Eagles Fade in Loss to MAC West Division Champion Chippewas

2016 Mid-American Conference Tournament Full Bracket.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team dropped its final regular season game of the 2015-16 campaign, 78-70, to the Chippewas of Central Michigan University Saturday, March 5, at McGuirk Arena. Plenty was on the line between the two intrastate rivals, including final seeds in the upcoming Mid-American Conference Tournament, the Michigan MAC Trophy as well as CMU's opportunity to win the outright MAC West Division championship.

Eastern Michigan (19-10, 10-8 MAC) was led by junior Cha Sweeney's (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) team-high 19 points and six assists while graduate transfer Chanise Baldwin (Pontiac, Mich.-Martin Luther King-Providence College) and junior Phillis Webb (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) also reached double-digits. Baldwin added 14 points and eight rebounds while Webb posted her fifth career double-double with 13 points and 10 boards. A battle tested road squad, Head Coach Tory Verdi's club fell to 9-5 this season in road contests and had been the winners in its last four tilts away from Ypsilanti.

With the loss, EMU will be the No. 6 seed in the 2016 MAC Tournament Presented by VisitMyrtleBeach.com and will host the 11th-seeded Golden Flashes of Kent State University Monday, March 7. The contest will be the first leg of a doubleheader as the Eastern men's basketball team also secured a first-round home game in the conference tournament. Tip off for the women's game is slated for 5 p.m. from the Convocation Center. Both games will be televised on ESPN3 and aired locally on WEMU (89.1 FM).

As a team, Eastern shot 43.3 percent from the floor and 34.6 percent from beyond the arc, going 9-for-26 in its loss to the Chippewas.

The Chippewas' offensive output was spread out evenly as they had five players notch double-digit scoring in the game. Jewel Cotton led all CMU players with 20 points, while Presley Hudson had 11 point and pulled down 11 rebounds. Reyna Frost added 14 points to the Chippewa tally and Da'Jourie Turner and Cassie Breen scored 14 and 13 points, respectively, for Central Michigan.

Hot shooting by both sides set the tone of the game early. Baldwin opened things up with a bucket before the Green and White went on to hit 5-of-7 three-pointers. First, junior Janay Morton (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) drained a triple off of a hand-off from Webb before Baldwin whipped a weakside pass to senior Sera Ozelci (Ankara, Turkey-TED Ankara College-Odessa College). Spotting up on the arc, the Turkish sharp-shooter knocked down the trey. While the Chippewas kept pace with the Eagles, EMU continued to light it up from long range, maintaining the lead. Webb joined the three-point party after Morton dialed in from distance, hitting a baseline triple before Ozelci converted her second of the afternoon to give the Green and White a 23-19 lead with 3:35 to play in the first period.

The teams combined for just four points over the remainder of the quarter, giving the Eagles a 25-21 lead through the first 10 minutes of play.

EMU pushed its lead to seven in the second frame after a mid-range jumper by sophomore Sasha Dailey (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) and back-to-back threes by Ozelci and Sweeney made the score 35-28 in favor of Eastern Michigan with 6:17 remaining in the half.

Paced by the play of Baldwin on the inside, the Eagles held a 40-33 lead at the break.

Capitalizing on EMU miscues, the Chips regained the lead, 47-43, four minutes into the third quarter. The two-point deficit marked the first time the Eagles trailed in the game since early in the first frame. Central outscored the Eagles 14-3 over the first seven minutes of the stanza before a jumper from the elbow by Baldwin ended EMU's four-minute long scoring drought.
Facing a nine-point deficit, baskets by Sweeney and Webb pulled the Green and White within five, 54-49.

Central opened the final quarter on a 10-2 run, pushing its lead to a game-high 13, and forcing EMU Head Coach Tory Verdi to burn a timeout. CMU's 13-point edge stood for a majority of the quarter before Baldwin and Sweeney cut the deficit to four, 69-65, with two minutes to play.

The late rally by the Green and White ultimately proved to be too little too late as the Eagles fell by a final score of 78-70.

The EMU Department of Athletics invites all fans to a tailgate party inside the Convocation Center's atrium on Monday as a part of the MAC Tournament game. The party will begin at 6 p.m. and will include music, food, giveaways and a cash bar at the event.

For students, EMU will be giving away tickets to a suite for the upcoming Ellie Goulding concert at the Convocation Center. Ten lucky students will win a pair of suite tickets to the May 9 show. In addition to the concert giveaway, fans have the chance at winning the MAC Finals Package. Two fans will be selected to win a weekend trip to Cleveland for MAC Tournament finals weekend. The lucky winners will take home a two-night stay in Cleveland, March 11-12, and a pair of tickets to the MAC men's and women's semifinal and championship games at Quicken Loans Arena. Also, the fraternity and sorority with the highest number in attendance will receive a free customized E-hoodie with its Greek letters.

To secure tickets to round one of the MAC Tournament visit EMUEagles.com/tickets, call 734.487.2282 or click here. EMU students will be admitted free with a valid student ID. Fans can purchase green level premium seats for $12, while youth tickets will cost $7. Single-game white level reserved tickets will be $10 and youth seating will be $5. Additionally, courtside seats will be available for $50 per seat. These tickets will be available on a first come, first serve basis.

2016 MAC Women's Basketball Tournament Pairings
Monday, March 7 - First Round - Campus Sites
Game 1: No. 8 Buffalo vs. No. 9 Bowling Green
Game 2: No. 5 Akron vs. No. 12 Miami
Game 3: No. 7 Western Michigan vs. No. 10 Northern Illinois
Game 4: No. 6 Eastern Michigan vs. No. 11 Kent State, 5 p.m.

Wednesday, March 9 - Quarterfinals - Cleveland, Ohio
Game 5: No. 8/9 Winner vs. No. 1 Ohio, 12 Noon
Game 6: No. 5/12 Winner vs. No. 4 Toledo, Time TBA*
Game 7: No. 7/10 Winner vs. No. 2 Central Michigan, Time TBA*
Game 8: No. 6/11 Winner vs. No. 3 Ball State, Time TBA*

Friday, March 11 - Semifinals - Cleveland, Ohio
Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner, 12:00 Noon
Game 10: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner, TBA*

Saturday, March 12 - MAC Championship - Cleveland, Ohio
Game 11: Championship Game, 1 p.m.

*30 minutes following the completion of the first game of the session

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Team Stats

Cha Sweeney

Chanise Baldwin

Phillis Webb

Janay Morton

Players Mentioned

Chanise Baldwin

Sasha Dailey

Janay Morton

Sera Ozelci

Cha Sweeney

Phillis Webb

Players Mentioned

Chanise Baldwin

Sasha Dailey

Janay Morton

Sera Ozelci

Cha Sweeney

Phillis Webb

Eastern Michigan Athletics