Women's Basketball Shuffles Off to Buffalo

Women's Basketball at Buffalo
Date	Wednesday, Feb. 17 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Buffalo, N.Y. \| Alumni Arena (6,100)
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Live Stats
Watch	ESPN3
Listen	N/A
Twitter	@EMUWBB \| @EMUAthletics

BUFFALO, N.Y. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team hits the road again Wednesday, Feb. 17, for a game against the University at Buffalo. Tip-off for the Mid-American Conference contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Alumni Arena.
   The Eagles enter the game with a mark of 15-8 (6-6 MAC) and currently hold the seventh seed in the MAC Tournament race after posting back-to-back wins in league play for the first time this season. Meanwhile, the Bulls are 12-11 (4-8 MAC) after upending Bowling Green State University, 63-50, at the Stroh Center, Feb. 13.
   Neither WEMU nor Eagle All-Access will be making the trip to broadcast the game. Fans wanting to follow the Eagles can find live stats at UBBulls.com or watch it on ESPN3.

LIVING ON THE ROAD: With six games remaining in the regular season, the Eagles will see plenty of time on the road with four of those contests away from the friendly confines of the Convocation Center. Thankfully though, Eastern Michigan is 7-4 in true road games this season.

LOCKED IN ON DEFENSE: Eastern's defense has always been a point of emphasis with Head Coach Tory Verdi at the helm. Whether its in the half court or the stifling full-court press, Verdi's squads have made a living overwhelming opponents. In fact, the Eagles have forced five of their past eight opponents to commit 21-or-more turnovers. In the past three games alone, EMU has forced Central Michigan, Western Michigan, and Miami into a combined 75 miscues while only committing 29 itself. The Eagles have cashed in on the trio of opponents mishaps to the tune of a 74-19 edge in points off of turnovers.

STOP! THIEF!: In EMU's 70-46 win over the RedHawks of Miami, Feb. 13, the Eagles tied a season-high with 17 steals. Leading the way for the Green and White was sophomore Sasha Dailey who swiped five passes while juniors Janay Morton and Sheyna Deans added four apiece.

BACK-TO-BACK TRIUMPHS: For the first time since league play began, the Eagles have won consecutive contests in defeating Western Michigan, Feb. 6, and Miami, Feb. 13. Eastern won five in-a-row to close out non-conference play but the team has struggled with consistency in the MAC.

ALL-TIME WITH UB: Wednesday's Mid-American Conference contest pits Eastern Michigan against Buffalo for the 22nd time in program history. The Green and White have held the upper hand in the series, 14-7, but the Bulls got the best of the Eagles in three of the last four meetings.
   EMU edged UB, 67-56, earlier this season back in Ypsilanti to open conference play, Jan. 2. Cha Sweeney 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 finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.
   The Green and White have not tasted victory inside Alumni Arena since the 2011-12 campaign when the squad notched a 72-54, Jan. 25. The Eagles took an 11-point lead into the half and never looked back as they knocked-off the MAC East opponent on their home floor. In the game, Tavelyn James led all-scorers with 34 points, while Paige Redditt added 11 points from the floor.

CONTINUING TO CLIMB THE CHARTS: With four consecutive 20+ point efforts under her belt, junior Cha Sweeney has passed 1,600 points in her EMU career. The total ranks fourth-best in school history while she needs 30 points for to move into the top-35 all-time scorers in Mid-American Conference history.

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 Feb. 16. Let's take a look...
   Player   Category   Rank   Number
   EMU   Turnovers Margin   1st   +6.35 (6th nationally)
   EMU   Fewest Turnovers   1st   304 (10th nationally)
   EMU   Steals Per Game   1st   11.5 (11th nationally)
   EMU   Turnovers Per Game   1st   13.2 (20th nationally)
   EMU   Offensive Rebounds Per Game   1st   16.0 (21st nationally)
   EMU   Rebounds Per Game   2nd   42.5 (28th nationally)
   EMU   Scoring Offense   2nd   72.7 (48th nationally)
   Janay Morton   Steals Per Game   1st   2.74 (27th nationally)
   Janay Morton   Steals   1st   63 (33rd nationally)
   Cha Sweeney   Field Goal Attempts   1st   433 (20th nationally)
   Chanise Baldwin   Blocks Per Game   3rd   1.26 (168th nationally)
   Cha Sweeney   Points Per Game   5th   17.9 (66th nationally)

MAC TOURNAMENT OUTLOOK: With the 2016 MAC Basketball Tournament quickly approaching, it is time to gaze into the crystal ball to see where the Eagles could possibly end up to begin conference tournament play. If the regular season ended today, Eastern would be the No. 7 seed for the tournament, hosting No. 10-seeded Miami for a first round contest set to take place March 7. For a complete MAC Tournament outlook, please check page 11 of these notes.

THIRD QUARTER THORN: The third quarter has been a shaky one for the Eagles this season. In fact, it is the only frame in which the Green and White have been outscored. Opponents hold a 413-399 edge over EMU in the third period this season. Specifically in MAC losses, the Green and White has been outscored 115-97.

FINDING SOME CONSISTENCY: #MACtion has not been kind to Eastern Michigan, as the Eagles have dropped six of its 12 conference games. In those tightly-contested battles, the Eagles have dropped four of them by a combined total of 11 points. EMU had a pair of 12 point leads against Akron, but on each occasion lost by three points. The Green and White also mounted a late rally from 16 points down at Bowling Green before suffering a four-point setback. Most recently, Eastern fell to Central Michigan, 66-65, despite a final frantic nail-biting two minutes that featured several missed shots, turnovers and blocks - the last of which was delivered as time expired. In the five MAC losses, EMU is averaging 63.8 points while shooting just 34.4 percent from the field. Meanwhile, the opposition has averaged 9.2 three-pointers while shooting 42.3 percent overall.

CONSISTENCY PART DEUX: The razor-thin line between triumph and tragedy is just a combined eight points during the team's recent three-game skid. During those contests versus Bowling Green, Akron and Central Michigan, EMU forced 47 turnovers but missed 34 layups in the trio of contests that could have changed the course of the games to the total of 68 points.

ALLOWING 50 OR LESS: Eastern Michigan is 103-1 all time when allowing 50 points-or-less. Since 2003-04, the Green and White has accomplished the feat 59 times with 32 of those coming against Mid-American Conference foes.

DEFENSE LEADING TO EASY OFFENSE: Over the team's 23 games, the ultra-athletic Eagles have forced 19.6 turnovers a game while snagging 11.5 steals. The 450 turnovers by the opposition has led to 455 points-off-turnovers, or 27.2 percent of EMU's offense.

PLENTY TO GO AROUND: EMU is the only MAC school to boast three players that average 12-or-more points a contest.

ON THE HORIZON: The Eagles return home Saturday, Jan. 20, for a rematch with the Huskies of Northern Illinois University. Game time is scheduled for approximately 2:30 p.m. as it is the second leg of a doubleheader with the men's team hosting the University of Toledo at noon. EMU clipped NIU, 87-80, in overtime earlier this season in DeKalb, Ill., Jan. 9.

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Players Mentioned

Chanise Baldwin

Sasha Dailey

Sheyna Deans

Janay Morton

Cha Sweeney

Phillis Webb

Eastern Michigan Athletics