EMU Looks to Knock Off MAC West Division Leader Ball State

MUNCIE, Ind. -- Looking to re-group following an 81-72 setback over the weekend to the University of Toledo, the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team makes the 242-mile trek to Muncie, Ind. Wednesday, Feb. 25, for a Mid-American Conference West Division tilt versus Ball State University. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. at John E. Worthen Arena.
   The Eagles enter the game with a mark of 14-11 (7-7 MAC) after surrendering a 12-point lead to the Rockets, Feb. 21. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are on top of the West Division at 15-10 (11-3 MAC) following a 51-50 road victory at Northern Illinois University, Feb. 21.
   Veteran broadcasters Chad Bush and Greg Steiner will have the call on WEMU (89.1 FM) beginning at 6:50 p.m. Live video and statistics of the game can also be found on BallStateSports.com.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE CARDINALS: Wednesday's contest marks the 69th meeting between the Ball State Cardinals and the Eastern Michigan Eagles, who first played during the 1979-80 season. Eastern Michigan leads the series, 37-32, but BSU has gotten the better of the Eagles four of the last five times.
   Last year, the Eagles posted a 62-60 victory at Worthen Arena, Feb. 23, 2014. In that game, EMU rallied from seven points down in the second half to claim the team's first win in Muncie, Ind. since Feb. 16, 2011. Cha Sweeney led all scorers with 20 points while Natachia Watkins dominated on the glass with a team-best 12 rebounds.
   EMU has posted an all-time record of 16-17 in Muncie with the teams splitting the last 10 meetings dating back to the 2004 campaign.

MAC TOURNAMENT OUTLOOK: With the 2015 MAC Basketball Tournament quickly approaching, it is time to gaze into the crystal ball to see where the Eagles could possibly end up to begin conference tournament play. If the regular season ended today, Eastern would be the No. 7 seed for the tournament, hosting No. 10-seeded Kent State for a first round contest set to take place March 9. For a complete MAC Tournament outlook, please check page 11 of these notes.

DEFENSE LEADING TO EASY OFFENSE: Over the previous 11 games, the ultra-athletic Eagles have forced 19.5 turnovers a game while snagging 11.5 steals. The 215 turnovers by the opposition led to 214 points-off-turnovers or 29.7 percent of the EMU's offense.

MUDDY'S BUDDIES: Cha Sweeney's left shoulder has a tattoo with a Toledo Mud Hens logo and an inscription that reads "Never Forget Where You Came From." It's safe to say Sweeney has remembered just fine when taking on her hometown team. In four career games versus Toledo, Sweeney has averaged 21.3 points while connecting on at least seven field goals in each of the contests. The Rogers High School product also has 13 career three-pointers versus the Midnight Blue and Gold to go along with 10 assists and eight thefts.

THE COUNTDOWN TO 1,000: Sophomore Cha Sweeney has scored 923 points in her career and is 22nd all time for EMU. There are currently 18 players in the 1,000-point club for EMU women's basketball.

LET DOWN ON THE GLASS: In the Feb. 21 contest at the Convocation Center, Toledo controlled the glass and finished with an astounding 57-22 edge, including 23-8 on the offensive boards. UT took full advantage of those offensive caroms and translated them into 19 second-chance points.
   The 22 rebounds were the fewest since the team grabbed just 20 in a 76-67 setback at Cleveland State University, Nov. 18, 2008. Furthermore, the Eagles entered the match-up out-rebounding their opponents by 1.2 caroms per game on the year. However, when all was settled the margin had flipped to -0.2 (EMU 41.8, OPP 42.0).

TOP OF THE MAC: Despite not leading any conference statistics, the Eagles rank in the top-five in seven different statistical categories, including being second in steals with 10.4 per game and offensive rebounds with 15.2 per games. EMU also ranks second in turnover margin at +4.24.
   Individually, Janay Morton is second in steals at 2.2 swipes a contest, while Cha Sweeney is third with 2.0 takeaways. Sweeney is also ninth in scoring with Morton following closely in 15th and Jamaica Bucknor in 19th.

COMING TOGETHER AT THE RIGHT TIME: After being tested both mentally and physically with three games in a five day span (Feb. 14-18), the Eagles responded with decisive wins over Central Michigan, Miami and Ohio.
   Eastern Michigan twice rallied from double-digit deficits, including a 12-point hole in Oxford and an 11-point margin in Athens. During the streak, EMU averaged a 40.6 percent clip (26-of-64) from three-point range while controlling the glass (43.7 to 39.7). The other big advantage came at the free throw line, as EMU sank charity shots at 85.1 percent rate (40-of-47) .
   Cha Sweeney poured in a total of 56 points (18.7 ppg) while Jamaica Bucknor came off the bench for 53 (17.7 ppg).

