Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, January 18
Buffalo, N.Y.
2:30 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
12-4 (2-3MAC)
83
at
84
Buffalo
9-7 (2-3MAC)
1
2
OT 1
F
Eastern Michigan
28
43
12
83
Buffalo
40
31
13
84
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Eagles Unable to Hold Off Bulls in 84-83 Overtime Loss
1/18/2014 5:23:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Janay Morton drains a career-high 34 points
BUFFALO, N.Y. (EMUEagles.com) -- Eastern Michigan University's women's basketball team returned to the Empire State for the second time in the 2013-14 season, but was unable to establish a perfect 3-0 record in New York as the Eagles dropped a 84-83 overtime decision to the University at Buffalo in a Mid-American Conference cross-divisional contest. With the loss, the Green and White falls to 12-4 (2-3 MAC), while Buffalo improves to 8-8 (1-3 MAC).
The contest was the second overtime of the season, as the Eagles knocked off Butler University, 81-76, in the Convocation Center, Nov. 13, 2013. The game also marks just the second overtime in the EMU-UB series history. The Eagles are 0-2 in the extra frame against the Bulls, dropping a 66-61 decision at Alumni Arena, Jan. 20, 2000.
The Eagles were led by Janay Morton (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo), who posted a career-high 34 points and seven three-pointers. Morton becomes part of an elite group, as she now ranks 15th in the EMU laurels for most points scored in a single contest. Her seven three-pointers also put her in a tie for fifth-most made in a single game, and are the most by an EMU student-athlete since Tavelyn James drained a record 10 treys against Kent State University, Feb. 11, 2012. Furthermore, her 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from beyond the arc ranks 12-best in EMU history. Morton also tied for a team-high in steals, as she along with Oliva Fouty (Toledo, Ohio-Sylvania Northview), Desyree Thomas (Waterford, Mich.-Mott), and Cha Sweeney (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) all recorded three grabs.
Fouty also came away with her seventh double-double of the season as she pulled down a game-high 18 rebounds to go with her 11 points. Also leading the scoring front was Sweeney with 16 and Thomas with 13 points.
Collectively, the Green and White shot 31-of-88 from the field for a 35.2 percent clip. The Eagles made 9-of-29 three-point attempts, which is tied for the ninth-most attempted three-pointers in team history. The Green and White also recorded 14 steals, the most since the squad swiped the ball 18 times against Lawrence Tech, Dec. 31, 2013, in the Convocation Center. The team also showed strength from behind the free throw line, as 12-of-15 extra points established an 80 percent shooting efficiency.
The Bulls were led by Mackenzie Loesing, who scored 26 points in the victory. Christa Baccas and Kristen Sharkey were formidable in the post, as they put up 18 and 17 points, respectively, while also each recording a double double from pulling down 15 and 14 rebounds. The Bulls shot for a better percentage from the field, going 31-of-70 for 44.3 percent. Buffalo also out-rebounded the Eagles 55-51, but the Green and White held the upper hand on controlling the boards in the second portion of the matchup.
The Bulls managed to be the first on the board after a handful of attempted shots finally proved fruitful in a low-post bucket from Sharkey. Sweeney quickly retaliated with a jump shot to knot the score at two apiece, and the Eagles soon found themselves on the winning side of the score battle after Morton hit a triple to put the Green and White up, 5-2.
Buffalo's Loesing hit a trey for the Bulls, but quick defense and aggressive rebounding prevented the Bulls from scoring for three possessions. In the meantime, Morton went on a scoring spree, dropping in a fastbreak layup off the glass and sinking her second three-pointer in as many attempts to put the Eagles up 10-5 in the opening four minutes of play.
Offense slowed to a halt in the following minutes for Head Coach Tory Verdi's squad, until a Morton steal off the inbound play under the Buffalo basket left Sweeney wide open down-court for a speedy conversion. The Bulls had since then made a slight comeback, going on a 4-0 run before being stopped by the Eagles' extension of their lead at 12-9.
