Women's Basketball Returns Home for Tilt with Cleveland State

Live Stats: Fan. Media.

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- After earning two victories at the Hotel Encanto Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 28-29, the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of the Convocation Center for a non-conference contest against Cleveland State Tuesday, Dec. 2. The Eagles (4-2) look to keep their perfect 2-0 home record intact when they tip off with the Vikings (3-2) at 7 p.m. inside the Convo.
   The contest can be found on both WEMU (89.1 FM) and Eagle All-Access (emueagles.com/watch). Chad Bush will call the action while Greg Steiner will provide analysis.

CLASHING WITH THE VIKINGS: Tuesday's mid-week contest against Cleveland State will mark the 15th time the two teams have met on the hardwood with Eastern Michigan holding a 10-4 overall record over the Vikings. Last season when the Eagles traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, EMU brought home an 84-70 victory, Nov. 17, 2013.
   Two Ohio natives led the Eagles as Olivia Fouty tallied 19 points and Cha Sweeney added 17 to the EMU effort. Phillis Webb contributed 10 points, while Natachia Watkins and Jamaica Bucknor each added nine points and a team-high eight rebounds.

ALL-TIME AGAINST TEAMS FROM THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan holds a slight 51-40 advantage over teams from the Indianapolis, Ind. based league. The Eagles have faced all nine members of the conference with their most games coming against in-state rival, the University of Detroit Mercy.

A PEEK AT THE VIKINGS: Cleveland State comes into the mid-week contest having won three of its first five games of the 2014-15 season. The Vikings have won their two most recent contests and picked up a win in their first game of the season against Mid-American Conference opponent Toledo, Nov. 14.
   The Vikings average 77.4 points per game and are shooting 44.7 percent from the floor and 43.0 percent from three-point range. However, CSU has struggled from the free throw line, shooting just 58.6 percent. Cleveland State has recorded assists on 68 percent of their field goals this season, averaging 20.2 assists per game. The Vikings have also been able to keep their turnovers down, averaging just 11.6 per game, while also blocking an average of four shots per outing.
   All five of Cleveland State's starters put up double-digit scoring averages with Cori Coleman leading the offensive output. The senior guard is averaging 14.2 points per game, while Adesuwa Aideyman and Imani Gordon are both averaging 11+ points per game. Finally, Kiersten Green and Alexis Eckles are averaging 10+ points per outing for the Green and White. Furthermore, CSU has three players shooting 50-percent or better from the floor and has had at least three double-digit scorers in all five of its games this season.

TAKING TWO IN LAS CRUCES: The Eagles return to Ypsilanti after picking up two wins at the Hotel Encanto Thanksgiving Classic in Las Cruces, N.M., Nov. 28-29. Eastern Michigan first clinched a narrow 78-74 win in its first game against Cal State Fullerton, Nov. 2, before it earned a 57-42 win in a low scoring affair against Weber State, Nov. 29.
   Sophomore Cha Sweeney notched 37 points in two games, including a season-best 21 points against Cal State Fullerton, while Jamaica Bucknor scored 23 points and pulled down 16 boards for the Green and White.
   As a team, Eastern shot 45.6 percent from the floor and a season-best 47.6 percent from beyond the arc going 10-for-21 against CSUF with the Eagle bench contributing 32 points to the EMU scoring effort, while EMU found 20 points in the paint and notched 15 points off of Titan miscues.
   Against the Wildcats, the Eagles had a balanced scoring attack as they boasted a pair of players in double-digit scoring figures. Sweeney notched 16 points to go along with three rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Janay Morton recorded 11 points in the victory, thanks in large part to a nearly flawless 6-of-7 performance from the free throw line. Junior Shannise Heady dropped in seven points and grabbed six caroms for the Green and White, and junior Rachel Kehoe pulled down a career-best 13 rebounds on the afternoon.

LEADERS OF THE MAC: Through the first three weeks of the season, the Eagles find themselves leading the Mid-American Conference in several statistical categories. EMU crashes the board effectively, pulling down 47.8 rebounds per game, including 32.0 per contest on the defensive side of the floor, to lead the conference in both rebounding offense and defensive rebounds. Eastern is also second in the MAC in rebounding margin (+5.3), offensive rebound percentage (.370) and field goal percentage defense (.313). The Green and White has swiped the ball from opponents 69 times throughout the 2014-15 season, averaging to 11.5 steals per game to lead all MAC institutions.

BUCKNOR MAKING STRIDES IN SENIOR SEASON: Senior Jamaica Bucknor has made a splash in her final season as an Eagle. The Brooklyn, N.Y. native has recorded double-digit scoring efforts in four of the first six games which matches her season total from just a year ago. The transfer from ASA College has also matched her double-digit rebounding total of one game from a season ago, pulling down 10 rebounds against Hillsdale, Nov. 25. Bucknor has already set career highs in field goals (8), three-point field goals (3), assists (2), and blocks (2) this year and is just three rebounds shy of matching her career-high 13 boards against Evansville, March 20, 2014.
The senior guard is shooting an impressive 56.0 percent from the floor and 47.4 percent from beyond the arc, knocking down nine three pointers this season. The senior's nine treys matches her season total from the 2013-14 campaign, while her 10 steals are four more than she swiped a season ago.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: The Eagles have won 52 of the last 68 home games dating back to the 2008-09 season. 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 67.4 percent of the contests played in the building, piling up a 145-70 all-time mark.

ON THE HORIZON: The Eagles will hit the road for the fifth time this season Saturday, Dec. 6 when they take on Oral Roberts in Tulsa, Okla. Tip off is slated for 2 p.m. C.T.
   Following the trip to Oklahoma, the Green and White will go up against Madonna at the Convocation Center Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m.

Women's Basketball Returns Home for Tilt with Cleveland State

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Players Mentioned

Jamaica Bucknor

Olivia Fouty

Shannise Heady

Rachel Kehoe

Janay Morton

Cha Sweeney

Natachia Watkins

Phillis Webb

Eastern Michigan Athletics