles swept a trio of games last season including a 54-33 victory in Ypsilanti and a 70-66 decision in Toledo. The Green and White also ousted Toledo from the 2012 Mid-American Conference Tournament with a 59-57 victory in the semifinal round at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

INTERESTING STATS ABOUT EMU: In its three victories this season, EMU has scored 60.0 points while the opposition has posted 56.0 points. In those games, opponents shot 32.8 percent from the field compared to 37.8 percent for the Eagles. In defeats, the Eagles have only posted 55.9 points, while giving up 64.5. Another factor in the Eagles' success was the ability to control the glass. EMU has grabbed 38.7 rebounds in the wins, while in setbacks EMU has been out-rebounded by its opponents (39.5 to 38.2).

A LOOK INSIDE THE SPECIALTY STATS: The Eagles are averaging 28.3 points per game in the paint, 14.7 points off the bench, 15.9 points per game off turnovers, 12.2 second-chance points and 5.6 fast break points per game.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

EMU Squares Off Against CMU in Rematch of MAC Championship Game

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