Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, December 7
Madonna Activities Center
12 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
6-0
75
vs
66
UMKC
2-7
1
2
F
UMKC
32
34
66
Eastern Michigan
39
36
75
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Women's Basketball Wrangles Kangaroos, 75-66
12/7/2013 2:17:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Eagles start season 6-0 for first time since 2004-05
Postgame Audio.
Re-Listen to the Game.
LIVONIA, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Eastern Michigan University's women's basketball team remains undefeated on the 2013-14 campaign with its win over the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Dec. 7, at the Activities Center on the campus of Madonna University. The Green and White's 75-66 victory improves its record to 6-0 overall on the season, while the Kangaroos fall to 2-7 overall. The team's 6-0 start to the season is the first time the Eagles have gone undefeated during six their first six games since the 2004-05 campaign.
The Eagles were led by Janay Morton (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) and Desyree Thomas (Waterford, Mich.-Mott), who contributed 18 and 17 points for the afternoon, respectively. The duo made a combined five shots from behind the arc and shot 8-of-10 from behind the charity stripe. Thomas paced both teams in assists, dishing out six dimes while also coming away with a game-high three steals. Jamaica Bucknor (New Haven, Conn.-Weaver (ASA College)) also landed in double-digit scoring figures with a career-high 11 points. On the boards, Olivia Fouty (Toledo, Ohio-Sylvania Northview) had a game-high 10 rebounds for the Eagles.
The team was 24-of-66 from the field, good for 36.4 percent, and 18-of-26 from the free throw line, a 69.2 percent success rate. The first half was loaded with three-pointers as the Eagles made 8-of-21, but they were held to just 1-of-16 in the second half. Though the Kangaroos were slightly more successful with a 37.3 shooting percentage, their 23 turnovers proved to be detrimental. UMKC also turned out a stronger performance in rebounding, as they pulled down 50 boards over EMU's 40.
The contest remained scoreless for the first minute and a half, until Fouty grabbed a rebound under the UMKC basket and found Thomas down-court for a fastbreak layup. The Eagles missed a series of shots, but were aggressive on offensive rebounding and were able to finally score off a Morton bucket inside the paint. The Roos found their first points of the matchup after Taylor Strickland spun in under the rim for a shot off the glass as the Eagles led, 4-2 with 16:38 remaining.
A handful of EMU turnovers gave the Roos enough scoring opportunities to flop the score to the UMKC advantage, as they scored six-straight points in a minute span to take a four-point lead over the Green and White.
The Eagles broke their three-minute scoring jinx when a Haley Moore (Milford, Neb.-Milford) shot from beyond the arc brought Eastern's count within three. Shortly after, a triple from Bucknor followed by a forced turnover and another long shot by Thomas quickly gave the Eagles command of the board again. Moore drained the team's fourth-straight three-point shot to bring the count to 16-12 and force a UMKC timeout.
Hot shooting from three-point range continued to grace the Eagles, as Thomas faked a drive and pulled back to hit her second triple of the afternoon. In three and a half minutes, the Eagles went a flawless five-for-five from behind the arc. Morton moved into the key to score the next points for the Eagles, giving the Green and White a 21-16 edge.
The Roos continued to move the ball in an attempt to keep pace with the recently-sparked Green and White offense, as a jumper, a three and a layup put the matchup within two points. Taylor Strickland was able to knot the score at 26 apiece with six minutes remaining in the half, but a deep three from Morton gave EMU command of the board once more.
Action remained stagnant for nearly two minutes as neither team was able to find a way to score, but the score was brought up to 34-26 after Fouty hit a pair from behind the charity stripe and Denaya Brazzle (Portland, Ore.-Jefferson) contributed her first points of the game with a three-pointer.
Following a handful of UMKC points from inside the paint, Morton converted on a triple and Fouty scored in the low post to bring the count to 39-30 with 46 seconds remaining for the period. The Roos were the last to score in the first half, as a drive from the elbow to the basket from Calli White found the glass and dropped in, closing out the first half with a 39-32 Eagle edge.
Heading into the locker rooms, the Eagles were led by Morton with 11 points and three rebounds. Morton, along with Thomas and Moore each nailed a pair of three-point shots. Despite turning over the rock seven times and shooting just 38.2 percent from the field, the Green and White was able to retain its lead over UMKC as it forced 10 Kangaroo turnovers and held the opposing squad to a 33.3 shooting percentage, including an 18.2 percentage from three-point range. The Roos were only able to find the net on two shots, while the Eagles finished the half with eight successful long shots.
