Battle of the Birds Wednesday in Muncie

Women's Basketball at Ball State
Date	Wednesday, Jan. 20 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Muncie, Ind. \| Worthen Arena (11,500)
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Live Stats
Watch	ESPN3
Listen	WEMU 89.1 FM
Twitter	@EMUWBB \| @EMUAthletics

MUNCIE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) -- Looking to build on the momentum following a 72-51 victory over the weekend against Kent State University, the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team makes the 242-mile trek to Muncie, Ind. Wednesday, Jan. 20, for a Mid-American Conference West Division tilt versus Ball State University. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. at John E. Worthen Arena.
   The Eagles enter the game with a mark of 12-4 (3-2 MAC) after cruising to a 21-point victory against the Golden Flashes, Jan. 16. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are tied atop the West Division with the University of Toledo at 12-4 (4-1 MAC) following a 67-56 road victory at Bowling Green State University, Jan. 16.
   Chad Bush 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.

A RARE PAIR: Wednesday's contest marks the first of two scheduled match ups between a pair of standouts in EMU's Phillis Webb and BSU's Nathalie Fontaine that rank amongst the MAC statistical elite. The pair are the only players in the league to average more than 14.0 points and haul down at least eight rebounds a game this season.
   Webb, who is enjoying the best season of her EMU career, has averaged 5.8 points and 5.0 caroms in five career games against the Cardinals. Most recently, she grabbed 10 boards in the MAC Semifinal meeting a year ago in Cleveland, Ohio, March 13, 2015. Meanwhile, Fontaine has posted five double-doubles in seven career games against Eagles, averaging 15.9 points and 10.4 rebounds while posting a 4-3 record.

TALE OF THE TAPE: The Eagles will meet Mid-American Conference West Division rival, Ball State on the hardwood for the 72nd time in program history, Wednesday, Jan. 20. Holding a 39-32 lead in the all-time series, Eastern Michigan will look to win its third consecutive game against the Cardinals. EMU held a 2-1 advantage over Ball State last season after the Cardinals took the first of three meetings, 72-62, at the Convocation Center. The Eagles got revenge later in the season, defeating Ball State, 56-41, at Worthen before bouncing the No. 2 seeded Cardinals in the MAC Semifinal game, 75-65. Cha Sweeney led all scorers with 25 points while adding six rebounds and five assists. Janay Morton was not far behind, pitching in 19 points.

CLASHING WITH THE CARDINALS: Ball State sits atop the Mid-American Conference West Division standings with a 4-1 conference record and 12-4 overall mark. The Cardinals only loss came at the hands of 2015 MAC Champion, Ohio University. Since the setback, Ball State has won three consecutive outings, its last a 67-56 victory over Bowling Green, Jan. 16.
   Much of the success of the Cardinals has stemmed from the consistent play of 6-foot-2 guard, Nathalie Fontaine. One of two players in the conference averaging a double-double, Fontaine ranks second in scoring averaging 21.1 points per contest and second in rebounding, grabbing 10.0 caroms per game. Jill Morrison and Moriah Monaco play alongside Fontaine, averaging 11.8 and 10.9 points per game, respectively, as the only other Cardinals averaging double figures.

TRIUMPHS IN WORTHEN: Worthen Arena has proven to be to Eastern Michigan's liking over the past six seasons as the Eagles are 4-2 in the building since the 2009-10 season. EMU has posted back-to-back wins over the Cardinals in Muncie, Ind., last season escaping with a 56-41 decision, Feb. 25, 2015. Surprisingly, the Green and White are only outscoring the Cards during the current streak by one point a game (EMU 57.8, BSU 56.8)

EMU In Muncie Since the 2009-10 Season
   Feb. 13, 2010   W,   63-57
   Feb. 16, 2011   W,   81-73
   Jan. 5, 2012   L,   51-54
   Feb. 20, 2013   L,   34-56
   Feb. 23, 2014   W,   62-60
   Feb. 25, 2015   W,   56-41

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.

FOURTH QUARTER TURN-UP: In Eastern Michigan's 72-51 win over Kent State, Jan. 16, the Eagles distanced themselves from the Golden Flashes with an overpowering fourth quarter performance. Outscoring Kent State, 23-6, the Eagles dominated the Golden Flashes in the final 10 minutes of play. Shooting 68.8 percent from the field, the Eagles held advantages in bench points (13-0) and points in the paint (16-2). While the offense was firing on all cylinders, EMU's defensive effort set the tone for the strong performance, holding KSU to a 28.6 field goal percentage. The Eagles forced Kent State into eight turnovers in the final frame, with Janay Morton and Phillis Webb registering two steals each. The Green and White cashed in on the oppositions miscues, scoring 14 points off of them.

SCORING OFF THE BENCH: The Eagles benefited from a 29-13 advantage in bench points in the win over Kent State, Jan. 16, the second most points scored off the bench by the Eagles this season. Graduate transfer Chanise Baldwin scored 12 points and recorded six rebounds, on 3-of-3 shooting. Sophomore Sasha Dailey was not far behind, scoring 10 points while adding three assists in 18 minutes of playing time.
   With the win, the Eagles moved to 7-3 when registering more bench points than the opposition this season.