The two teams went back-and-forth on scoring over the next few possessions, as the Bulls managed to tie the score up at 14-14 before Morton rose up in the paint for a jumper to return sole control of the scoreboard to the Green and White. The Bulls had a short-lived lead after Loesing nailed a three-pointer and drew the foul to drop in additional free throw to her count, later notching a steal and running down-court for a fastbreak layup to give the Bulls a 20-18 edge.
Sweeney brought the Green and White back up to speed after swiping the ball at halfcourt and returning it to the Eagle basket for a layup and later hitting a triple to knot the score at 23-23. Unfortunately, the Bulls pulled ahead by 13 points after Loesing hit her third shot from behind the arc of the half.
Trailing 36-23, Morton managed to end the three-minute scoring drought with a triple from the top of the arc. The Bulls were somewhat slowed for the remainder of the half, as Christa Baccas contributed the final four points. Eastern was the last team to light up the scoreboard, as Thomas hit a last second shot to leave the Eagles trailing 40-28 heading into the locker room.
Morton paced the Eagle offense in the first half after earning 13 points for the Green and White, fuled by a trio of triples. Sweeney followed closely behind with nine points and also snatched two steals from the Bulls in the opening period. Natachia Watkins (South Euclid, Ohio-Brush) led on the boards with six rebounds. As a team, the Eagles were 12-of-36 for a 33.3 percent shooting accuracy.
The Bulls had the upper hand in numerous categories, as Loesing led all players with 18 points and three steals and Sharkey added 10 points to the count. Baccas commanded the boards as she pulled down 10 rebounds. The Green and White struggled with corraling the Bulls, as Buffalo was 15-of-31 from the field, nearly a 50 percent success rate. The Bulls also held the edge in rebounding, 27-18.
The Green and White started out the second half with possession of the ball, and after many successive attempted shots the squad managed to score after Thomas found Watkins open under the hoop. The Eagles strung together another six points after Morton sunk yet another triple for the team and put together an and-one play, bringing the Green and White within three points at 41-39.
Baccas put a stop to the 11-1 opening run by the Eagles with an easy put-in off the glass and Margeaux Gupilan scored her first pair of points of the contest to increase the scoring gap. After a stint of scoreless play, Sweeney nailed a pair of free throws. However, the Bulls continued to score, soon increasing the lead to 19 points before Sweeney once again found her way to the basket and poured in an additional free throw as the Eagles still trailed 60-48.
Following a layup by Morton to bring the score to 62-51, Coach Verdi quickly responded by calling a timeout to reconvene and organize the gameplan for an aggressive full-court press tha tthe squad would use in the ensuing inbound play. The Eagles found some success as Sweeney and Thomas took advantage of a flurry of steals to kick off an 8-0 run that broght the Eagles within seven points of the Bulls at 66-59.
The defensive press forced Buffalo's coach to call her final timeout with nearly four minutes of play remaining, and the Green and white continued to chip away at the score after Morton continued to be a sharpshooter from three-point range. A traveling call on the Bulls gave the ball back to the Eagles, and Fouty faked out the attempted block from Baccas to close the deficit, down two points at 68-66.
Buffalo built its lead back up to five points, but Morton hit her sixth triple of the afternoon to once again bring the matchup to a one-possession game. Coach Verdi exhausted his final timeout with 50 seconds remaining. After a deflection came out of the Eagle press, the Green and White had the opportunity to score as Morton attempted a shot off the backboard that just snuck out of the rim.
Forced to foul as the Bulls had the ball, Gupilan missed her free throw off a one-and-one, which was retrieved by Shannise Heady (Hazel Crest, Ill.-Hillcrest-Seton Hall), who made her way down the court. With four seconds on the clock, Watkins came out strong in the clutch play as she hit a turnaround jumper to bring the score to 71-all, forcing the overtime period.
Thomas aided in an early lead as she poured in the first pair of points. The two teams battled back-and-forth, with Buffalo taking a three-point lead before Morton tied up the contest with a triple. Morton then sank two free throws to once again tie up the contest at 80-80. After Sharkey stepped outside her usual post to hit a jump shot and put the Bulls up, 82-81, Phillis Webb (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) flipped the score to 83-82 in favor of the Eagles after a pair of free throws found their way through the rim.
