Ozelci's First Career Double-Double Leads Eagles Over NIU

Postgame Audio.

Highlights.

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team picked up its ninth victory in the last 13 games Saturday, Feb. 28, at EMU's Convocation Center over the visiting Northern Illinois University Huskies (11-15, 7-9 MAC), 60-52. The Eagles (16-11, 9-7 MAC) used Sera Ozelci's (Ankara, Turkey-TED Ankara College) first career double-double and 21 points from sophomore Cha Sweeney (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) to avenge an early-season overtime loss to the Huskies, Jan. 3.

Ozelci scored 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including a 3-for-5 mark from downtown. The junior guard picked up her first double-double in an Eagle uniform with a career-high 10 rebounds. Sweeney notched a game-high 21 points, making good on 7-of-9 free throw attempts. Senior Brianna Puni (St. Charles, Mo.-Incarnate Word) matched a season-high with 14 points and was only a pair of rebounds shy of her second career double-double.

The Huskies were led by Ally Lehman who scored a team-high 15 points. Kelly Smith finished with 13 points, while forward Renee Sladek posted nine points and 10 boards. The EMU defense held Amanda Corral scoreless for only the second time in her career as the senior was averaging 20 points per game in her previous nine contests.

The Green and White shot better in the second half, posting an overall field goal percentage of 40.4 (23-57) in the game. EMU connected on five triples, but only shot a 56.3 percent (9-of-16) clip from the charity stripe. NIU was 38.9 percent (21-of-54) from the floor, including a 3-of-15 (20 percent) mark from behind the arc and 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) from the free throw line. Eastern owned the paint, pulling in 10 more rebounds than Northern Illinois (42-32) and scoring 28 points down low compared to 16 from the Huskies. NIU won the turnover battle, 16-15, but the Eagles netted 16 points off of the 15 Huskies mistakes. Northern Illinois entered this afternoon's contest second in the country in turnovers per game at 10.7.

The first half saw seven lead changes and five ties, with neither team holding a lead of more than four points. NIU jumped out to an early 6-2 advantage, which matched the largest lead of the afternoon for the visitors. Only Sweeney, Puni, and Janay Morton (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) could find the bottom of the net for the Eagles in the opening frame until Ozelci scored the final five points for EMU. That gave the Green and White a 26-24 lead as the teams hit the locker rooms for the halftime break.

Eastern was led by Sweeney, who scored nine points in the first half. Morton and Puni each tallied six points while Ozelci netted five points and grabbed nine rebounds in the opening frame. EMU shot 36.7 percent (11-of-30) which was slightly better than the 35.7 percent (10-of-28) clip from the Huskies. Both teams knocked down a pair of triples and shot 2-of-5 from the charity stripe in the first half.

NIU was led by Kelly Smith, who scored nine in the opening half. Ally Lehman recorded seven points and hauled-in four rebounds for the Huskies in the first 20 minutes. EMU out-rebounded NIU by a 22-18 margin and scored 14 points in the paint compared to just six from Northern Illinois. NIU forced seven Eagle turnovers, but could only turn those into four points while EMU forced six Huskies miscues and scored seven points off those mistakes.

EMU connected on three of its first four field goal attempts to begin the second half, including a pair of triples from Ozelci to extend the Eagle lead to 34-26. A pair of free throws from Sweeney following the first media timeout of the second half (15:33) gave the Green and White its first double-digit lead of the game, 40-29.

NIU used a 6-0 run to pull within six, 45-39, with just under 12 minutes to play, but that was as close as the Huskies could get the remainder of the contest. Puni answered with a pair of baskets to extend the lead back out to 11 points, 56-45, with 3:23 on the game clock.

The Huskies got within six once again with under a minute to play using a Danny Pulliam triple and a pair of Renee Sladek free throws to make the score 58-52 in the Eagles favor. Even though the Green and White only converted on 2-of-5 free throws in the closing minute, the Eagles were able to hold on for the 60-52 victory.

Eastern Michigan returns to the Convocation Center Wednesday, March 4, as the Eagles host Western Michigan University in the 2014-15 regular season home finale at 7 p.m. The Broncos claimed the teams first meeting, Jan. 28, in Kalamazoo by a final score of 83-56.

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Team Stats

Cha Sweeney

Brianna Puni

Sera Ozelci

Janay Morton

Players Mentioned

Janay Morton

Sera Ozelci

Brianna Puni

Cha Sweeney

Players Mentioned

Janay Morton

Sera Ozelci

Brianna Puni

Cha Sweeney

Eastern Michigan Athletics