FINDING OTHER WAYS TO CONTRIBUTE: Junior Cha Sweeney did not have her best scoring performance in the Eagles win over Kent State, Jan. 16. In fact, the 5-foot-2 point guard was held scoreless for the first time in her career. Despite her shots not falling, Sweeney played a pivotal role in Eastern's weekend triumph, fighting through early foul trouble. The Toledo, Ohio native registered five assists, three rebounds, and a steal in the win but the areas in which she made the greatest impact do not show up on the stat sheet. Tenacious play atop the 2-3 zone and in the full-court press resulted in countless errant passes by KSU, leading to its staggering 22 turnovers in the game.

THAT'S A PERFECT 10: EMU captured its 10th consecutive victory over Kent State Saturday, Jan. 16, when the two squared off in the Convocation Center. Prior to the current streak, EMU had never posted more than three straight wins over KSU. During the string of dominance the Eagles are winning by an average of 15 points a contest (EMU 73.5, KSU 57.9).
   However, this has been a series dominated by lengthy runs as the Golden Flashes under then-Head Coach Bob Lindsay posted 19 triumphs in a-row from March 10, 1992 to Jan. 25, 2003 with an average margin of victory of 19.1 points (EMU 69.6, KSU 88.7).

REBOUND THAT BASKETBALL!: EMU posted a season-best 60 rebounds in the Jan. 13 tilt against Ohio. The mark is tied for seventh-most in Convocation Center history and ranks 15th all-time in a single-game. EMU turned in a 19-1 edge in second chance points in the contest thanks to 26 offensive caroms.

PERCENTAGE DIPS: In Mid-American Conference play the Eagles have seen their shooting percentage dip to 36.5 percent from the field and just 25.8 percent from three-point range. Ohio held EMU to just 28.8 percent (23-for-80) as the Green and White missed 57 shots in the MAC Tournament Championship Game rematch, Jan. 13.

...AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME: EMU's first four MAC games were nail biters in the closing moments, as each contest has been within five points with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. EMU has trailed with two minutes to play in all but the Buffalo contest.
   With the pressure fully on, the Eagles have excelled posting a 48.5 field goal percentage (16-of-33) in the final two minutes while going 23-for-31 at the free throw line. Not surprisingly, Cha Sweeney has been the most likely Eagle to find the ball in her hands with 17 points in the final two minutes while Phillis Webb has 14.

DOUBLE THE TROUBLE AGAINST OHIO: Phillis Webb and Chanise Baldwin each turned in a double-double performance in the team's setback to the Bobcats of Ohio, Jan. 13, at the Convocation Center. Webb poured in 17 points and tied her career-best with 15 rebounds while Balwdin managed 10 points and 12 boards. The pair of double-doubles is thought to be the 24th occurrence in program history as detailed records of the feat only date back to the 1999-2000 campaign. The last time it happened was March 20, 2014 when Jamaica Bucknor (11p/13r) and Webb (14p/10r) accomplished it against Evansville in the Postseason WBI. For the complete list of multiple double-double games, turn to page 11 of these notes.

WEST VERSUS EAST: As the Eagles turn their attention to Mid-American Conference West Division play, a look at cross divisional games shows the depth of the West in a race that is geared up to be tight down the stretch. In crossover games, the West holds a 13-7 edge over its opponents from the East. Four of the East's seven wins have come from Ohio, who is 5-0 in league play and 4-0 against the West this season.

FIELD GOAL WOES: EMU's aggressive defense has forced six of its last nine 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.

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

DEFENSE LEADING TO EASY OFFENSE: Over the first 16 games, the ultra-athletic Eagles have forced 18.6 turnovers a game while snagging 11.0 steals. The 297 turnovers by the opposition has led to 308 points-off-turnovers, or 25.3 percent of EMU's offense.

MAC TITANS AT IT AGAIN: The past two seasons have found Eastern Michigan and Ohio carrying the league's top winning percentages and are the only MAC teams to have totalled 35-or-more wins over that span. Ohio is 40-8 (.833) with a first round NCAA Tournament exit, while EMU is 36-17 (.679) and an appearance in the "Sweet 16" of the WNIT.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: The Eagles have won 68 of the last 90 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 68.1 percent of the contests played in the building, piling up a 162-76 all-time mark.

ON THE HORIZON: Following Wednesday's midweek clash with the Cardinals, the Eagles will return home for another Mid-American Conference West Division tilt when the University of Toledo travels to the Convocation Center, Jan. 23. Eastern then hits the road for a pair of MAC crossover contests against East Division opponents Bowling Green (Jan. 27) and Akron (Jan. 30).

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Players Mentioned

Chanise Baldwin

Jamaica Bucknor

Sasha Dailey

Janay Morton

Cha Sweeney

Phillis Webb

Eastern Michigan Athletics