With four seconds remaining in the extra period, Loesing threw up a shot to give the Bulls an 84-83 advantage. As Sweeney launched a last-second attempt to score, the ball landed just off target, closing out the matchup with a hard-fought Eagle loss.
The Eagles will stay on the road for their next contest, as the Green and White make the short trip to Bowling Green State University Thursday, Jan. 23, for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
The contest was the second overtime of the season, as the Eagles knocked off Butler University, 81-76, in the Convocation Center, Nov. 13, 2013. The game also marks just the second overtime in the EMU-UB series history. The Eagles are 0-2 in the extra frame against the Bulls, dropping a 66-61 decision at Alumni Arena, Jan. 20, 2000.
The Eagles were led by Janay Morton (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo), who posted a career-high 34 points and seven three-pointers. Morton becomes part of an elite group, as she now ranks 15th in the EMU laurels for most points scored in a single contest. Her seven three-pointers also put her in a tie for fifth-most made in a single game, and are the most by an EMU student-athlete since Tavelyn James drained a record 10 treys against Kent State University, Feb. 11, 2012. Furthermore, her 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from beyond the arc ranks 12-best in EMU history. Morton also tied for a team-high in steals, as she along with Oliva Fouty (Toledo, Ohio-Sylvania Northview), Desyree Thomas (Waterford, Mich.-Mott), and Cha Sweeney (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) all recorded three grabs.
Fouty also came away with her seventh double-double of the season as she pulled down a game-high 18 rebounds to go with her 11 points. Also leading the scoring front was Sweeney with 16 and Thomas with 13 points.
Collectively, the Green and White shot 31-of-88 from the field for a 35.2 percent clip. The Eagles made 9-of-29 three-point attempts, which is tied for the ninth-most attempted three-pointers in team history. The Green and White also recorded 14 steals, the most since the squad swiped the ball 18 times against Lawrence Tech, Dec. 31, 2013, in the Convocation Center. The team also showed strength from behind the free throw line, as 12-of-15 extra points established an 80 percent shooting efficiency.
The Bulls were led by Mackenzie Loesing, who scored 26 points in the victory. Christa Baccas and Kristen Sharkey were formidable in the post, as they put up 18 and 17 points, respectively, while also each recording a double double from pulling down 15 and 14 rebounds. The Bulls shot for a better percentage from the field, going 31-of-70 for 44.3 percent. Buffalo also out-rebounded the Eagles 55-51, but the Green and White held the upper hand on controlling the boards in the second portion of the matchup.
The Bulls managed to be the first on the board after a handful of attempted shots finally proved fruitful in a low-post bucket from Sharkey. Sweeney quickly retaliated with a jump shot to knot the score at two apiece, and the Eagles soon found themselves on the winning side of the score battle after Morton hit a triple to put the Green and White up, 5-2.
Buffalo's Loesing hit a trey for the Bulls, but quick defense and aggressive rebounding prevented the Bulls from scoring for three possessions. In the meantime, Morton went on a scoring spree, dropping in a fastbreak layup off the glass and sinking her second three-pointer in as many attempts to put the Eagles up 10-5 in the opening four minutes of play.
Offense slowed to a halt in the following minutes for Head Coach Tory Verdi's squad, until a Morton steal off the inbound play under the Buffalo basket left Sweeney wide open down-court for a speedy conversion. The Bulls had since then made a slight comeback, going on a 4-0 run before being stopped by the Eagles' extension of their lead at 12-9.
The two teams went back-and-forth on scoring over the next few possessions, as the Bulls managed to tie the score up at 14-14 before Morton rose up in the paint for a jumper to return sole control of the scoreboard to the Green and White. The Bulls had a short-lived lead after Loesing nailed a three-pointer and drew the foul to drop in additional free throw to her count, later notching a steal and running down-court for a fastbreak layup to give the Bulls a 20-18 edge.
Sweeney brought the Green and White back up to speed after swiping the ball at halfcourt and returning it to the Eagle basket for a layup and later hitting a triple to knot the score at 23-23. Unfortunately, the Bulls pulled ahead by 13 points after Loesing hit her third shot from behind the arc of the half.
