Women's Basketball Remains on the Road at UTPA

EDINBURG, Texas -- After suffering its first loss of the season to No. 14/15 Michigan State University, the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team will stay on the road traveling to Edinburg, Texas to go up against the University of Texas-Pan American Saturday, Nov. 22. Tipoff from UTPA Fieldhouse is slated for 1 p.m. CT.
   Eastern Michigan is 1-1 on the year following a 69-61 setback to nationally-ranked MSU, Nov. 16, while Texas-Pan American is 2-2 on the season after knocking off Texas A&M-Kingsville, 86-36, and still host Concordia University, Nov. 20, before taking on EMU.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE BRONCS: Saturday's contest will mark the first time the Eagles and the Broncs have squared off on the court. However, Eastern Michigan has gone up against teams from the Lone Star State on six different occasions, holding a 1-5 overall record. The Green and White's lone win came against Lamar University, Nov. 22, 2003, when the Eagles downed the Cardinals 90-46 at the Convocation Center.

TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN AT A GLANCE: The Broncs wasted no time testing their talent this season as they took on two nationally-ranked opponents in their first three games of the 2014-15 campaign. UTPA picked up its first win of the season over the University of New Mexico before falling to No. 18 DePaul University, 93-70, Nov. 15. However, the Broncs gave No. 5 Texas A&M a scare, leading by as many as 12 before dropping a 63-61 contest to the Aggies, Nov. 16.
   Texas-Pan American is led by Shawnte' Goff, who is is averaging 17.3 points per contest, while junior KaeLynn Boyd averages 10.0 points for the Broncs. As a team, UTPA is shooting 35.8 percent from the floor and an impressive 32.1 percent from three-point land. However, the Broncs are giving up 71.7 points per contest, while scoring just 64.0.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE WAC: Eastern Michigan is 14-2 all-time versus the Englewood, Colo. based Western Athletic Conference, having played against three of the eight member institutions. EMU is 10-0 against Chicago State, 4-1 versus UMKC and 0-1 against Seattle.

STRONG START TO 2014-15: After dominating Kent State-Tuscarawas in its season debut, the EMU women's basketball team has continued to show that they will be a force to be reckoned with during the 2014-15 season. The Eagles are averaging 94.0 points per contest, while allowing its opposition just 54.5 points per game. Furthermore, the Eagles have taken 164 shots, compared to just 120 by their opponents.
   On the defensive side of the ball, EMU has shown off its quick hands and speed in the backcourt, forcing three 10-second violations in the first two games of the season. The Green and White has also swiped the ball on 35 occasions and has allowed opponents just eight steals through two contests. Also, Eastern has turned the ball over just 28 times compared to the 53 miscues made by its opponents.

EAGLES GIVE SPARTANS A SCARE IN EAST LANSING: Despite dropping its first road contest of the 2014-15 season, EMU gave No. 14/15 Michigan State a scare at the Breslin Center Sunday, Nov. 16. The Green and White cut the deficit to just four points with 2:27 to play, but the Spartans closed the contest with seven of the game's final 11 points to take the 69-61 non-conference victory.

FINDING HER PLACE IN THE RECORD BOOKS: After just one collegiate contest, freshman Sasha Dailey has already found her place in the history of NCAA women's basketball. The Toledo, Ohio native's 31 points against Kent State-Tuscarawas is the most scored by any freshman in their collegiate debut in the 2014-15 season as she notched two more points than Margot Hetzke of Siena Heights and Brianna Turner of Notre Dame. Furthermore, her 31 points ranks second all-time in NCAA Division I women's basketball history. The record is owned by Janet Harris who scored 39 points in her collegiate debut at Georgia, Nov. 27, 1981.

FRESHMAN PHENOM: Eastern Michigan sophomore Cha Sweeney put together quite the debut in her freshman campaign against Madonna, Nov. 9, 2013. Sweeney scored 25 points, while shooting 10-of-17 from the floor. Despite her exceptional day last season, she was bested by former high school teammate Sasha Dailey in the Eagles 127-40 win over Kent State–Tuscarawas Friday, Nov. 14. Dailey went a cool 15-for-20 from the floor, while racking up 31 points, nine rebounds, nine steals, six assists and one block in her NCAA Division I debut. In addition, her nine steals tied for the second-most in EMU history, while it was tied for the most in Convocation Center history.

SMASHING THE RECORD BOOK: The 2014-15 EMU women's basketball team broke multiple program records in the Eagles' dominating 127-40 win over Kent State-Tuscarawas, Nov. 14. The 127 points by the Green and White were the most scored in program history, eclipsing the 120 points Eastern scored last season, Nov. 30, 2013, in a 120-35 victory against Marygrove. Throughout the contest, EMU attempted 99 shots from the floor to tie a school record that occurred in that same game against Marygrove last year. Out of the 99 field goals, the Eagles sank a record 57 of them, smashing the previous program high of 46 versus Temple Baptist, Nov. 11, 2007.
   All three records are also Convocation Center records, home of the EMU Eagles. In individual performances, freshman Sasha Dailey tied a Convocation Center best with nine steals. The best steals performance on the Eagles' home floor is also shared by Monica Albano and Shawnita Garland, formerly of Loyola-Chicago and Cleveland State, respectively, and EMU all-time great Tavelyn James.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan returns to the Convocation Center for a mid-week non-conference contest against Hillsdale College Tuesday, Nov. 25. Tip off is slated for 7 p.m. for the first meeting between the two in-state programs.

MR. ROGERS NEIGHBORHOOD: Sophomore Cha Sweeney is joined by two former Rogers High School teammates – freshman guard Sasha Dailey and freshman forward Tori Easley. The two freshmen bring the total number of Rogers alumni to four with junior forward KaBria Walker returning to Eastern this season.
   Nationally, EMU is the only Division I women's program with four players from the same high school. Drexel University posts the next best mark with three teammates from Archbishop Carroll High School.

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Players Mentioned

Sasha Dailey

Tori Easley

Cha Sweeney

KaBria Walker

Eastern Michigan Athletics