MAC Championship Game Re-Match Set for Wednesday

Women's Basketball vs. Ohio
Date	Wednesday, Jan. 13 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center (8,784)
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN3
Listen	WEMU (89.1 FM)
Twitter	@EMUWBB \| @EMUAthletics
Tickets	Order Tickets Online or call 734.487.2282

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team returns home Wednesday, Jan. 13, for a rematch of the 2015 Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship game against the Ohio University Bobcats. Game time for the cross-divisional contest is scheduled for 7:04 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.
   Eastern Michigan enters the game with a mark of 11-3 (2-1 MAC) after some late game heroics claimed an 87-80 overtime victory at Northern Illinois University, Jan. 9. The Bobcats are 11-3 (3-0 MAC) on the season following a 72-57 road win against Bowling Green State University, Jan. 9.
   Veteran broadcasters Chad Bush and Greg Steiner will have the call on WEMU (89.1 FM) beginning at 6:50 p.m. The game will also be shown on ESPN3 as part of the campus connection initiative.

REMATCH OF THE MAC CHAMPIONSHIP: Eastern Michigan's run to the Mid-American Conference Championship game last season marked the fourth time in program history the Eagles played for the league title. Wednesday's rematch with the Bobcats is the first time the two teams will play each other since last season's postseason battle in which Ohio bested EMU, 60-44, at Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.
   While Eastern holds a 2-2 record in MAC Championship games, the Eagles are just 1-2 when meeting an opponent for the first time after the title game. The Green and White posted their lone win more than a decade ago, topping Bowling Green, 51-48, during the 2004-05 season after beating the Falcons, 65-56, in the 2004 MAC Championship game.

ALL-TIME AGAINST OHIO: Meeting for the first time since last season's Mid-American Conference Championship game that left the Green and White one win short of the NCAA Tournament, Eastern Michigan and Ohio will square off for the 58th time in program history, Wednesday, Jan. 13. The Bobcats hold the upper hand, leading the all-time series, 32-25, including a 2-1 record against EMU last season.
   The Eagles last win against the 'Cats came at their place, Feb. 18, 2015, where the Green and White defeated the Bobcats 73-61. Three players scored in double figures for the Eagles (Cha Sweeney-23, Jamaica Bucknor-17, and Janay Morton-14) while Eastern knocked down 20-of-21 free throws in their 12-point victory.

BATTLING THE BOBCATS: Playing in their second consecutive road game, the Ohio University Bobcats travel to the Convocation Center Wednesday, Jan. 13, for a meeting with the Eagles after downing Bowling Green, 72-57, over the weekend. The Bobcats carry a six-game win streak with them, with their last loss coming at the hands of Duquesne, 64-47, Dec. 13.
   Kivanna Black and Quiera Lampkins have paced the Bobcats this season, averaging 16.8 and 14.4 points per game, respectively. Black is a dangerous threat from beyond the arc, knocking down 33.8 percent of her triple tries while adding 4.2 rebounds and 2.0 steals per contest. A 5-foot-9 guard, Lampkins leads the team with 2.9 assists per game. Although Black and Lampkins lead the offensive effort of the Bobcats, it is Ohio's defensive prowess that has propelled them to success this season. Opponents are averaging just 57.8 points per game against Ohio, thanks in part to the presence of Jasmine Weatherspoon. Standing at 6-foot-2, Weatherspoon has shown the ability to disrupt opponent's shots, recording a team-high 22 rejections this season. Weatherspoon also leads OU's effort on the glass, snagging a team-best 6.9 boards per contest.

MAC TITANS AT IT AGAIN: The past two seasons have found the Eagles and Bobcats carrying the league's top winning percentages and are the only MAC teams to have totalled 30-or-more wins over that span. Ohio is 38-8 (.826) with a first round NCAA Tournament exit, while EMU is 35-16 (.686) and an appearance in the "Sweet 16" of the WNIT.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: The Eagles have won 67 of the last 88 home games dating back to the 2008-09 season. Eastern Michigan has racked up a solid home-court advantage inside the friendly confines of the Convocation Center since the doors opened during the 1998-99 campaign. The Green and White have won 68.2 percent of the contests played in the building, piling up a 161-75 all-time mark.

FIELD GOAL WOES: EMU's aggressive defense has forced five of its last seven opponents to shoot less than 40 percent from the floor during the contest. Even more impressive, two of those teams (Madonna and Akron) have been limited to less than 30 percent for the contest.

MAGIC NUMBERS: This season, when the Eagles have scored at least 70 points, their record is 9-0. All-time under Head Coach Tory Verdi's leadership, Eastern Michigan is 48-10 when leading at the half and 42-7 when posting a better shooting percentage than the opposition.

