Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, January 2
Convocation Center
2:30 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
10-2 (1-0MAC)
67
vs
56
Buffalo
8-4 (0-1MAC)
1
2
3
4
F
Buffalo
13
8
13
22
56
Eastern Michigan
8
20
20
19
67
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
EMU Opens MAC Play with 67-56 Win Over Buffalo
1/2/2016 4:42:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Eagles have won their last six games
Postgame Audio.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team opened Mid-American Conference play with its sixth consecutive victory, 67-56, over the University at Buffalo, Saturday Jan.2, inside the Convocation Center. Facing off against the conference's top defense, the Eagles (10-2, 1-0 MAC) led by as many as 16 before coming away with an 11-point win.
Junior Cha Sweeney (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) led all scorers with 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting. The 5-foot-2 point guard also registered six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Fellow junior Phillis Webb (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) registered double-digit scoring for the sixth straight game, finishing with 12 points and seven rebounds. Graduate transfer Chanise Baldwin (Pontiac, Mich.-Marin Luther King) chipped in five points while leading the Green and White with nine rebounds.
Eastern benefited from an 18-5 advantage in points off turnovers as Buffalo committed 21 turnovers in the game compared to 11 miscues by the Eagles. A relentless effort by the Bulls however, kept them in the game as UB used 20 offensive rebounds to score 23 second chance points.
The Bulls (8-4, 0-1 MAC) used a series of offensive rebounds to take an early lead before a 6-2 run by the Eagles gave EMU a 6-4 edge with 6:18 to play in the opening frame. Unfortunately for the Green and White, Joanna Smith led the Bulls' charge as EMU's offense stalled, scoring seven points of UB's 13 points. Held scoreless for more than six minutes, the Eagles found themselves trailing by five, 13-8, after one quarter of play.
In the second period, the Eagles forced Smith to the bench leaving the Bulls without their leading scorer for the remainder of the half. As Buffalo searched for offense, the Eagles chipped away at the deficit, pulling within two with 6:30 to play.
Scooping up an errant pass near half court with the shot clock winding down, Sweeney attacked a double team and tossed up a desperation heave. Fouled on the shot, Sweeney converted three shots from the line to give the Eagles a 16-15 lead.
EMU extended its lead to 18-15 before a three-pointer by Stephanie Reid tied the game at 18 and ended a seven-minute scoring drought for the Bulls, with 3:10 to play in the period.
Looking as though the Eagles would head into the half with a four point lead, sophomore Sasha Dailey (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) snagged a rebound and immediately passed to Sweeney. Moving down the court with just 4.2 seconds left on the clock, Sweeney dished to senior Sera Ozelci (Ankara, Turkey-TED Ankara College) for a three-pointer at the buzzer. The triple by the Turkish sharpshooter gave EMU a 28-21 lead at the midway point.
The Eagles opened the second half with seven points by Sweeney before Buffalo knocked down their first bucket with 7:20 left in the frame. Inconsistent scoring paired with repeated struggles to break the Eagles' full court press shutdown the Bulls as Eastern extended their lead to as many as 16.
In front 48-34 heading into the final quarter of play, EMU quickly saw its lead shrink to nine as the Bulls rattled off seven unanswered points to force Head Coach Tory Verdi to burn a timeout with 7:21 left on the clock.
The brief regrouping session did little to tame the Bulls as Karin Moss' jumper pulled them within three, 52-49 with just under five minutes to play.
Returning to the floor, the Eagles pushed their lead to five as Sweeney sank a floater on a drive to the hoop, ending a four-minute stretch in which Eastern was held without a basket.
The bucket by the Toledo, Ohio native reenergized the Green and White as back-to-back makes by Morton and Sweeney gave the Eagles a six-point cushion with 3:41 left.
After Buffalo's Karin Moss hit her second three-pointer of the game, the Eagles closed out the game on a 10-2 run to escape with a 67-56 conference-opening victory.