CARDIAC KIDS: Since the start of the 2009-10 campaign, EMU has posted 13 victories after trailing by 10-or-more points.
   Date   Opponent   Deficit   Time Left   Final Score
   Nov. 11, 2012   vs. Northeastern   -17 (29-43)   12:37-2nd   50-47
   March 5, 2011   vs. Miami   -15 (30-45)   1:38-1st   82-74
   Feb. 16, 2011   at Ball State   -15 (23-38)   5:15-1st   81-73
   March 8, 2014   vs. Central Michigan   -14 (16-30)   6:27 - 1st   99-84 - OT
   Jan. 16, 2010   vs. Northern Illinois   -13 (16-29)   7:51-1st   72-63
   March 21, 2011   at UNC Wilmington   -13 (34-47)   14:26-2nd   63-54
   Jan. 4, 2010   vs. North Dakota   -12 (8-20)   12:12-1st   76-65
   Feb. 17, 2015   at Miami   -12 (10-22)   8:24 - 1st   54-51
   Jan. 6, 2010   vs. Central Michigan   -11 (7-18)   12:46-1st   73-55
   Feb. 18, 2015   at Ohio   -11 (5-16)   12:09 - 1st   73-61
   Jan. 27, 2010   at Ohio   -10 (21-31)   16:44-2nd   56-53
   Jan. 9, 2010   at Western Michigan   -10 (3-13)   14:38-1st   61-52
   March, 3, 2012   vs. Toledo   -10 (39-49)   9:48-2nd   59-57

INTERESTING STATS ABOUT EMU: In its 14 victories this season, EMU is averaging 74.7 points while the opposition is posting just 57.1 points. In those games, opponents are shooting 34.7 percent from the field compared to 41.8 percent for the Eagles. In defeats, the Eagles are only scoring 58.9 points, while giving up 73.3. Another factor in the Eagles' success has been the ability to control the glass. EMU is grabbing 43.9 rebounds to just 39.0 for the opponents in the wins, while in setbacks the rebounding edge tracks in the opponents favor (EMU 39.2, OPP 45.9).

TAKE SOME, THEY'RE FREE: The Eagles shot a blazing 20-of-21 from the free throw line in the Feb. 18 victory at Ohio for a 95.2 percent success rate. The total ranks as the third-best team percentage from the charity stripe in EMU laurels. In the second half alone, the Eagles shot 19-of-19 from the free throw line.

BACK-TO-BACK ROAD TRIUMPHS: For just the second time since the 1987-88 season, EMU played on back-to-back days outside of a tournament. The Eagles knocked off Miami, 54-51, Feb. 17, before handing Ohio just its second MAC loss with a 73-61 triumph, Feb. 18.
   The last time the scheduling oddity happened was just two seasons ago when the Green and White hosted Boston University, Nov. 23, and followed it up against Harvard, Nov. 24. Prior to that the last time it occurred was when the then-Hurons squared off with Indiana State, Dec. 18, 1987, and the very next day faced Wright State, Dec. 19.

SPIDER WEBB: Sophomore Phillis Webb snagged a career-best 13 rebounds in the 54-51 victory over Miami, Feb. 17. It marked the second time in the Brooklyn Park, Minn. native's career she had reached double digits in caroms.

SECOND HALF FUN: The second half proved to be the difference for EMU in the back-to-back road wins at Miami, Feb. 17, and Ohio, Feb. 18. EMU outscored the two opponents by a combined 20 points in the second period, including a nearly perfect 22-for-23 mark from the free throw line (95.7 percent). Following the halftime break, Cha Sweeney poured in a total of 19 points while Janay Morton and Jamaica Bucknor added 18 and 16, respectively.

MAGIC NUMBER: The Eagles are 10-2 this season when scoring 70-or-more points in a contest. In three years under Head Coach Tory Verdi, EMU is 23-11 when reaching the 70-point plateau.

ON THE HORIZON: Following the Ball State contest, EMU returns home to battle Northern Illinois University Saturday, Feb. 28. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.
   The contest marks the 44th meeting between the Northern Illinois Huskies and Eastern Michigan Eagles, who first played during the 1981-82 season. Eastern leads the overall series, 31-12, however, Northern Illinois has taken three of the last four meetings.
   Earlier this season, the Cardinal and Black secured a 54-48 overtime victory in DeKalb to open the MAC portion of the schedule. The Eagles were plagued by shooting inefficiency, going 17-of-68 from the field for just 25.0 percent while also turning over the ball 18 times, which resulted in 15 points for the Huskies. Cha Sweeney led all players in scoring with 21 points, while Phillis Webb had the second-most points for the team with nine points, all of which were by way of free throws. On the boards, Jamaica Bucknor pulled down 10 rebounds.

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Players Mentioned

Jamaica Bucknor

Janay Morton

Cha Sweeney

Natachia Watkins

Phillis Webb

Eastern Michigan Athletics