ROAD WARRIORS: Eastern Michigan owns a 6-1 record on the road, with the only blemish coming at the hands of No. 10 Kentucky, Nov. 25. With the 87-80 win over Northern Illinois, Jan. 9, the Eagles have notched six road wins in a season for the fourth time in the past six seasons. EMU has compiled a 57-45 road record over that stretch.

DEFENSE LEADING TO EASY OFFENSE: Over the first 14 games, the ultra-athletic Eagles have forced 18.5 turnovers a game while snagging 11.0 steals. The 259 turnovers by the opposition has led to 267 points-off-turnovers, or 24.7 percent of EMU's offense.

BALDWIN TURNS IN CAREER-HIGH IN DEKALB: Graduate transfer Chanise Baldwin turned in a career-high 17 points in EMU's 87-80 overtime win over Northern Illinois, Jan. 9, breaking her previous career-high of 16 set, Jan. 4, 2015, against Xavier University as part of the Providence squad. She also added eight rebounds and three blocks to her stat line in the EMU win.

EAGLES ESCAPE WITH OVERTIME WIN OVER NIU: The #MACtion scriptwriters were at it again Saturday, Jan. 9 as Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan battled in DeKalb. Janay Morton forced overtime with two free throws and vaulted the Eagles to an overtime victory, 87-80. Game-tying free throws by EMU with 57 seconds left, followed by a go-ahead layup with 31 seconds left, put Courtney Woods in a position to drain a go-ahead three-pointer with 10 seconds left on the clock, 70-69.
   After an Eastern Michigan timeout with 7.1 seconds left, the Eagles' leading scorer Cha Sweeney drove to the basket and attempted a layup but a fingertip block by Ally Lehman put the ball of the rim and into the hands of Kelly Smith with three seconds left.
   Hitting one free throw to put NIU on top by two, 71-69, EMU was forced to inbound the ball with 2.8 seconds left and never had the chance as a deadball foul on Lehman put Morton on the line for two free throws, forcing overtime, 71-71, and fouling out Lehman in the process.
   Eastern Michigan would outscore the Huskies 16-9 in overtime to take their first game in DeKalb since 2013, 87-80. NIU was within five points with 1:19 left on the clock but a 10-for-13 free throw clip by EMU in overtime sealed the Eagles second conference win.

PLENTY TO GO AROUND: Eastern Michigan is the only MAC school to boast three players that average 13-or-more points a contest.

INTERESTING STATS ABOUT EMU: In its 11 victories this season, EMU is averaging 81.0 points while the opposition is posting 65.6 points. In those games, opponents are shooting 37.1 percent from the field compared to 43.4 percent for the Eagles. In defeats, the Eagles are only scoring 63.7 points, while giving up 80.0. Another factor in the Eagles' success has been the ability to control the glass. EMU is grabbing 43.1 rebounds to 42.1 for the opponents in the wins, while in setbacks the rebounding edge tracks in the opponents favor (EMU 45.3, OPP 49.3).

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan remains at home in Mid-American Conference play after Wednesday's rematch of the 2015 MAC Championship game, as the Eagles play host to Kent State University, Saturday, Jan. 16. The last nine meetings have ended in favor of the Green and White, improving the Eagles to 25-34 against the Golden Flashes all-time.

A LOOK AT THE CONFERENCE LEADERS: Eastern Michigan has positioned itself near the top of multiple statistical categories in the Mid-American Conference as of Jan. 11. Let's take a look...
   Player   Category   Rank   Number
   EMU   Fewest Turnovers   1st   177 (7th nationally)
    EMU   Turnovers Margin   1st   +5.86 (11th nationally)
   EMU   Turnovers Per Game   1st   12.6 (13th nationally)
   EMU   Steals Per Game   1st   11.0 (19th nationally)
   EMU   Scoring Offense   1st   77.3 (24th nationally)
   EMU   Assist Turnover Ratio   1st   1.94 (56th nationally)
   EMU   Free Throws Attempts   1st   289 (88th nationally)
   EMU   Scoring Margin   3rd    +8.6 (90th nationally)
   Cha Sweeney   Field Goal Attempts   1st   266 (20th nationally)
   Cha Sweeney   Points Per Game   3rd   20.0 (23rd nationally)
   Janay Morton   Steals Per Game   1st   2.86 (28th nationally)
   Janay Morton   Steals   1st   40 (36th nationally)
   Phillis Webb   Field Goal Percentage   2nd   51.7 (61st nationally)
   Chanise Baldwin   Free Throws Attempted   3rd   72 (97th nationally)

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Chanise Baldwin

Jamaica Bucknor

Janay Morton

Cha Sweeney

Phillis Webb

Eastern Michigan Athletics