Eagles and Bulls Set to Open the MAC Slate

Women's Basketball vs. Buffalo
Date	Saturday, Jan. 2 \| 2:30 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center (8,784)
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN3
Listen	WEMU 89.1 FM
Twitter	@EMUWBB \| @EMUAthletics
Tickets	Order Tickets Online or call 734.487.2282

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team begins Mid-American Conference play Saturday afternoon, Jan. 2, at home against the University at Buffalo. Game time is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. inside the Convocation Center. The game is the second leg of a doubleheader with the EMU men's basketball team, which tangles with the University of North Florida at 12 p.m.
   In the third year of the 18-game league format, this will be the first of two meeting with the Bulls this season. EMU will trek to Buffalo on Feb. 17. EMU enters the game with a 9-2 record after running past the Titans of Detroit in a 85-68 road victory, Dec. 30. The Bulls are 8-3 on the season following a 66-53 win at Sacred Heart University, Dec. 30.
   Veteran broadcasters Chad Bush and Greg Steiner will have the call on WEMU (89.1 FM), while the game will also be shown on ESPN3 as part of the campus connection initiative.

EMU IN MAC OPENERS: Eastern Michigan opens its 35th Mid-American Conference slate Saturday, Jan. 2, versus the Bulls of the University at Buffalo. The game marks the first time that the two program's have squared off in a conference lid-lifter. It is also the first time the Eagles have opened MAC play against an East Division opponent since 2004-05 when the team traveled to Akron, Ohio to face the Zips.
    The Green and White are 16-18 all-time in league openers dating back to 1981-82. EMU has won 10 of the last 13 MAC-opening tilts going back to the 2002-03 season, including a 54-48 overtime setback last year at Northern Illinois University, Jan. 3, 2015.

WHAT A STREAK OF SUCCESS: Eastern Michigan has won 22 of its last 27 contests dating back to last season, a mark that is tied for the second most successful streak in school history. From Dec. 10, 2005 through Nov. 18, 2006, the then-Suzy Merchant led Eagles also posted a 22-5 record.
   Ohio University is the only other Mid-American Conference school to boast equal dominance over the same stretch, as the Bobcats have notched an identical 22-5 record.
   The most victories in a 27 game span by Eastern Michigan was from Jan. 27, 2003, through Jan. 5, 2004, when the club rattled off 23 wins including its first Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: With their nine non-conference wins this season, the Eagles have posted eight-or-more non-league victories in five of the last seven season.

DECEMBER TO REMEMBER: EMU closed out last month with some history as the victory over Detroit, Dec. 30, gave the squad its winningest December in program history. EMU was 7-1 during month and it marked just the third time that EMU posted at least six wins in the 12th calendar month.

PASSING 1,400: Junior Cha Sweeney has scored 1,403 points in her career and ranks ninth all time. Sweeney ranks 43rd nationally in active career points and is second in the MAC behind only Ball State's Nathalie Fontaine (1,766). At her current pace of 17.5 points per game, Sweeney is on track for 2,257 career points which would rank second only to all-time great Tavelyn James (2,470 points).

SOPHOMORES PROVIDE SPARK OFF THE BENCH: Sophomores Sasha Dailey and Tori Easley have seen their minutes increase significantly in the Eagles' last two outings. Dailey's time on the hardwood has paid off for Eastern as the Toledo, Ohio native broke out for a season-high 18 points against Detroit, Dec. 30. Dailey knocked down 8-of-10 shots from the field, including both of her attempts from beyond the arc to help the Eagles top the Titans, 85-68, and secure their fifth consecutive victory. Easley has earned double digit minutes in three straight contests for the Eagles, turning in 10 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, and two steals in that span.

EMU VERSUS THE MAC: This is EMU's 35th season competing in the Mid-American Conference. The Eagles hold a 256-310 record against conference foes and have posted winning seasons in the MAC in 12 of the last 15 campaigns. EMU has had the most success against Northern Illinois, going 32-12, and the least versus Bowling Green, 15-49. Western Michigan has been the Green and White's most frequent opponent with 78 meetings, while Buffalo holds the distinction of the fewest conference games against the Eagles with 21.
   Over the past 17 seasons, EMU has started #MACtion away from Ypsilanti 10 times. The Eagles are 6-4 in those games, while notching a 6-1 record in the conference lid-lifers at the Convocation Center.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Saturday's Mid-American Conference opener pits Eastern Michigan against Buffalo for the 21st time in program history. The Green and White have held the upper hand in the series, 13-7, but the Bulls got the best of the Eagles in the most recent meeting between the two squads. The Eagles will look to avenge last season's 75-53 loss when the two teams open conference play in the Convocation Center, Jan. 2.
   UB is the only conference team that Head Coach Tory Verdi has yet to defeat in his tenure.

