Eagles Bound for the Windy City on Wednesday

EAGLES BOUND FOR THE WINDY CITY: Following the largest offensive output in program history, the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team hits the road Wednesday, Dec. 4, for a non-conference test at Loyola University. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT at Gentile Arena in Chicago, Ill.
Eastern Michigan enters the game with a perfect 4-0 record after racing past Marygrove College, 120-35, at the EMU Convocation Center, Nov. 30. The Ramblers are 2-5 on the season after dropping a 66-55 decision to Lafayette University, Nov. 29.
Veteran broadcasters Chad Bush and Greg Steiner will have the call on WEMU (89.1 FM) beginning at 6:50 p.m. CT. Live video of the game can also be found on LoyolaRamblers.com.

A SPOTLIGHT ON LOYOLA: The schools are meeting for the eighth time with EMU holding a 5-2 edge in the series. Last year, the Ramblers downed the Eagles, 64-54, in Ypsilanti, Jan. 5, 2013. The Eagles looked impressive on defense, creating 21 turnovers and forcing the Ramblers into difficult shots. However, their defensive efforts were undermined by their inability to find the bottom on the net. EMU shot just 22-of-67 (32.8 percent) and Loyola shot 25-of-54 (46.3 percent).
The last time the teams played in Chicago, EMU escaped with a 63-55 victory at North Park Gymnasium, Nov. 20, 2011. Paige Redditt recorded her fifth career double-double, scoring 17 points and snagging a career-high 18 rebounds while dishing out three assists. Tavelyn James led the Eagles offensively with 20 points, and Desyree Thomas contributed with nine points and seven assists.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: Despite it being just four games into the 2013-14 season, Eastern Michigan's turnaround from just one season ago is monumental. The Eagles are off to a 4-0 start for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign and have scored 386 points (96.5 ppg). Nationally, the Eagles rank second in scoring trailing only the University of Oregon (98.3 ppg).
At this point last year, EMU sported a 1-3 record with an average of 52.0 points a game. The offensively-challenged squad did not score its 386 point until the eighth game of the year.

EMU LOOKING FOR BEST START TO A SEASON SINCE 2004-05: The Eagles' 4-0 start to the 2013-14 campaign is the best by an EMU squad since the 2009-10 campaign opened the year with victories over Illinois-Chicago, Marygrove, Siena and Temple.
EMU has not won five in-a-row to open the year since the 2004-05 season. That season, the Green and White won a program-best eight consecutive games to kickoff the season.

PICKING 'EM UP AND PUTTING 'EM DOWN: In the 120-35 victory over Marygrove, Nov. 30, the Eagles wasted very little time with the basketball en route to putting up the most points in program history. During the contest, EMU had 90 possessions and managed to score within an average of 11 seconds.
The national average for possessions per game was 65.9 last season.

RECORDS APLENTY VERSUS MARYGROVE: EMU's 120 points against Marygrove College, Nov. 30, was the school record for most points in a single-game. The previous standard of 110 was originally set against Marygove, Nov. 14, 2011. Other records set against Marygrove were: most field goals attempted (99); most rebounds (71); most three-pointers attempted at the Convocation Center (36); most offensive rebounds at the Convocation Center (31); and most rebounds combined between both teams at the Convocation Center (113).
Additionally, the 120 points are sixth most in Mid-American Conference history and the most put up by a MAC team since Ohio dropped 122 on Canisius, Dec. 28, 1995.

EMU ALL-TIME AGAINST THE MISSOURI VALLEY: The Missouri Valley Conference welcomed Loyola University to the mix for the 2013-14 campaign following the departure of Creighton University to the "new" Big East Conference. Despite all the conference shuffling, Eastern has still struggled against the MVC, going 7-14 all time versus the St. Louis, Mo.-based conference. Having played against seven of the 10 member institutions. EMU is 5-2 versus Loyola, 1-1 against Evansville, 0-1 with Bradley, 0-1 versus Southern Illinois, 0-4 against Illinois State, and 0-5 versus Indiana State.
The Eagles' last win over a Missouri Valley team came during the 2000-01 campaign, when Eastern dominated then-member Creighton, 50-35, in the finale of the Nassau Sun Splash Shootout in Nassau, Bahamas, Dec. 21.

