Women's Basketball Begins a Two-Game Road Trip Wednesday at BGSU

Women's Basketball at Bowling Green
Date	Wednesday, Jan. 27 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Bowling Green, Ohio \| Stroh Center (4,387)
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Live Stats
Watch	ESPN3
Listen	WEMU 89.1 FM
Twitter	@EMUWBB \| @EMUAthletics

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team kicks off a short two-game road swing Wednesday, Jan. 27, beginning with the Falcons of Bowling Green State University. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the Stroh Center.
   Eastern Michigan enters the game with a 13-5 (4-3 MAC) record following a wire-to-wire victory over the University of Toledo, 59-41, in Ypsilanti, Jan. 23. Meanwhile, the Falcons are 7-9 (3-4 MAC) and riding a modest two-game winning streak with wins over Northern Illinois University, Jan. 20, and Kent State, Jan. 23.
       Veteran broadcasters Chad Bush and Greg Steiner will have the call on WEMU (89.1 FM). The game will also be shown on ESPN3 as part of the campus connection initiative.

MORTON NAMED MAC WEST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Junior Janay Morton was named the Mid-American Conference 's West Division Player of the Week, Jan. 25. It marked the second time she has won the award in her career and the first since her freshman season.
   Morton averaged 23.0 points while shooting 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from beyond the three-point line during the span in games against Ball State, Jan. 20, and Toledo, Jan. 23. Defensively, she hauled down 5.0 rebounds to go along with 4.5 steals a contest. Having not hit for more than four three-pointers in a game this season, Morton had back-to-back nights with five treys to key EMU's outside assault. She also swiped six balls from Toledo as the Eagles compiled 25 points of UT miscues.
   Morton currently leads the MAC and ranks 17th nationally in steals per game at 2.94.

SWEENEY RETURNS TO FORM: After weathering a shooting slump, junior Cha Sweeney returned to her traditional self with a 14 point showing in the team's 18-point defeat of Toledo, Jan. 23. The Toledo, Ohio native was 5-for-14 from the field while dishing out four assists in 34 minutes of work. During the most recent stretch she saw her scoring average drop from 20.0 to 16.9 points per game while her shooting percentage also dipped 39 percentage points (.387 to .348).
   In three career contests again Bowling Green, Sweeney has averaged 14.3 points and 3.3 assists including recording 18 points in her previous trip to the Stroh Center, Dec. 23, 2014.

NEARING 1,500: Junior Cha Sweeney has scored 1,498 points in her career and ranks sixth all-time in program history. She is just eight points from tying Cassie Schrock (2007-11) for fifth place with 1,506. Sweeney ranks 45th nationally in active career points and is second in the MAC behind only Ball State's Nathalie Fontaine (1,885).
   At her current pace of 17.2 points per game, Sweeney is on track for 2,219 career points which would rank second only to all-time great Tavelyn James (2,470 points).

LOCKING DOWN THE ROCKETS: The 41 points scored by Toledo were the lowest number of points allowed by the Green and White against a Division I opponent this season. It is also the fewest points scored by the Rockets against the Eagles since setting a record for offensive futility with 33 in a 54-33 setback, Feb. 21, 2012.

ALLOWING 50 OR LESS: Eastern Michigan is 102-1 all time when allowing 50 points-or-less. Since 2003-04, the Green and White has accomplished the feat 58 times with 31 of those coming against Mid-American Conference foes.

DEFENSE, DEFENSE: The Eastern Michigan defense has held six opponents to less than a 35.0 percent field goal percentage this season. The most recent occurrence came Jan. 23 against Toledo, when the Eagles limited the Rockets to a 31.6 percent clip in the win. EMU held Madonna to a season-low 25.9 percent while UT Rio Grande Valley managed a 28.6 percent clip and Akron shot just 29.9 percent.

ALL-TIME VERSUS BOWLING GREEN: Wednesday's contest marks the 65th meeting between the Bowling Green Falcons and the Eastern Michigan Eagles, who first met during the 1976-1977 season. BGSU has dominated the all-time series, 49-15, including winning 13 of the last 14 meetings between the two schools. The Eagles posted its first victory over the Falcons last year since 2005, when the team notched a captured a 64-52 win at the Convocation Center, Jan. 17, 2015.