Morton opened up the floor for scoring in the second half with a pair of free throws and UMKC's White answered back with a mid-range jumper. The two teams traded baskets once more as a putback by Fouty was followed up by a Kelsey Barnwell jumper. The Eagles gained a 10-point lead, the most of the afternoon to that point, after Phillis Webb (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) capitalized on a foul off a made layup to nail the accompanying free throw and keep the Green and white on top, 48-38.
UMKC rallied together and hit back-to-back-to-back threes to bring the contest within one point before Fouty ended the run with a shot under the hoop. A shot by Cha Sweeney (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) increased the lead to five points, but a left side underhand layup by Barnwell kept the battle alive. Aggressive pressing forced a turnover from a ten-second violation, and a sideline jump shot from Natachia Watkins (South Euclid, Ohio-Brush) kept the Eagles up, 56-52, with 7:52 on the clock.
The Eagles and the Roos traded blows with inside layups, but the Green and White chipped away at the UMKC defense as Thomas hit a jump shot off a short drive and later found the lane to Bucknor under the basket, whose and-one play increased the lead to nine points as the score stood at 64-56 with just under five minutes remaining. The Roos were able to put an additional four points on the board, but Thomas hit a sideline triple to silence their effort.
Quick feet under the Kangaroo's basket allowed Sweeney to draw a charge off of UMKC's second-leading scorer, Eilise O'Connor, causing her to foul out with 3:27 remaining. The Roos continued to foul and Morton was able to add three to the count with a handful of free throws.
With one minute remaining in regulation time, the score stood at 70-66 and remained scoreless until Sara Stone (Plymouth, Mich.-Salem) made a free throw with 18 seconds on the clock. Following a UMKC defensive rebound, Barnwell attempted to launch the ball down-court to a teammate but was picked off by Thomas, who was fouled and made her pair of free throws to bring the score to 73-66.
Watkins added an additional pair of free throws to close out the game, bringing the winning score to 75-66.
The Eagles' next game will be the "Battle of Washtenaw County," as the Green and White will square off against the University of Michigan Wednesday, Dec 11, at 7 p.m. at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Re-Listen to the Game.
LIVONIA, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Eastern Michigan University's women's basketball team remains undefeated on the 2013-14 campaign with its win over the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Dec. 7, at the Activities Center on the campus of Madonna University. The Green and White's 75-66 victory improves its record to 6-0 overall on the season, while the Kangaroos fall to 2-7 overall. The team's 6-0 start to the season is the first time the Eagles have gone undefeated during six their first six games since the 2004-05 campaign.
The Eagles were led by Janay Morton (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) and Desyree Thomas (Waterford, Mich.-Mott), who contributed 18 and 17 points for the afternoon, respectively. The duo made a combined five shots from behind the arc and shot 8-of-10 from behind the charity stripe. Thomas paced both teams in assists, dishing out six dimes while also coming away with a game-high three steals. Jamaica Bucknor (New Haven, Conn.-Weaver (ASA College)) also landed in double-digit scoring figures with a career-high 11 points. On the boards, Olivia Fouty (Toledo, Ohio-Sylvania Northview) had a game-high 10 rebounds for the Eagles.
The team was 24-of-66 from the field, good for 36.4 percent, and 18-of-26 from the free throw line, a 69.2 percent success rate. The first half was loaded with three-pointers as the Eagles made 8-of-21, but they were held to just 1-of-16 in the second half. Though the Kangaroos were slightly more successful with a 37.3 shooting percentage, their 23 turnovers proved to be detrimental. UMKC also turned out a stronger performance in rebounding, as they pulled down 50 boards over EMU's 40.
The contest remained scoreless for the first minute and a half, until Fouty grabbed a rebound under the UMKC basket and found Thomas down-court for a fastbreak layup. The Eagles missed a series of shots, but were aggressive on offensive rebounding and were able to finally score off a Morton bucket inside the paint. The Roos found their first points of the matchup after Taylor Strickland spun in under the rim for a shot off the glass as the Eagles led, 4-2 with 16:38 remaining.
A handful of EMU turnovers gave the Roos enough scoring opportunities to flop the score to the UMKC advantage, as they scored six-straight points in a minute span to take a four-point lead over the Green and White.
