Eagles Clinch Tight Victory Over Cleveland State, 71-68

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YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team kept its four-game winning streak and perfect home record intact, defeating Cleveland State University 71-68 inside the Convocation Center Tuesday, Dec. 2. The Eagles (5-2) used 44.4 percent shooting from the floor in the second half to secure the small three-point win over the Vikings (3-3).

EMU was led by sophomore Cha Sweeney (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers, who dropped 20 points, including tying a career-best eight free throws for the Eagles to notch her fifth double-digit scoring effort of the season and the 35th of her career. Janay Morton (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo)and Jamaica Bucknor (Brooklyn, N.Y.-Weaver (ASA College)) also contributed double-digit points for the Green and White adding 12 and 11 points, respectively. Bucknor was just one rebound shy of a double-double, pulling down nine boards, while Sweeney tacked on six rebounds to her stat line. The Eagles shot just 36.5 percent from the floor for the entire game and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc, while converting on a season-high 23 free throws.

CSU had three players score in double-digits with Imani Gordon leading the offense with 19 points, while Cori Coleman dropped in 18 points and Alexis Eckles added 10. Ashanti Abshaw was the only player between both teams to nab double-digit rebounds with 10, while Coleman pulled down nine boards for the Vikings. As a team, Cleveland State shot 41.5 percent from the floor and just 12.5 percent from three-point land. EMU was able to force CSU into taking more shots on less passes than usual, keeping the team to a season-low 11 assists.

After nearly two and a half minutes without either team finding a basket, CSU lit up the scoreboard with six-straight points, four of which came from Gordon, while Eastern's first basket of the game did not come until KaBria Walker (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) grabbed a putback shot and capped off the routine and-one play with 15:33 left to play in the first half. The Eagles responded to the early Viking lead with a 9-0 run behind five Bucknor points to take the 12-6 advantage and their first lead of the game.

Over the next seven minutes of action, Cleveland State scored 13 points compared to the Green and White's two points, a Phillis Webb (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) jumper from the block, to earn its second lead of the contest, 19-14, heading into the final media timeout of the half. The Eagles and the Vikings matched basket-for-basket coming out of the media timeout before EMU netted 10 of the final 12 points of the half to take a narrow 28-27 advantage into the locker room.

The Eagles shot just 30.6 percent from the floor in the first half with Bucknor and Walker combining for half of the Green and White's offensive output with seven points apiece and Shannise Heady (Hazel Crest, Ill.-Hillcrest) adding six points in the last four minutes of the half. Bucknor pulled down a team-best five boards in the first half, while EMU out-rebounded Cleveland State, 28-21.

Coleman was the lone player to reach double-digit scoring in the first half with 10 points, including two three-pointers while adding five rebounds and two steals to her stat line. As a team, the Vikings shot just slightly better than EMU in the first half, going 10-for-32 from the floor for a 31.3 shooting percentage.

Coming out in the second half Eastern tacked on 17 quick points, four of which came off of Cleveland State turnovers, extending its lead to 45-35 and forcing a CSU timeout. Shortly following the timeout, the Vikings found themselves in foul trouble with 12:32 left to play, allowing EMU to take the 50-39 advantage on two Sasha Dailey (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) free throws. Cleveland State quietly cut its deficit to just four with three-straight baskets from its starters to bring the score to 53-49 in favor of EMU before the two teams exchanged baskets on each of their next three possessions.

The Vikings notched a three-point play when Gordon made good on her first free throw before Ashanti Abshaw grabbed the offensive putback on the missed second free shot to bring CSU within one of Eastern. Gordon handed Cleveland State its first lead since late in the first half on a routine layup, but a steal and a fastbreak layup from Heady put control back into the Eagles' hands as they led 68-67 with less than three minutes left to play. A Gordon free throw with 2:22 knotted the score for the third time before Morton matched the shot from the charity stripe and allowed Eastern to take the one-point lead.

Fouls proved to be costly in the remaining 20 seconds of action for Cleveland State as Sweeney came through in the clutch to sink two from the charity stripe to put the Eagles up 71-68 with 17 seconds remaining. Needing a trey to tie it up, Gordon turned the ball over to the Green and White after committing an offensive foul and securing the three-point EMU victory.

The Eagles will be back in action Saturday, Dec. 6 when they travel to Tulsa, Okla. for a road contest against Oral Roberts. Tipoff from the Mabee Center is slated for 2 p.m. CT.

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Team Stats

Cha Sweeney

Janay Morton

Jamaica Bucknor

KaBria Walker

Players Mentioned

Jamaica Bucknor

Sasha Dailey

Shannise Heady

Janay Morton

Cha Sweeney

KaBria Walker

Phillis Webb

Players Mentioned

Jamaica Bucknor

Sasha Dailey

Shannise Heady

Janay Morton

Cha Sweeney

KaBria Walker

Phillis Webb

Eastern Michigan Athletics