Eagles Topple Chippewas in Thrilling OT Victory on Senior Day

Photo Gallery: Senior Day. Game.

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Eastern Michigan University's women's basketball team put on a performance that sent its seniors out in fashion, taking an electrifying come-from-behind 99-84 overtime victory over Mid-American Conference foe Central Michigan University Saturday afternoon, March 8, inside the Convocation Center. Central Michigan held the lead until the final three seconds of regulation time, when a layup from Desyree Thomas (Waterford, Mich.-Mott) sent the contest into overtime at 77-77. The Eagles took the lead right out of the gates in the overtime period and never looked back, as the team went on to outscore the Chippewas 22-7 in the five extra minutes.

The victory marks the first time since the 2011-12 season that an Eastern Michigan squad has topped a team with an RPI in the top-35. The last time the Eagles completed the feat, the team took down then-No. 18 Michigan in a 77-64 decision, Dec. 11, 2011 inside the Convocation Center.

With the regular season MAC slate completed, the Eagles (17-12; 7-11 MAC) have sealed up the No. 8 spot in the conference and will host No. 9 Northern Illinois University in the opening round of the 2014 Mid-American Conference Tournament Presented by Barbasol Monday evening, March 10, at 5 p.m. in Ypsilanti.

The Chippewas (20-10; 16-2 MAC) dropped just their second conference tilt this year and will be the No. 2 seed in the MAC Tournament, earning a triple bye into the semifinals.

Before the game, four seniors were honored for their dedication and effort while wearing the EMU program. Thomas, along with Olivia Fouty (Toledo, Ohio-Sylvania Northview), Sara Stone (Plymouth, Mich.-Plymouth), and Natachia Watkins (South Euclid, Ohio-Brush) were given a framed jersey along with mementos from the team and coaches.

The Eagles were led by four players in double figures. Watkins led all players with 26 points to go along with 12 rebounds and five steals. Freshman Cha Sweeney (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) contributed 21 points, while Thomas chipped in 17. Shannise Heady (Hazel Crest, Ill.-Hillcrest (Seton Hall)) notched a career-high 13 points, including four straight to open up the overtime period.

As a team, the Eagles were 34-of-85 (40 percent) from the field, including a lights-out 71.4 percent in overtime to go with 12-of-14 from behind the free throw line. The team came away with 14 steals and forced an additional nine miscues, which resulted in 28 points scored off of turnovers. The Eagles also held the advantage in the paint, pouring in 46 points compared to just 20 from the Chippewas.

Central Michigan was held to 26-of-71 (36.6 percent) from the floor, but drilled 13 three-pointers in the loss after putting up an astounding 40 shots from beyond the arc. The Chippewas were led by Taylor Johnson, who hit five triples en-route to her 23 points. Also sharp-shooting for CMU was Niki DiGuilio with 19 points and Crystal Bradford, who hit four three-pointers in her 18-point effort while also pulling down a game-high 19 rebounds and adding eight assists.

The Chippewas took the lead early on their first possession, when Jas'Mine Bracey dished out to the left sideline for a three-pointer from DiGuilio. The Eagles followed up with a mid-range jumper from Watkins, but a drive from Bradford and another long shot swished through by DiGuilio gave CMU more of a cushion at an 8-2 advantage.

Watkins used her agility to drop in a fastbreak layup, but Bradford made a contribution from beyond the arc to increase the Chippewa lead. The squad continued to work primarily on the perimeter as a foul on a three-pointer by DiGuilio put the senior at the line for three free throws, putting the Chippewas up, 14-4, within the first three minutes of competition.

While Central found its groove on the outside, the Eagles were much more successful in the paint with help from Stone and Heady. By the media timeout, the Green and White had broken the 10-point deficit, but still trailed, 16-8.

Defensive prowess from Janay Morton (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) prevented the Chippewas from finding their way to the hoop and gave the Eagles a handful of scoring opportunities, holding CMU to just two points in four minutes while the Green and White went on a five-point run in that time. The Eagles still trailed by five points, 18-13, with 11:15 remaining, but drastically stepped up their defensive game to slow CMU's offensive attack.

Shooting woes plagued the Eagles in the ensuing possessions, as shot after shot rattled out of the rim into the hands of a Central Michigan rebounder. Sweeney handed off to Heady for a layup down the center of the lane to put the Eagles on the board again, but Bradford would hit her third triple of the afternoon to put the Chippewas up, 26-15.

