Big Second Half Propels Eagles into MAC Tournament Second Round

Postgame Audio.

Video Highlights.

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team advanced to the second round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament for the first time under third-year Head Coach Tory Verdi by way of a 70-52 victory over the Kent State Golden Flashes, March 9, inside the Convocation Center. The six seeded Eagles outscored KSU 43-24 in the second half to even their record to 19-19 all-time in the MAC Tournament.

The Green and White was led by Cha Sweeney (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers)'s 21 points, including a 3-for-6 mark from downtown. Janay Morton (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) and Jamaica Bucknor (New Haven, Conn.-Weaver (ASA College)) each had solid performances for the Eagles, finishing with 16 points apiece. Morton was only one rebound shy of her first career double-double, while Bucknor needed only two more boards for her third career double-double. CiCi Shannon and Melanee Stubbs led the way offensively for the Golden Flashes with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

EMU shot 40.6 percent (26-for-64) from the floor, including a 56.7 percent (17-for-30) clip in the second half. Kent State finished with a 39.3 shooting percentage, while connecting on 22-of-56 shots. The Eagles forced 17 turnovers, compared to just making six miscues themselves. The Green and White took advantage of the Golden Flashes errors, scoring 19 points off the 17 turnovers. Kent State won the rebound battle (39-37), but the teams each netted 26 points in the paint.

EMU grabbed an early 4-2 advantage following a three-pointer by Sera Ozelci (Ankara, Turkey-TED Ankara College (Odessa College)). The Golden Flashes responded by scoring the next six points to take an 8-4 lead, but another triple from Sweeney put an end to the mini KSU run.

The Green and White took the lead back by scoring seven consecutive points, including five from Morton to take a 14-10 advantage with 11:49 remaining on the first half game clock. Morton answered a Larissa Lurken three-pointer with her second triple of the half to extend the lead, 17-13.

Kent State knotted the score, 19-19, on a Jordan Korinek layup and a Melanee Stubbs jumper with just over seven minutes on the clock. The two teams went scoreless over the next 1:50 until Stubbs knocked down another mid-range jumper to give the Golden Flashes their first lead, 21-19, since the 14:31 mark.

A pair of Bucknor free throws tied the score for the fifth time of the first half, 25-25. Sweeney then cashed in on two-of-three from the line, but Lurken's second long ball of the half gave the Golden Flashes a one-point advantage, 28-27, which is what they would carry into the halftime break.

KSU shot 44.4 percent (12-for-27) from the floor in the opening half compared to a mere 26.5 percent (9-for-34) for the Green and White. Seven different Eagles scored in the opening 20 minutes, led by Morton's eight. Sweeney netted six points while Bucknor chipped in with four points and four rebounds. Stubbs and Lurken led the way for the Golden Flashes in the first half with eight points each. The first half was back-and-forth as the teams traded the lead six times and were tied on five different occasions.

EMU took the lead, 39-32, in the early stages of the second half as Bucknor found a good rhythm on the offensive end of the court. Bucknor knocked down a pair from behind the arc in the first five minutes to open up a seven-point lead for the Eagles. A Morton floater and Sweeney triple on consecutive trips down the court gave the Green and White its first double-digit lead of the game, 44-32, with 13:16 remaining in the second half.

Kent State used a 9-2 run over a span of about two and half minutes to cut into the EMU lead, but the 46-41 deficit was as close as the Golden Flashes would get the remainder of the contest. The Green and White pushed its lead back out to double figures on a Morton layup with just over seven minutes to play in the second half. EMU closed out the final 7:08 on a 16-8 run to secure the 70-52 victory over Kent State.

Eastern Michigan advances to the second round of the 2015 Mid-American Conference Tournament and will face No. 7 University of Toledo Wednesday, March 11, at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Tipoff is scheduled for approximately 2:30 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting EMUTix.com or by calling 734.487.2282.

Big Second Half Propels Eagles into MAC Tournament Second Round

Next Event

Team Stats

Cha Sweeney

Janay Morton

Jamaica Bucknor

Sera Ozelci

Players Mentioned

Jamaica Bucknor

Janay Morton

Sera Ozelci

Cha Sweeney

Players Mentioned

Jamaica Bucknor

Janay Morton

Sera Ozelci

Cha Sweeney

Eastern Michigan Athletics