Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, November 21
Convocation Center
2 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
2-0
78
vs
56
Texas Rio Grande Valley
3-2
1
2
3
4
F
UT Rio Grande Valley
16
20
5
15
56
Eastern Michigan
27
22
12
17
78
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
EMU's Defensive Pressure Plows Through High-Powered UTRGV Offense
11/21/2015 4:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Vaqueros were held without a field goal for more then 14 minutes in the second half
Game Highlights.
Postgame Audio.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team (2-0, 0-0 MAC) overwhelmed the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (3-2, 0-0 WAC) on their way to a 78-56 win Saturday afternoon, Nov. 21, at the Convocation Center. The Eagles' zone defense forced 17 turnovers while holding the Vaqueos without a field goal for more than 14 minutes in the second half.
Junior Janay Morton (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) led the defensive charge with a career high seven steals to go along with her team-high 19 points. Junior Cha Sweeney (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) also reached double figures on the day, scoring 18 points, while three Eagles led the team in rebounds with seven.
EMU's defense was the main factor on the day, holding both of UTRGV's leading scorers to season-low shooting percentages and point totals. In all, the Vaqueros were held to just 28.6 percent from the floor, including a mere 15.4 percent in the second half. Sophomore Hildur Kjartansdottir led UTRGV offensively, scoring 15 points.
The Eagles got out to a quick start, jumping all over the Vaqueros for a 10-2 lead, but UTRGV battled back off a couple Eagle turnovers to make the score 12-8 midway through the first quarter.
EMU outscored UTRGV 15-5 the rest of the frame before a buzzer-beating three gave by the Vaqueros the Eagles a 27-16 first quarter advantage.
Out of the break, fueled by back-to-back three pointers by senior Sera Ozelci (Ankara, Turkey-TED Ankara College), EMU scored the first 10 points of the frame to take a commanding 37-16 lead. UTRGV did not back down before the half however, and outscored EMU 20-12 in the final seven minutes. The Green and White held a 49-36 edge at halftime.
Morton led the Eagles in the first half on both sides of the ball, dropping 12 points while tying her career-high in steals with five takeaways.
The third quarter saw both teams begin to slow down on the offensive side, as the score sat at 55-39 midway through the period. Sweeney accounted for all six of the Eagle points in that timeframe. In total she scored eight points in the quarter, outscoring the Vaqueros 8-5, and giving EMU a 61-41 lead going into the fourth.
The Eagle defense held UTRGV without a field goal in the entire third quarter, as the Vaqueros shot 0-for-14 in all.
The Green and White continued to stifle UTRGV defensively in the final quarter, holding them without a field goal until the 5:47 mark. The offense couldn't pick them up though, as the Eagles only scored five points themselves in that time. The teams combined for just 22 points the rest of the way, sealing the 78-56 win for EMU.
The contest pitted a pair of standouts from the country of Turkey as EMU's Sera Ozelci and UTRGV's Idil Türk. The game is believed by some media reports to be the first NCAA Division I women's basketball game in which to players from that country played against each other.
The Eagles now begin the first of a five-game road trip, as they travel down to Lexington, Ky. to take on the University of Kentucky Wildcats. Tip-off is scheduled for Noon and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
Postgame Audio.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team (2-0, 0-0 MAC) overwhelmed the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (3-2, 0-0 WAC) on their way to a 78-56 win Saturday afternoon, Nov. 21, at the Convocation Center. The Eagles' zone defense forced 17 turnovers while holding the Vaqueos without a field goal for more than 14 minutes in the second half.
Junior Janay Morton (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) led the defensive charge with a career high seven steals to go along with her team-high 19 points. Junior Cha Sweeney (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) also reached double figures on the day, scoring 18 points, while three Eagles led the team in rebounds with seven.
EMU's defense was the main factor on the day, holding both of UTRGV's leading scorers to season-low shooting percentages and point totals. In all, the Vaqueros were held to just 28.6 percent from the floor, including a mere 15.4 percent in the second half. Sophomore Hildur Kjartansdottir led UTRGV offensively, scoring 15 points.
The Eagles got out to a quick start, jumping all over the Vaqueros for a 10-2 lead, but UTRGV battled back off a couple Eagle turnovers to make the score 12-8 midway through the first quarter.
EMU outscored UTRGV 15-5 the rest of the frame before a buzzer-beating three gave by the Vaqueros the Eagles a 27-16 first quarter advantage.
Out of the break, fueled by back-to-back three pointers by senior Sera Ozelci (Ankara, Turkey-TED Ankara College), EMU scored the first 10 points of the frame to take a commanding 37-16 lead. UTRGV did not back down before the half however, and outscored EMU 20-12 in the final seven minutes. The Green and White held a 49-36 edge at halftime.
Morton led the Eagles in the first half on both sides of the ball, dropping 12 points while tying her career-high in steals with five takeaways.
The third quarter saw both teams begin to slow down on the offensive side, as the score sat at 55-39 midway through the period. Sweeney accounted for all six of the Eagle points in that timeframe. In total she scored eight points in the quarter, outscoring the Vaqueros 8-5, and giving EMU a 61-41 lead going into the fourth.
The Eagle defense held UTRGV without a field goal in the entire third quarter, as the Vaqueros shot 0-for-14 in all.
The Green and White continued to stifle UTRGV defensively in the final quarter, holding them without a field goal until the 5:47 mark. The offense couldn't pick them up though, as the Eagles only scored five points themselves in that time. The teams combined for just 22 points the rest of the way, sealing the 78-56 win for EMU.
The contest pitted a pair of standouts from the country of Turkey as EMU's Sera Ozelci and UTRGV's Idil Türk. The game is believed by some media reports to be the first NCAA Division I women's basketball game in which to players from that country played against each other.
The Eagles now begin the first of a five-game road trip, as they travel down to Lexington, Ky. to take on the University of Kentucky Wildcats. Tip-off is scheduled for Noon and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
Team Stats
UTRGV
EMU
FG%
.286
.366
3FG%
.391
.400
FT%
.579
.643
RB
46
53
TO
17
11
STL
6
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
7
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
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