Record Setting Day Vaults Women's Hoops into MAC Semifinals

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CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The No. 6-seeded Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team dominated No. 3-seeded University of Akron in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament, taking a 95-66 victory at Quicken Loans Arena Thursday, March 12.

The Green and White's 95 points is the most scored by an EMU team in tournament history as the previous best was 94 against Kent State in double overtime, March 3, 2000, while advancing to the semifinals of the tournament for the first time since 2012.

The Eagles (21-11) used 57.7 percent shooting from three-point range, making 15 triples against the Zips which not only topped EMU's previous best of 11 in conference tournament action, but also ranks second in Mid-American Conference Tournament history behind Western Michigan who holds the tournament record, making 17 treys, March 2, 2000.

The Green and White shot a season-best 54 percent against a Division I opponent, going 34-for-63 from the field to extend its winning streak to eight games. EMU was once again led by sophomore Cha Sweeney (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) who scored 24 points, which marks the sixth-straight contest that the Toledo, Ohio native scored 20-or-more points. The sophomore guard also dished out five assists for the Green and White and nabbed two steals.

Four other Eagles notched double-digit scoring with Sera Ozelci (Ankara, Turkey-Ankara TED (Odessa)) and Jamaica Bucknor (Brooklyn, N.Y.-Weaver (ASA College)) scoring 17 points apiece and each knocking down five triples for the Green and White. The final two Eagles to nab double-digit points were Janay Morton (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) and Brianna Puni (St. Charles, Mo.-Incarnate Word (Illinois State)) who added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Morton capped off the contest with a career-best 10 assists, while the Eagles' 21 assists was just two shy of a season-best.

On the glass, Rachel Kehoe (St. Clair, Mich.-St Clair (St. Clair County CC)) pulled down a team-best nine rebounds, while Phillis Webb (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) had seven rebounds and Morton added six.

The Eagles kept Akron to a 35.3 shooting percentage, while Anita Brown had a team-best 26 points, followed by 21 points from Sina King. The Zips out-rebounded EMU 44-36 with DiAndra Gibson grabbing a game-best 10 rebounds.

After Akron knocked down the first points of the game, the Eagle offense picked up the pace with Ozelci knocking down three triples to start off the contest for EMU. The Green and White extended is lead to 25-12 when Bucknor dropped back-to-back uncontested three-pointers with 11:01 remaining in the first half.

The Eastern defense forced the Zips into unwanted shots, holding them scoreless for over six minutes and notching two shot clock violation turnovers. A three-pointer from Sweeney with 7:19 left in the first half allowed the Eagles to take a 20-point lead, 33-13.

Akron found its first four points after the drought on two Anita Brown shots but the Eagles quickly responded with an and-one play when Sweeney dished a pass to the breaking Puni with 5:56 left to play in the first half.

The two teams started to exchange baskets with one another until EMU quickly extended its lead to 19 on a Morton jumper with 2:40 left in the opening half. The Zips started to move the ball around inside the Eagles' 2-3 zone to cut the EMU lead to 11, using a 8-0 run to close out the half. Despite the run, the Eagles were able to take a 44-33 lead into the locker room at the half, powered behind 11 points from Ozelci and 10 team three-pointers.

Eastern shot 46.9 percent from the floor and an impressive 62.5 from beyond the arc with Ozelci and Bucknor making three apiece, while Morton and Sweeney each had two makes from three-point land for the Green and White. As a team, the Eagle bench outscored Akron's bench 12-2 in the opening half, while the Eagles dished out 12 assists, including six from Morton.

The Eagles kept Akron to just 37.5 percent shooting from the floor and 28.6 percent from the three-point line, while King led the Zips with 15 points and Brown added 12. UA outscored the Green and White 10-4 in the paint and outrebounded EMU 21-17 in the first half of play.

Opening the second half, the two teams exchanged baskets up and down the court as EMU held on to its double-digit lead, extending it to 13 points, 58-45, on a fourth Ozelci three pointer with 13:55 left in the contest. EMU worked its way to a second 20-point advantage over the Zips when Ozelci knocked down her fifth triple of the contest from the left side of the arc before Sweeney dropped the Eagles 14th trey less than a minute later to extend the EMU lead to 70-47 with just under 10 minutes left in the second half.

Akron could not stop the Eastern offense as it used a 14-0 run to take a 29-point lead, 76-47, the largest deficit a Zip team has seen in the 2014-15 season, off a Sasha Dailey (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) fastbreak layup.

The Green and White maintained at least a 20-point lead for the remainder of the game, not allowing Akron to go on anymore than a five-point run.

Eastern Michigan now moves to the semifinal round to take on No. 2 Ball State University Friday, March 13. Tip off from Quicken Loans Arena is slated for 2:30 p.m. Alumni, fans and students are all invited to come to the Harry Buffalo (2120 E. 4th St.) for a pre-game celebration beginning at 1 p.m. The exciting event will mark the first time EMU will have its own pregame venue in Cleveland. Attendees will enjoy appetizers and there will be special pregame apperances by the EMU band, cheerleaders, athletic department administrators and coaches. There are still tickets available for the semifinal contest by going to EMUTix.com or calling 734.487.2282. In addition, fans that cannot make the drive to Cleveland, have the chance to ride the EMU fan bus to the semifinal matchups. To secure a spot on the fan bus, Eagle fans must purchase tickets through the EMU Ticket Office. Admittance onto the fan bus is free with purchase of a ticket, but space is limited.

MAC Semifinal Television Info

No. 4 Buffalo vs. No. 1 Ohio
TWCS/BCSN/ESPN3/ESPN Full Court

No. 2 Ball State vs. No. 6 Eastern Michigan
TWCS/BCSN/Comcast Indiana/Comcast Michigan (CN900)/ESPN3/ESPN Full Court

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Team Stats

Cha Sweeney

Jamaica Bucknor

Sera Ozelci

Janay Morton

Players Mentioned

Jamaica Bucknor

Sasha Dailey

Rachel Kehoe

Janay Morton

Sera Ozelci

Brianna Puni

Cha Sweeney

Phillis Webb

Players Mentioned

Jamaica Bucknor

Sasha Dailey

Rachel Kehoe

Janay Morton

Sera Ozelci

Brianna Puni

Cha Sweeney

Phillis Webb

Eastern Michigan Athletics