The Eagles broke their three-minute scoring jinx when a Haley Moore (Milford, Neb.-Milford) shot from beyond the arc brought Eastern's count within three. Shortly after, a triple from Bucknor followed by a forced turnover and another long shot by Thomas quickly gave the Eagles command of the board again. Moore drained the team's fourth-straight three-point shot to bring the count to 16-12 and force a UMKC timeout.
Hot shooting from three-point range continued to grace the Eagles, as Thomas faked a drive and pulled back to hit her second triple of the afternoon. In three and a half minutes, the Eagles went a flawless five-for-five from behind the arc. Morton moved into the key to score the next points for the Eagles, giving the Green and White a 21-16 edge.
The Roos continued to move the ball in an attempt to keep pace with the recently-sparked Green and White offense, as a jumper, a three and a layup put the matchup within two points. Taylor Strickland was able to knot the score at 26 apiece with six minutes remaining in the half, but a deep three from Morton gave EMU command of the board once more.
Action remained stagnant for nearly two minutes as neither team was able to find a way to score, but the score was brought up to 34-26 after Fouty hit a pair from behind the charity stripe and Denaya Brazzle (Portland, Ore.-Jefferson) contributed her first points of the game with a three-pointer.
Following a handful of UMKC points from inside the paint, Morton converted on a triple and Fouty scored in the low post to bring the count to 39-30 with 46 seconds remaining for the period. The Roos were the last to score in the first half, as a drive from the elbow to the basket from Calli White found the glass and dropped in, closing out the first half with a 39-32 Eagle edge.
Heading into the locker rooms, the Eagles were led by Morton with 11 points and three rebounds. Morton, along with Thomas and Moore each nailed a pair of three-point shots. Despite turning over the rock seven times and shooting just 38.2 percent from the field, the Green and White was able to retain its lead over UMKC as it forced 10 Kangaroo turnovers and held the opposing squad to a 33.3 shooting percentage, including an 18.2 percentage from three-point range. The Roos were only able to find the net on two shots, while the Eagles finished the half with eight successful long shots.
Morton opened up the floor for scoring in the second half with a pair of free throws and UMKC's White answered back with a mid-range jumper. The two teams traded baskets once more as a putback by Fouty was followed up by a Kelsey Barnwell jumper. The Eagles gained a 10-point lead, the most of the afternoon to that point, after Phillis Webb (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) capitalized on a foul off a made layup to nail the accompanying free throw and keep the Green and white on top, 48-38.
UMKC rallied together and hit back-to-back-to-back threes to bring the contest within one point before Fouty ended the run with a shot under the hoop. A shot by Cha Sweeney (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) increased the lead to five points, but a left side underhand layup by Barnwell kept the battle alive. Aggressive pressing forced a turnover from a ten-second violation, and a sideline jump shot from Natachia Watkins (South Euclid, Ohio-Brush) kept the Eagles up, 56-52, with 7:52 on the clock.
The Eagles and the Roos traded blows with inside layups, but the Green and White chipped away at the UMKC defense as Thomas hit a jump shot off a short drive and later found the lane to Bucknor under the basket, whose and-one play increased the lead to nine points as the score stood at 64-56 with just under five minutes remaining. The Roos were able to put an additional four points on the board, but Thomas hit a sideline triple to silence their effort.
Quick feet under the Kangaroo's basket allowed Sweeney to draw a charge off of UMKC's second-leading scorer, Eilise O'Connor, causing her to foul out with 3:27 remaining. The Roos continued to foul and Morton was able to add three to the count with a handful of free throws.
With one minute remaining in regulation time, the score stood at 70-66 and remained scoreless until Sara Stone (Plymouth, Mich.-Salem) made a free throw with 18 seconds on the clock. Following a UMKC defensive rebound, Barnwell attempted to launch the ball down-court to a teammate but was picked off by Thomas, who was fouled and made her pair of free throws to bring the score to 73-66.
Watkins added an additional pair of free throws to close out the game, bringing the winning score to 75-66.
The Eagles' next game will be the "Battle of Washtenaw County," as the Green and White will square off against the University of Michigan Wednesday, Dec 11, at 7 p.m. at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Team Stats
UMKC
EMU
FG%
.373
.364
3FG%
.286
.243
FT%
.714
.692
RB
50
40
TO
23
15
STL
4
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
6
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
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