Spend Super Sunday With the Eagles and Cardinals

SPEND SUPER SUNDAY WITH THE EAGLES AND CARDINALS: The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team hosts Ball State University Sunday, Feb. 3, in a Mid-American Conference West Division tilt. The opening tip is scheduled for 2:04 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
Eastern Michigan enters the game with a 5-15 (3-4 MAC) record, after a 67-62 victory at home against Northern Illinois University, Jan. 31. The Cardinals are 9-11 (6-1 MAC) on the season following a 73-50 road victory over Western Michigan University, Jan. 31.

A SPOTLIGHT ON THE CARDINALS: The Feb. 3 contest marks the 65th meeting between the Cardinals and Eagles, who first played during the 1979-80 season. Eastern Michigan leads the series, 36-28, as the teams split a pair of contests last season. BSU notched a 54-51 victory at Worthen Arena, Jan. 5, 2012, to open conference play, but EMU returned the favor with a 74-43 win at the Convocation Center, Feb. 25, 2012.

SUPER BOWL = EMU WIN?: For just the third time in the program's 37-year history, the Eagles will play on the same day as the National Football League's Super Bowl. EMU has posted victories on both previous occasions. The then-Hurons notched a 79-74 overtime victory against Pittsburgh at venerable Bowen Field House, Jan. 20, 1980, while the Pittsburgh Steelers were capturing a 31-19 decision over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV. Then on Feb. 5, 2005, Eastern Michigan finished off Central Michigan, 60-48, in Mount Pleasant, Mich. as the New England Patriots edged the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-21, in Super Bowl XXXIX.
So, if tradition holds true to form the American Football Conference (AFC) Champion Baltimore Ravens will also defeat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII.

THOMAS DISHING OUT THE ASSISTS: Court vision is what most guards work on daily in practice, and lately for junior Desyree Thomas it has come naturally. Thomas tallied 11 assists in the 67-62 victory over Northern Illinois, Jan. 31, which is tied for the 11th most in a single game in the program's 37-year history. To add to the impressive feat, the Waterford, Mich. native had zero turnovers in 33 minutes of work.
Betsy Brown holds the record set in 1995 with 14 dimes against Chicago State.

CAGE HEATING UP: Freshman Bianca Cage has found Mid-American Conference play to her liking. Through seven games the Memphis, Tenn. native is averaging a team-best 14.7 points per game and a 48.1 percent shooting clip. She is one of only five freshmen to average double figure points in MAC-only contests, joining Buffalo's Mackenzie Loesing (14.3), Ohio's Kiyanna Black (12.1), Ball State's Nathalie Fontaine (12.5) and Western Michigan's Marquisha Harris (11.7).

THE LAST TIME WE MET: EMU 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 2012 FirstEnergy Women's Basketball Tournament in Cleveland with a 74-43 win over Ball State, Feb. 25, 2011, in the Convocation Center. The EMU win also avenged a 54-51 loss to BSU, Jan. 5, in Muncie, Ind.
EMU's two seniors, guard Tavelyn James and forward Paige Redditt, 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. Olivia Fouty added 17 points and nine rebounds and Natachia Watkins recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Ball State was paced by Suzann Grossnickle with 13 and Brittany Carter tallied eight.

SMILES & BASKETBALL - EMU TO STAGE A CLINIC IN NEWTOWN, CONN.: Head Coach Tory Verdi was born and raised in Connecticut. His first coaching experiences came at Western Connecticut State University and before that at Pomperaug High School in Southbury, Conn., located just 10 miles from Newtown.
On Dec. 14, the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown shook the entire world, sparking a desire to help the community in any way possible. In response, Verdi and his Eastern Michigan team plan to help stage an afternoon of basketball instruction and fun activities for youngsters in Newtown on Sunday, Feb. 10.
Verdi and members of the Eastern team will work with the Newtown Youth Basketball Association to stage the “Smiles & Basketball” clinic, from 2 p.m.-6 p.m. at Newtown High School.
The clinic will be for students from kindergarten through eighth grade. There will be three hours of basketball instruction and an hour of entertainment for two separate groups, kindergarten through third grade and fourth through eighth grades. A carnival area will consist of games, arts and crafts, face painting, a balloonist and clowns, plus food and prizes. Eastern's players will be working at stations in both the gym and carnival areas. Verdi says his and the team's objective is to help the children and families of Newtown keep moving forward, and understand that they are not alone.

AKRON ON THE HORIZON: The Feb. 6 contest against the University of Akron marks the 31st meeting between the Zips and Eagles, who first met during the 1981-82 season. UA leads the series, 16-14. The teams met only once during the 2011-12 regular season with EMU claiming a 91-46 decision in Ypsilanti.

DOWN BUT NOT OUT: Sophomore Amber Bogard has missed the last two games after suffering an arm injury in the first half at Kent State, Feb. 24. The Cleveland, Ohio native is listed as day-to-day.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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