RUNNING WITH THE BULLS: Buffalo comes into Saturday's conference tilt sporting an 8-3 record after outlasting Sacred Heart, 66-53, Dec. 29. The 13-point victory marked the fourth time this season the Bulls scored 60 or more points. The Bulls are led by Joanna Smith and Katherine Ups. Smith leads Buffalo in scoring, averaging 15.8 points per game while adding 5.4 rebounds per contest. Buffalo's most active shooter, Smith converts 39.7 percent of her shots from the floor, and is shooting 34.1 percent from long distance as the only Bull averaging double digits in points. Ups paces the Bulls effort on the board, corralling 5.5 caroms per game to go along with 7.3 points. While Smith and Ups carried a majority of the scoring load in UB's first 10 games, Cassie Oursler posted a double-double (12 points-10 rebounds) in her season debut, Dec. 29.

LAST TIME OUT: Eastern Michigan closed out non-conference play with a convincing 85-68 victory over the University of Detroit Mercy at Calihan Hall, Dec. 30. Four Eagles turned in double digit scoring performances, led by junior Cha Sweeney, as the Eagles shot over 50 percent from the field for the second time this season. The Toledo, Ohio product's 23 points paced EMU while she also recorded seven rebounds, seven assists, and four steals. Joining Sweeney in double figures were sophomore Sasha Dailey (18), junior Janay Morton (16), junior Phillis Webb (14), and graduate transfer Chanise Baldwin (10).

ACCESS DENIED: Graduate transfer Chanise Baldwin tallied three shot blocks in the Eagles 85-68 win over the University of Detroit, Dec. 30. Her three swats mark the second time this season the Pontiac, Mich. native has rejected three shots in a game. She first accomplished the task in EMU's season opener, Nov. 17, against Hillsdale.

WEBB ON A ROLL: Through the Eagles first 11 games this season, junior Phillis Webb has reached double figures nine times, including a career-high 22 points in Eastern's 64-63 win over Michigan, Dec. 23. To put that in perspective, Webb had racked up eight double-digit scoring efforts coming into this season. Entering this season, Webb's carried modest career averages of 4.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game but has crushed them through the Eagles first 11 games. Webb ranks ninth in the Mid-American Conference in rebounding and 12th in scoring, while also serving as one of the most efficient players with the sixth best field goal percentage in the league (53.8 percent). In the Eagles last five games, the Brooklyn Park, Minn. product is averaging 17.2 points and 8.2 caroms per game.

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. 29. Let's take a look...
   Player   Category   Rank   Number
   EMU   Fewest Turnovers   1st   124 (5th nationally)
   EMU   Turnovers Per Game   1st   12.4 (10th nationally)
   EMU   Turnovers Margin   1st   +6.3 (13th nationally)
   EMU   Offensive Rebounds Per Game   1st   17 (24th nationally)
   EMU   Scoring Offense   1st   77.8 (32nd nationally)
   EMU   Assist Turnover Ratio   1st   1.10 (47th nationally)
   EMU   Free Throws Attempts   1st   199 (133th nationally)
   EMU   Fewest Fouls   1st   147 (13th nationally)
   EMU   Steals Per Game   2nd   10.7 (27th nationally)
   Janay Morton   Steals Per Game   1st   3.0 (20th nationally)
   Chanise Baldwin   Offensive Rebounds Per Game   1st   4.0 (20th nationally)
   Janay Morton   Steals   1st   30 (21st nationally)
   Cha Sweeney   Field Goal Attempts   2nd   186 (44th nationally)
   Sera Ozelci   Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage   2nd   42.9 (44th nationally)
   Phillis Webb   Field Goal Percentage   2nd   52.7 (70th nationally)
   Cha Sweeney   Points Per Game   3rd   18.7 (44th nationally)
   Chanise Baldwin   Rebounds Per Game   3rd   8.3 (115th nationally)

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: The Eagles have won 66 of the last 86 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 68.4 percent of the contests played in the building, piling up a 160-74 all-time mark.

DEFENSE LEADING TO EASY OFFENSE: Over the first 11 games, the ultra-athletic Eagles have forced 18.7 turnovers a game while snagging 11.0 steals. The 206 turnovers by the opposition has led to 213 points-off-turnovers or 24.7 percent of the EMU's offense.

INTERESTING STATS ABOUT EMU: In its nine victories this season, EMU is averaging 81.9 points while the opposition is posting 65.1 points. In those games, opponents are shooting 34.5 percent from the field compared to 44.8 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 42.9 rebounds to 40.0 for the opponents in the wins, while in setbacks the rebounding edge tracks in the opponents favor (EMU 42.0, OPP 44.5).

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 61-26 (70.1 winning percentage) against in-state rivals.

ON THE HORIZON: The Eagles continue league play at home, Jan. 6, against the University of Akron before hitting the road for the first time in the conference season, Jan. 9, when EMU treks to DeKalb, Ill. for a tilt with Northern Illinois University.

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Players Mentioned

Chanise Baldwin

Sasha Dailey

Tori Easley

Janay Morton

Sera Ozelci

Cha Sweeney

Phillis Webb

Eastern Michigan Athletics