EMU Wraps Up Final Exams, Set for Friday Matchup at Madonna

Women's Basketball at Madonna
Date	Friday, Dec. 18 \| 5:30 p.m.
Venue	Livonia, Mich. \| Activities Center (1,000)
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	N/A
Listen	WEMU 89.1 FM
Twitter	@EMUWBB \| @EMUAthletics

LIVONIA, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- With final exams complete and the holidays nearing, the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team returns to the court Friday, Dec. 18, for a non-conference affair at Madonna University. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 inside the Activities Center.
   EMU enters the game with a 6-2 record after knocking off Monmouth University, 78-68, to wrap up an eight-day road trip, Dec. 10. The Crusaders are 3-7 (3-4 WHAC) on the season following a 92-43 throttling of conference foe Marygrove University, Dec. 12.
   WEMU (89.1 FM) will provide audio coverage of the game with Chad Bush and Greg Steiner calling the action on the court.

ALL-TIME AGAINST NON-DIVISION I COMPETITION: The Madonna contest marks the fourth regular season meeting between EMU and Madonna. The Eagles are 21-2 all-time against non-NCAA Division I foes The Green and White opened the 2013-14 season against the Crusaders with a 101-52 victory, Nov. 8, 2013. Last year, EMU captured a 20-point decision with an 88-68 triumph at the Convocation Center, Dec. 9, 2014.

PLAY FOR PAT: On Nov. 29, Madonna's Director of Sports Information Patrick Moore tragically passed away at the age of 36. Moore began his career as a student in 1997 at Eastern Michigan working as the baseball contact for Hall of Famer Jim Streeter. He later became the first ever three-time winner of the WHAC's SID of the Year having worked at the school since 2007. Moore was a tremendous asset to the media relations field but importantly an even better person and a friend.
   You will be forever missed, Patrick.

HOW THE EAGLES STACK UP AGAINST NON-DIVISION I TEAMS: The Eagles have squared off against non-Division I opponents seven times under Head Coach Tory Verdi's watch, sporting a perfect 7-0 record against them. Additionally, the Green and White have won by an average of 44.0 points per contest (EMU 99.7, OPP 55.7)

DON'T TAKE THEM LIGHTLY: Recent history shows the Crusaders should not be taken lightly, as just two years ago Madonna upset Detroit, 86-76, at Calihan Hall, Dec. 30, 2013. The win was the first for the MU women over a NCAA Division I team in program history.
   Then-senior Carrie Kloster went 9-of-15 from the floor, including knocking down six triples while pulling down a career-high 14 rebounds, including 13 on the defensive end of the floor. As a team, the Crusaders shot 53.8 percent (28-of-52) from the floor and 41.4 percent (12-of-29) from beyond the arc. MU also forced UDM into 13 turnovers and converted those into 16 points.

EMU AT THE ACTIVITIES CENTER: Surprisingly, Friday's game is not the first time the Eagles will have set foot inside the Activities Center on Madonna's Campus. During the 2013-14 campaign,   Eastern Michigan hosted UMKC in the building instead of the Convocation Center, Dec. 7, 2013. The change was necessitated as EMU's home court was occupied with the annual St. Joe's Holiday Ball. The Eagles edged the Kangaroos, 75-66, as three different Eagles reached double figures in points.

AGAINST IN-STATE SCHOOLS: Eastern Michigan has had great success against other collegiate programs in the state of Michigan over the past 12 seasons. Since the beginning of the 2002-03 season, the Eagles are 58-26 (69.0 winning percentage) against in-state rivals.

MORTON'S COUNTDOWN COMPLETE: During the Dec. 10 contest at Monmouth, junior Janay Morton became the newest member of the 1,000-point club at Eastern Michigan. She is just the 20th Eagle in program history to reach the milestone scoring number.
   Morton and Cha Sweeney are just the fourth EMU combo of millennium scorers to play together. Laurie Byrd and Denise Allen first accomplished the feat during the 1981-82 campaign, Ryan Coleman and Nikki Knapp followed it up in 2005-06, and most recently Tavelyn James and Paige Reddit did so in 2011-12.