Central Michigan continued to skip the ball cross-court to find the open shooter, which proved to be effective as the Chippewas held a 33-23 advantage going into the final four minutes of the half. A shot from Watkins off the glass once again broke through the 10-point margin and a smooth triple from Sweeney started off a run for the Green and White. Two shots from the charity stripe by Watkins extended the string of points to seven, but back-to-back three-pointers from Johnson quickly nullified the work that the Eagles had put in.

Down 39-30 with 1:15 remaining in the opening half, the team was able to hold CMU scoreless for the remaining time. The Eagles went into the locker room after a last-second put-back from Stone cut the scoring margin to seven, 39-32. Watkins led the Eagles in the half with 11 points to go with six rebounds and a game-high four steals. Stone also pulled down six boards for the Green and White. The Chippewas relied heavily on DiGuilio and Bradford as the pair combined for 23 of the squad's 39 points. Bradford notched her double-double in the opening 20 minutes, pouring in 11 points to go with 11 rebounds.

As a team, the Eagles were 11-of 34 (32.4 percent) from the field, not far off CMU's mark of 13-of-35, but the Chippewas held the edge on three-point shooting after notching eight triples in the first half. The Green and White came away with five steals and forced an additional four turnovers while surrendering the ball just six times, and scored four more points from the free throw line than CMU.

The teams traded blows for the first couple of points of the second half before two steals led to a pair of converted buckets by Thomas, bringing the Eagles within three points, 41-38. A layup and-one by Heady got the Eagles within one point, but Johnson once again hit consecutive triples to go with inside work from Bracey to build the lead back up for the Chippewas, 54-46.

A series of aggressive moves inside the paint from Sweeney and Watkins pulled the Green and White within three points, 60-57. The Chippewas were unfazed despite the Eagles' multiple valiant attempts to tie up the contest, pouring in a number of shots to hold a 69-62 advantage with five minutes to play.

Morton and Thomas got the Green and White within two points after assembling a five-point run between the veteran and the newcomer, trailing 69-67 with 3:40 remaining. Watkins and Sweeney ensured the Eagles kept pace with CMU and trailed by just a pair going into the final two minutes. A triple from Jessica Green found its way through the net, but an offensive put-back from Fouty kept it a one-possession contest, 76-73.

A scramble under the CMU basket between Watkins, Thomas, and Johnson gave the ball to the Eagles with 27.9 seconds remaining. Sweeney stealthily made her way down the court to the hoop, where she successfully banked one in off the glass to bring the team within one point, after which Head Coach Tory Verdi called a timeout to institute a full-court press.

Despite causing a stall on the sideline, the Chippewas were able to break through the press, forcing the Eagles to foul. Green made just one of her free throws, allowing Thomas to tear down the court for a fastbreak layup to knot the contest at 77 apiece with three seconds on the clock. Bradford threw up a last-second attempt from beyond half-court, but the ball hit the backboard without converting for the Chippewas as the two teams entered the overtime period.

The Eagles took the lead for the first time in the matchup when Heady dropped in a pair of buckets from the paint, taking the 81-77 lead in the extra period. The Chippewas put up their first points of the final five minutes when DiGuilio tossed in a shot off the glass, but aggression from Watkins on the defensive end allowed the senior to snatch the ball away Bracey and glide down-court for a fastbreak layup. A jumper from Thomas extended the lead to 85-79 with two minutes to play.

Central Michigan was forced into fouling to string out the remaining time at the 1:30 mark. Success from Heady and Fouty at the charity stripe kept the Green and White leading by eight points. By entrusting the ball to Sweeney and allowing the freshman to draw the fouls from the Chippewa, the Eagles added five more points to their count. Thomas added to her all-time EMU lead in the steals category when she swiped the ball from DiGuilio and made a mad dash to the EMU basket for a fastbreak layup. Fouty added the final two EMU points of the contest with two free throws, capping off the sensational comeback and sealing the Eagle victory, 99-84.

Eagles Topple Chippewas in Thrilling OT Victory on Senior Day

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Team Stats

Natachia Watkins

Cha Sweeney

Desyree Thomas

Shannise Heady

Eastern Michigan Athletics