Eastern Michigan continues MAC play Wednesday, Jan. 6, at home against the Zips of the University of Akron. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team opened Mid-American Conference play with its sixth consecutive victory, 67-56, over the University at Buffalo, Saturday Jan.2, inside the Convocation Center. Facing off against the conference's top defense, the Eagles (10-2, 1-0 MAC) led by as many as 16 before coming away with an 11-point win.
Junior Cha Sweeney (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) led all scorers with 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting. The 5-foot-2 point guard also registered six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Fellow junior Phillis Webb (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) registered double-digit scoring for the sixth straight game, finishing with 12 points and seven rebounds. Graduate transfer Chanise Baldwin (Pontiac, Mich.-Marin Luther King) chipped in five points while leading the Green and White with nine rebounds.
Eastern benefited from an 18-5 advantage in points off turnovers as Buffalo committed 21 turnovers in the game compared to 11 miscues by the Eagles. A relentless effort by the Bulls however, kept them in the game as UB used 20 offensive rebounds to score 23 second chance points.
The Bulls (8-4, 0-1 MAC) used a series of offensive rebounds to take an early lead before a 6-2 run by the Eagles gave EMU a 6-4 edge with 6:18 to play in the opening frame. Unfortunately for the Green and White, Joanna Smith led the Bulls' charge as EMU's offense stalled, scoring seven points of UB's 13 points. Held scoreless for more than six minutes, the Eagles found themselves trailing by five, 13-8, after one quarter of play.
In the second period, the Eagles forced Smith to the bench leaving the Bulls without their leading scorer for the remainder of the half. As Buffalo searched for offense, the Eagles chipped away at the deficit, pulling within two with 6:30 to play.
Scooping up an errant pass near half court with the shot clock winding down, Sweeney attacked a double team and tossed up a desperation heave. Fouled on the shot, Sweeney converted three shots from the line to give the Eagles a 16-15 lead.
EMU extended its lead to 18-15 before a three-pointer by Stephanie Reid tied the game at 18 and ended a seven-minute scoring drought for the Bulls, with 3:10 to play in the period.
Looking as though the Eagles would head into the half with a four point lead, sophomore Sasha Dailey (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) snagged a rebound and immediately passed to Sweeney. Moving down the court with just 4.2 seconds left on the clock, Sweeney dished to senior Sera Ozelci (Ankara, Turkey-TED Ankara College) for a three-pointer at the buzzer. The triple by the Turkish sharpshooter gave EMU a 28-21 lead at the midway point.
The Eagles opened the second half with seven points by Sweeney before Buffalo knocked down their first bucket with 7:20 left in the frame. Inconsistent scoring paired with repeated struggles to break the Eagles' full court press shutdown the Bulls as Eastern extended their lead to as many as 16.
In front 48-34 heading into the final quarter of play, EMU quickly saw its lead shrink to nine as the Bulls rattled off seven unanswered points to force Head Coach Tory Verdi to burn a timeout with 7:21 left on the clock.
The brief regrouping session did little to tame the Bulls as Karin Moss' jumper pulled them within three, 52-49 with just under five minutes to play.
Returning to the floor, the Eagles pushed their lead to five as Sweeney sank a floater on a drive to the hoop, ending a four-minute stretch in which Eastern was held without a basket.
The bucket by the Toledo, Ohio native reenergized the Green and White as back-to-back makes by Morton and Sweeney gave the Eagles a six-point cushion with 3:41 left.
After Buffalo's Karin Moss hit her second three-pointer of the game, the Eagles closed out the game on a 10-2 run to escape with a 67-56 conference-opening victory.
Eastern Michigan continues MAC play Wednesday, Jan. 6, at home against the Zips of the University of Akron. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.
Team Stats
BUF
EMU
FG%
.323
.328
3FG%
.238
.294
FT%
.692
.706
RB
50
40
TO
21
11
STL
5
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
6
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
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