HOLD THAT THOUGHT: Due to final exams and the upcoming holidays, EMU is in a stretch in which it will only play three games over a 22 day span. The Green and White will play at Madonna, Dec. 18, before next returning to the court against Michigan, Dec. 23, and Detroit, Dec. 30.

DEFENSE LEADING TO EASY OFFENSE: Over the previous eight games, the ultra-athletic Eagles have forced 17.3 turnovers a game while snagging 9.9 steals. The 138 turnovers by the opposition has led to 135 points-off-turnovers or 22.1 percent of the EMU's offense.

INTERESTING STATS ABOUT EMU: In its six victories this season, EMU is averaging 80.7 points while the opposition is posting 68.3 points. In those games, opponents are shooting 37.7 percent from the field compared to 41.8 percent for the Eagles. In defeats, the Eagles are only scoring 63.0 points, while giving up 86.0. Another factor in the Eagles' success has been the ability to control the glass. EMU is grabbing 44.8 rebounds to 43.3 for the opponents in the wins, while in setbacks the rebounding edge tracks in the opponents favor (EMU 42.0, OPP 44.5).

SWIPER KEEPS SWIPING: Through Eastern Michigan's first eight contests, junior Janay Morton ranks 27th in the nation in steals per game, tallying 3.1 swipes per contest. The Brooklyn Park, Minn. product recorded a career-high seven steals against Texas Rio Grande Valley (Nov. 21) while adding four at Harvard (Dec. 9). Morton trails the nation's leader, Ashley Deary (Northwestern), who is posting 5.25 thefts per contest.

THREE-POINT THREAT HEATING UP: Senior Sera Ozelci has hit three-or-more triples in four of the Eagles' eight games this season. One of the Eagles' biggest threats from beyond the arc, Ozelci has converted 19-of-43 or 44.2 percent of her shots from downtown this season.

A LOOK AT THE CONFERENCE LEADERS: Eastern Michigan has positioned itself near the top of multiple statistical categories in the Mid-American Conference as of Dec. 11. Let's take a look...
   Player   Category   Rank   Number
   EMU   Turnovers Per Game   1st   11.8 (6th nationally)
   EMU   Offensive Rebounds Per Game   1st   17 (20th nationally)
   EMU   Fewest Turnovers   1st   94 (21st nationally)
   EMU   Turnovers Margin   1st   +5.5 (28th nationally)
   EMU   Scoring Offense   1st   76.3 (50th nationally)
   EMU   Assist Turnover Ratio   1st   1.07 (52nd nationally)
   EMU   Free Throws Attempts   1st   164 (77th nationally)
   EMU   Rebounds Per Game   2nd   44.13 (34th nationally)
   EMU   Fewest Fouls   2nd   119 (65th nationally)
   EMU   Free Throws Made   2nd   109 (94th nationally)
   EMU   Steals Per Game   3rd   9.9 (74th nationally)
   Cha Sweeney   Field Goal Attempts   1st   165 (8th nationally)
   Janay Morton   Steals Per Game   1st   3.1 (27th nationally)
   Janay Morton   Steals   1st   25 (28th nationally)
   Chanise Baldwin   Offensive Rebounds Per Game   1st   4.0 (28th nationally)
   Sera Ozelci   Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage   2nd   44.2 (55th nationally)
   Phillis Webb   Field Goal Percentage   2nd   48.9 (114th nationally)
    Cha Sweeney   Points Per Game   3rd   20.5 (25th nationally)
   Janay Morton   Assist Turnover Ratio   3rd   +2.2 (72nd nationally)
   Chanise Baldwin   Rebounds Per Game   3rd   8.4 (120th nationally)

ON THE HORIZON: Following the game against Madonna, Eastern Michigan will renew the "Battle of Washtenaw County" as the team returns home Wednesday, Dec. 23, to host the University of Michigan. Game time is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.at the Convocation Center. The series, which was dormant for five seasons, returned in March 2011 when the two teams were pitted against each other in the opening round of the Women's Postseason WNIT. The Wolverines lead the all-time series, 14-8, but the Eagles have won three of the last six meetings.

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Players Mentioned

Chanise Baldwin

Janay Morton

Sera Ozelci

Cha Sweeney

Phillis Webb

Eastern Michigan Athletics