Women's Basketball Wraps Up 2014 Against Detroit

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YPSILANTI, Mich. -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team will close out its 2014-15 non-conference slate Tuesday, Dec. 30 when the University of Detroit Mercy heads to the friendly confines of the Convocation Center to go up against the Eagles. Tipoff for the 24th meeting between the two squads is slated for 7 p.m.
   The Green and White enter the contest with a 6-4 overall record after dropping a contest to the University of Michigan, Dec. 22, while the Titans hold a 5-7 overall record following a 70-38 setback at Cincinnati, Dec. 23. Veteran broadcasters Chad Bush and Greg Steiner will have the call on WEMU (89.1 FM) beginning at 6:50 p.m.

ALL-TIME AGAINST DETROIT: The Eagles and Titans face off for the 24th time in the program's history with Detroit holding the 14-9 advantage in the all-time series. Tuesday's meeting will mark the ninth consecutive season in which the schools have squared off on the hardwood. UDM opened the series with nine consecutive victories before EMU rattled off five wins between 1989 and 1999.
   UDM Head Coach Autumn Rademacher is 4-2 against EMU since she arrived in 2008. Each of the games have been hotly-contested battles, with the Titans eking out two wins by a combined three points.

CLOSING OUT THE YEAR: Tuesday's game marks the Eagles' final contest during the 2014 calendar year, as the team will usher in 2015 at Northern Illinois University, Jan. 3. Eastern Michigan is 19-18 all-time in the team's final game during the month of December, including winning nine of the last 12 contests dating back to 2002.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Sophomore Cha Sweeney needs one point to become the 36th player in EMU women's basketball history to post 700 points in her career. Sweeney set the EMU all-time freshman scoring record last season with a team-high 556 points and averaged a team-best 17.4 points per contest, while ranking second all-time in the Mid-American Conference for first year players.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: The Eagles have won 54 of the last 70 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 67.7 percent of the contests played in the building, piling up a 147-70 all-time mark.

ALL-TIME AGAINST TEAMS FROM THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan holds a 52-40 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 UDM. This season, EMU defeated Cleveland State, 71-68, at the Convocation Center in its only meeting with a Horizon League foe, Dec. 2.

THE LAST TIME: Eastern Michigan last played the University of Detroit Mercy just over a year ago, Dec. 15, 2013, when the Eagles made the short trip to Detroit, Mich. The two sides took part in a high-scoring affair with EMU claiming a 104-96 victory. It marked the most points scored in the series against Detroit after crushing the previous standard of 91 points set in a victory over UDM, Nov. 28, 1999. Five players posted double digits to help EMU surpass the century in scoring, led by Janay Morton and Natachia Watkins with 23 and 21 points, respectively. Olivia Fouty dropped in 18 points to go along with 13 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season, and Desyree Thomas and Cha Sweeney posted a combined 12 assists along with 17 points from Thomas and 14 by Sweeney.

AGAINST IN-STATE SCHOOLS: Eastern Michigan has had great success against other collegiate programs in the state of Michigan over the past 11 seasons. Since the beginning of the 2002-03 season, the Eagles are 53-25 (68.8 winning percentage) against in-state rivals.

PUNI'S DEBUT: After sitting out her year following a transfer from Illinois State, senior forward Brianna Puni played in her first game donning the Green and White in an 81-52 setback to the University of Michigan, Dec. 22. The St. Charles, Mo. native led the Eagles in rebounding, pulling down nine while putting up three points and rejecting one Wolverine shot.
   Puni was required by the NCAA to sit out until the fall semester was completed. Last year at ISU, Puni averaged 4.6 points and 7.9 rebounds in nine games for the Redbirds. In a 68-64 victory over Florida, she sank 14 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for her fourth career double-double.

STRUGGLE IN THE BATTLE OF WASHTENAW: Eastern Michigan fell to the University of Michigan, 81-52, following a 13-day hiatus from competition. The Eagles were plagued by turnovers, committing 27 miscues over the span of the contest. Eastern never controlled the scoreboard, as Michigan sprung out to a 10-2 lead early on and went on to hold a 19-point advantage at the half. Though the Green and White shot 40.8 percent from the field, the Wolverines were staunch on defense and swiped the ball 18 times while also forcing an additional five turnovers. EMU's offense was led by Janay Morton, who was the only Eagle in double digits with 14 points. Cha Sweeney chipped in eight points, while also nabbing a team-high three steals.

ON THE HORIZON: Following the home contest against the Titans, Eastern Michigan hits the road to kick off its 2014-15 Mid-American Conference slate. The Eagles will travel to DeKalb, Ill. to take on Northern Illinois University, Jan. 3 at 1 p.m. CT.

EMU IN MAC OPENERS: Eastern Michigan opens its 34th Mid-American Conference slate Saturday, Jan. 3, versus the Huskies of Northern Illinois University. The game marks the sixth time that the two program's have squared off in a conference lid-lifter and the first since the 2010-11 campaign. EMU has won all five occurrences including the 79-63 decision at NIU, Jan. 5.
    The Green and White are 16-17 all-time in league openers dating back to 1981-82. EMU has won 10 of the last 12 MAC-opening tilts going back to the 2002-03 season, including an 88-70 win last year over Kent State University, Jan. 4, 2014.

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Players Mentioned

Olivia Fouty

Janay Morton

Brianna Puni

Cha Sweeney

Desyree Thomas

Natachia Watkins

Eastern Michigan Athletics