NIGHTMARES IN NORTHWEST OHIO: The BGSU campus has caused EMU coaches to have nightmares over the year. The Green and White have posted an all-time record of 4-25 in Bowling Green, Ohio. Eastern's last victory at BGSU was Jan. 12, 2005, inside Anderson Arena when the Eagles took home a 51-48 win. Prior to the 2005 victory, the other most recent EMU victory in BG was Feb. 12, 2000, when the Eagles recorded a 92-69 triumph.
   Since the Stroh Center opened in 2011, the EMU women's basketball team has yet to taste victory inside the venue in a pair of tries. EMU lost 70-54 during the 2011-12 campaign and followed it up with a 71-57 setback in the 2013-14 season.

ROAD WARRIORS: Eastern Michigan owns a 6-2 record on the road, with the only blemishes coming at the hands of No. 10 Kentucky, Nov. 25, and MAC West leading Ball State, Jan. 20. 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 57-46 road record over that stretch.

MR. ROGERS NEIGHBORHOOD: Junior Cha Sweeney is joined by two former Rogers High School teammates – sophomore guard Sasha Dailey and sophomore forward Tori Easley. The two sophomores bring the total number of Rogers alumni to four with senior forward KaBria Walker returning to Eastern this season. Nationally, EMU was the only Division I women's program with four players from the same high school. Drexel University posts the next best mark with three teammates from Archbishop Carroll High School.

PERCENTAGE DIPS: In Mid-American Conference play the Eagles have seen their shooting percentage dip to 35.3 percent from the field and just 27.5 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.

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

PLAY4KAY GAME SET FOR FEB. 6 VERSUS WMU: EMU will hold a special breast cancer awareness game in support of the 'Play4Kay' campaign. The promotion will coincide with the Eagles Mid-American Conference match up with Western Michigan University, Feb. 6, at 2 p.m. Fans that wear pink will be granted admission for just $3, while all EMU Kids Club Members will receive free admission to the event.
   There will be a silent auction to benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund (KYCF) in which fans can bid on Adidas gear, EMU memorabilia, season tickets, and much more. Additionally, a Kids Fan Fair will take place from 1 to 2 p.m. in the atrium of the Convocation Center where children can participate in activities led by members of the Eastern Michigan women's teams and get autographs from several EMU student-athletes.
   In her 34-year tenure at North Carolina State University, the late Kay Yow became the first coach to win two Olympic gold medals, guided her teams to 20 NCAA Tournaments and was inducted into 11 Halls of Fame. However, Coach Yow's legacy in the community extends far beyond the basketball court. Yow founded the Kay Yow Cancer Fund in 2007 before passing away in 2009 after her 22-year battle with breast cancer.

WEST VERSUS EAST: 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 16-10 edge over its opponents from the East. Five of the East's 10 wins have come from Ohio, who is 7-0 in league play and 5-0 against the West this season.

DEFENSE LEADING TO EASY OFFENSE: Over the first 18 games, the ultra-athletic Eagles have forced 18.8 turnovers a game while snagging 11.2 steals. The 339 turnovers by the opposition has led to 346 points-off-turnovers, or 25.9 percent of EMU's offense.

ON THE HORIZON: EMU remains on the road Saturday, Jan. 30, with its first back-to-back road tilts since mid December when the team played five straight away from Ypsilanti. The Eagles will battle the University of Akron for the second time in 2016 when they clash at James A. Rhodes Arena. Game time is set for 2 p.m. in the Rubber City.
   Akron took the initial meeting at the Convocation Center, as the Zips recorded a 68-65 victory in overtime, Jan. 6. Eastern led by as many as 12 points in the game, but UA's Anita Brown connected on a three-pointer at the buzzer sounded to force overtime.

Women's Basketball Begins a Two-Game Road Trip Wednesday at BGSU

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Players Mentioned

Sasha Dailey

Tori Easley

Janay Morton

Cha Sweeney

KaBria Walker

Eastern Michigan Athletics