LEADING THE MAC: The Eagles are currently sitting atop the Mid-American Conference in 14 categories as well as ranking in the top-three in three others. The Green and White leads the league in scoring offense (96.5), scoring margin (+38.2), field goal percentage (.446), field goal percentage defense (.316), three-point field goal percentage defense (.230), three-pointers made per game (9.0) offensive rebounds (57.2), rebounding margin (+15.2), assists (20.8), steals per game (13.5), turnover margin (+9.25), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4), offensive rebounds per game (19.3) and defensive rebounds per game (38.0)
Individually, Desyree Thomas tops the MAC in field goal percentage (.618) and assist-to-turnover ratio (4.5). Junior transfer Jamaica Bucknor leads the conference, averaging 5.0 offensive rebounds per contest. Olivia Fouty and Cha Sweeney rank in the top-10 in scoring as Fouty is sixth in the league, averaging 15.3 points per game and Sweeney is ninth with 15.0 points per game. Fouty boasts a .561 field goal percentage which ranks third in the conference, while her .385 three-point percentage ties for 11th and her 7.8 rebounds per game ranks 11th.

YOUTH BEING SERVED: Heading into the 2013-14 campaign, Head Coach Tory Verdi knew he would be leading a very young team this season as the Eagles welcomed eight newcomers to the roster. In four games, the newcomers have combined for 58 percent (225 points) of the squad's offense.

A LOOK INSIDE THE SPECIALTY STATS: The Eagles are averaging 41.5 points per game in the paint, 39.8 points off the bench, 28.0 points per game off turnovers, 18.5 second-chance points and 23.5 fast break points per game.

BENCH PROVIDING MUCH NEEDED SUPPORT: Even though the season is only four games old, the Eastern Michigan bench has shown that it can provide a spark. Versus Madonna (Nov. 9), the bench poured in 42 of the team's 101 points while against Butler (Nov. 13) the reserves notched 21 of the team's 81 points. The trend continued at Cleveland State (Nov. 17), when the reserves tossed in 41 points. EMU reached is season-best with a 55 point showing in the record-setting win over Marygrove (Nov. 30)
Last year, the EMU bench averaged just 15.6 points per contest.

ROAD LEGS: Eastern Michigan will not return to the friendly confines on the Convocation Center again until Dec. 31 against Lawrence Tech.

ON THE HORIZON: Following the game at Loyola, EMU will battle the University of Missour-Kansas City (UMKC) Saturday, Dec. 7, at Madonna University. The game will technically be an EMU home contest as the Convocation Center is occupied with the annual St. Joe's Holiday Ball.
The schools are meeting for the fifth time with EMU holding a 3-1 edge in the series. Last season EMU escaped with a 74-69 decision at the Swinney Recreation Center, Dec. 15, 2012. The EMU offense was paced by Amber Bogard and Natachia Watkins who posted 21 points apiece.

"HOME GAME": Eastern Michigan will host UMKC Saturday, Dec. 7, but instead of the game taking place at the Convocation Center it will instead be played at the 1,000-seat Activities Center on the campus of Madonna University. The change was necessitated as EMU's home court will be occupied with the annual St. Joe's Holiday Ball.
This is not the first time EMU has been forced to relocate a home game. During the 2001-02 season, EMU played IPFW at Fenton High School in Fenton, Mich. The Eagles pulled out a 76-60 non-conference victory over the Mastodons.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: The Eagles have won 43 of the last 62 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 68.5 percent of the contests played in the building, piling up a 137-63 all-time mark.

ALLOWING 50 OR LESS: Eastern Michigan is 98-1 all time when allowing 50 points-or-less. Since 2003-04, the Green and White has accomplished the feat 54 times with 28 of those coming against Mid-American Conference foes.

AGAINST IN-STATE SCHOOLS: Eastern Michigan has had great success against other collegiate programs in the state of Michigan over the past 11 seasons. Since the beginning of the 2002-03 season, the Eagles are 47-20 (70.1 winning percentage) against in-state rivals.

CLIMBING THE ASSIST CHARTS: Junior Desyree Thomas is currently eighth in the EMU record book with 355 career assists. Stephanie Smiley (1998-02) holds the EMU standard with 577 helpers.

A FORTNIGHT AWAY: After 13 days away from the court, the Eagles returned to action against Marygrove, Nov. 30. The nearly two week gap between contests was the longest span between contests since the 2012-13 campaign when the Green and White waited 14 days between playing UMKC (Dec. 15) and Tulane (Dec. 29).

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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