Eagles Championship Run Falls Short in Finals to Ohio

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CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The No. 6-seeded Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team saw its eight-game winning streak come to a close in the Mid-American Conference Tournament finals as No. 1-seeded Ohio University claimed a 60-44 victory and the 2015 MAC Tournament Championship Saturday, March 14, at Quicken Loans Arena.

Despite the loss, the Eagles (22-12) posted a memorable run to close out the MAC season, winning 12 of its last 16 games and earning the first 20-win season since the 2011-12 campaign. Eastern also tied the third-longest winning streak in EMU women's basketball history with eight-straight wins, while the team was just the first No. 6 seed to make the tournament finals and the fourth team to win four games at the conference tournament.

Sophomore Cha Sweeney (Toledo-Ohio, Rogers) continued to etch her name into the MAC Tournament record book, knocking down seven field goals and scoring 24 points for the Green and White against Ohio. The Toledo, Ohio native's 39 field goals in five games surpassed Central Michigan's Crystal Bradford MAC Tournament record of 36 field goals, set in the 2012 tournament. Coming into the contest, Sweeney needed just four field goals to tie the record and made her fifth field goal of the game with 29 seconds remaining in the first half to not only break the record but allowed EMU to take a slight 27-25 lead into the locker room at halftime. For her efforts throughout the entire tournament, Sweeney was named to the Mid-American Conference All-Tournament Team, etching her name into the record books on two occasions.

EMU could not find the rhythm it had throughout the entire postseason, shooting just 25.4 percent in the final game with only Sweeney notching double-digit scoring. The Toledo, Ohio native's 24 points marked the ninth-straight game the sophomore knocked down 20-or-more points for the Green and White and the 15th time in the 2014-15 campaign. Senior Brianna Puni (St. Charles, Mo.-Incarnate Word (Illinois State)) notched seven points for the Eagles, while Janay Morton (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) and Phillis Webb (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) each had four points for EMU. Despite the offensive struggles, the Green and White was stealthy on defense, forcing OU into 16 turnovers and converting it into 11 points, while swiping nine balls, including five steals for Morton.

Ohio shot 37.7 percent from the floor with tournament MVP, Kiyanna Black scoring a team-best 25 points, including five three-pointers.

The Green and White struggled offensively to start the game, but were able to keep pace with the Ohio offense, never trailing by more than three for the first 12 minutes of the contest. Mariah Byard knocked down three-straight threes for the Bobcats to give them the slight advantage before Webb knotted the score at 14-14 with a jumper from the left side of the court.

Following Ohio's fourth trey of the game, EMU went on a 9-0 run, including five points from Sweeney, to take a 23-17 lead into the final three minutes of the first half.

Sweeney knocked down a jumper just outside the key with 29 seconds remaining in the first half to not only put the Eagles up by two over the Bobcats, 27-25, but to also become the all-time MAC Tournament leader in field goals. The shot would be the final make for either team, allowing the Green and White to take the slight two-point advantage into the locker room.

Eastern shot just 34.6 percent from the floor in the first half with Sweeney dropping 16 points and Puni adding five for the Green and White. As a team, the Eagles forced Ohio into eight turnovers, scoring nine points, and nabbed five steals, including three from Morton.

Ohio carried the higher field goal percentage into the locker room, shooting 34.6 percent from the floor in the opening half. The Bobcats were led by Lexie Baldwin, who had 11 points with three three-pointers and a field goal, while Byard dropped three treys for OU. Baldwin was also the standout defender for Ohio in the first 20 minutes with three blocks and two steals, while pulling down a pair of rebounds.

The Bobcats opened up the second half on a 13-4 run over Eastern Michigan to quickly take a 38-31 lead, forcing Head Coach Tory Verdi to call a time out to slow the OU momentum with 12:39 left to play. The time out proved to be in vain as Ohio extended its lead to nine, 47-38, on a Black three from the top of the arc with 9:26 left to play.

The Eagles could not generate any runs of their own in the following minutes of action as Ohio maintained at least a six-point lead over the Green and White heading into the final three minutes of the game.

With the clock winding down, Yamonie Jenkins knocked down Ohio's 14th three of the game, which would allow OU to take a 56-44 lead with 2:08 remaining. Closing out the game in free throws, the Bobcats earned the tournament championship with a 60-44 win over Eastern Michigan.

Eastern will now wait to hear on its postseason fate on Monday night, as the Green and White made their first appearance at The Q in the Verdi era.

MAC All-Tournament Team
Lexie Baldwin
Kiyanna Black
Mariah Byard
Kristin Sharkey
Cha Sweeney

Tournament MVP
Kiyanna Black

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Team Stats

Cha Sweeney

Brianna Puni

Janay Morton

Phillis Webb

Players Mentioned

Janay Morton

Brianna Puni

Cha Sweeney

Phillis Webb

Players Mentioned

Janay Morton

Brianna Puni

Cha Sweeney

Phillis Webb

Eastern Michigan Athletics