Trailing 36-23, Morton managed to end the three-minute scoring drought with a triple from the top of the arc. The Bulls were somewhat slowed for the remainder of the half, as Christa Baccas contributed the final four points. Eastern was the last team to light up the scoreboard, as Thomas hit a last second shot to leave the Eagles trailing 40-28 heading into the locker room.
Morton paced the Eagle offense in the first half after earning 13 points for the Green and White, fuled by a trio of triples. Sweeney followed closely behind with nine points and also snatched two steals from the Bulls in the opening period. Natachia Watkins (South Euclid, Ohio-Brush) led on the boards with six rebounds. As a team, the Eagles were 12-of-36 for a 33.3 percent shooting accuracy.
The Bulls had the upper hand in numerous categories, as Loesing led all players with 18 points and three steals and Sharkey added 10 points to the count. Baccas commanded the boards as she pulled down 10 rebounds. The Green and White struggled with corraling the Bulls, as Buffalo was 15-of-31 from the field, nearly a 50 percent success rate. The Bulls also held the edge in rebounding, 27-18.
The Green and White started out the second half with possession of the ball, and after many successive attempted shots the squad managed to score after Thomas found Watkins open under the hoop. The Eagles strung together another six points after Morton sunk yet another triple for the team and put together an and-one play, bringing the Green and White within three points at 41-39.
Baccas put a stop to the 11-1 opening run by the Eagles with an easy put-in off the glass and Margeaux Gupilan scored her first pair of points of the contest to increase the scoring gap. After a stint of scoreless play, Sweeney nailed a pair of free throws. However, the Bulls continued to score, soon increasing the lead to 19 points before Sweeney once again found her way to the basket and poured in an additional free throw as the Eagles still trailed 60-48.
Following a layup by Morton to bring the score to 62-51, Coach Verdi quickly responded by calling a timeout to reconvene and organize the gameplan for an aggressive full-court press tha tthe squad would use in the ensuing inbound play. The Eagles found some success as Sweeney and Thomas took advantage of a flurry of steals to kick off an 8-0 run that broght the Eagles within seven points of the Bulls at 66-59.
The defensive press forced Buffalo's coach to call her final timeout with nearly four minutes of play remaining, and the Green and white continued to chip away at the score after Morton continued to be a sharpshooter from three-point range. A traveling call on the Bulls gave the ball back to the Eagles, and Fouty faked out the attempted block from Baccas to close the deficit, down two points at 68-66.
Buffalo built its lead back up to five points, but Morton hit her sixth triple of the afternoon to once again bring the matchup to a one-possession game. Coach Verdi exhausted his final timeout with 50 seconds remaining. After a deflection came out of the Eagle press, the Green and White had the opportunity to score as Morton attempted a shot off the backboard that just snuck out of the rim.
Forced to foul as the Bulls had the ball, Gupilan missed her free throw off a one-and-one, which was retrieved by Shannise Heady (Hazel Crest, Ill.-Hillcrest-Seton Hall), who made her way down the court. With four seconds on the clock, Watkins came out strong in the clutch play as she hit a turnaround jumper to bring the score to 71-all, forcing the overtime period.
Thomas aided in an early lead as she poured in the first pair of points. The two teams battled back-and-forth, with Buffalo taking a three-point lead before Morton tied up the contest with a triple. Morton then sank two free throws to once again tie up the contest at 80-80. After Sharkey stepped outside her usual post to hit a jump shot and put the Bulls up, 82-81, Phillis Webb (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) flipped the score to 83-82 in favor of the Eagles after a pair of free throws found their way through the rim.
With four seconds remaining in the extra period, Loesing threw up a shot to give the Bulls an 84-83 advantage. As Sweeney launched a last-second attempt to score, the ball landed just off target, closing out the matchup with a hard-fought Eagle loss.
The Eagles will stay on the road for their next contest, as the Green and White make the short trip to Bowling Green State University Thursday, Jan. 23, for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
Team Stats
EMU
UB
FG%
.352
.443
3FG%
.310
.333
FT%
.800
.607
RB
51
55
TO
24
29
STL
14
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
34
FGM
12
3FGM
7
FTM
3
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
1
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