Eagles Return Home for Bowling Green Matchup

Women's Basketball vs. Bowling Green
Date	Wednesday, Jan. 25 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center (8,784)
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	Buckeye Cable Sports Network
Listen	WEMU 89.1 FM \| Mobile Apps: iPhone or Android
Twitter	@EMUWBB \| @EMUAthletics
Tickets	Order Tickets Online or call 734.487.2282 \| Clear Bag Policy

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – After back-to-back games on the road, the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team returns home Wednesday, Jan. 25, to host the Falcons of Bowling Green State University. The Mid-American Conference cross-divisional clash is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
    EMU looks to snap a seven-game skid that has dropped its record to 5-14 (0-7 MAC). Most recently, the Eagles faded late in a 68-51 setback at East Division leader Ohio University, Jan. 21. On the other side of the court, BGSU has dropped nine of its last 10 games to see its mark fall to 5-14 (1-6 MAC). On Saturday, the Falcons lost a 75-53 home contest to Ball State University.
   Chad Bush and Greg Steiner will have the call on WEMU (89.1 FM). The game will be televised on Buckeye Cable Sports Network (BCSN).

APPROACHING RARE AIR: Senior Phillis Webb is nearing 1,000 points and 700 rebounds in her career, which would make her just the seventh player in program history to register the feat. Webb, who still needs 86 points and 31 rebounds, would join Nikki Knapp (1,511 pts./802 reb.), Stephanie Smiley (1,401 pts./785 reb.), Paige Redditt (1,001 pts./781 reb.), Sarah VanMetre (1,3611 pts./770 reb.), Cassie Schrock (1,506 pts./761 reb.), and Ryan Coleman (1,793 pts./747 reb.) in the group.

HOME COOKING: The Eagles are nearly five points a game better at home than on the road, averaging 65.4 ppg inside the Convocation Center while shooting 36.3 percent from the field. The Eagles have also benefited from an average of 18.0 points off turnovers on its home floor, compared to just 12.2 in away venues.

ALL-TIME VERSUS BOWLING GREEN: Wednesday's contest marks the 66th 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, 50-15, including winning 14 of the last 15 meetings between the two schools. The Falcons held on for a 67-63 victory last season at the Stroh Center, Jan. 27, in the only meeting of the year.
   In 2015, EMU tasted its first victory over BGSU since 2005, when the team captured a 64-52 win at the Convocation Center, Jan. 17. Behind 40 points from the EMU bench, three players tabbed double-digit scoring for the Green and White despite shooting just 38.1 percent from the floor.

GETTING BETTER WITH AGE: Seniors Phillis Webb and Sheyna Deans have been bright spots for the Eagles over the past four games, combining for 118 of EMU's 228 points. Making up 51.8 percent of Eastern's scoring over that span, the senior duo has also paced the Eagles on the glass. Webb and Deans average 8.3 and 7.8 rebounds per game, respectively, the top two marks on the team within the 10-day span.

D'ING UP THE BOBCATS: Eastern Michigan's defense held Ohio to just 38.1 percent (24-of-63) shooting at the Convocation Center, Jan. 21. The total was the second-worst for the Bobcats in Mid-American Conference play, while it was the ninth-time this season that EMU's defense had limited an opponent to under 40 percent shooting.

GETTING OUT TO A LEAD: Both Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan have both struggled to get out to leads as of late. The Eagle have led their last five opponents for a combined 25 minutes of game time, while the Falcons have held the advantage for a total of just 33 minutes in their last four outings.

CLIMBING THE RANKS: Senior Phillis Webb came into her final season ranked 21st in Eastern Michigan history with 509 rebounds. This season, Webb has grabbed 160 boards, moving her into 12th-place with 669 caroms. Nikki Knapp holds the program record with 802 career rebounds, while Webb is five boards behind Felica Hines for 11th-place on the all-time list.

SHEYNA'S STRETCH: Senior Sheyna Deans has been one of the most consistent Eagles over the past four games. The Detroit native is averaging a team-high 15.3 points per game, and has turned in a pair of 20-point performances for the first time in her career. Deans poured in a career-high 21 points in EMU's heartbreaking loss to Western Michigan, Jan. 14, and led the Eagles with 20 points against Ball State, Jan. 18. Deans is not just making buckets, she's doing so at an efficient rate. Over the four-game span, she has converted 39.0 percent (23-of-59) of her shots from the field. Deans has also added 78 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game to round out her stat line.

WEBB WORKING TOWARDS 1,000 POINT MARK: Senior Phillis Webb stands 86 points short of the 1,000-point mark in her final season donning the Green and White. If Webb eclipses four-digits, she will become the 21st player in program history to score at least 1,000 points during their career.

SLOW START TO CONFERENCE PLAY: Eastern Michigan's defense has been giving up an average of 75.9 points per game, while the offense is managing just 59.6 points a contest. Since beginning MAC play, one of the team's biggest challenges has been at the free throw line, as the Eagles are shooting just 60.3 percent (79-of-131).

SUCCESS STEMS FROM WINNING THE REBOUNDING BATTLE: Winning the rebounding battle has proven to be a true-tale sign of Eastern Michigan's ability to win this season. In their five wins, the Eagles have out-rebounded opponents by 5.8 boards per game. In fact, EMU averages 46.2 rebounds per game compared to opponents' 40.4 boards per contest average in its five wins. Conversely, in its 14 losses, the Eagles average nearly seven rebounds less per game (39.6), while the opposition's per game average jumps to 45.9, making the Eagles -6.2 on the glass in losses.
   EMU's ability to rebound and control the glass has had an impact on the squad's ability to score this season. Eastern Michigan averages 66.1 points per game when winning the rebound battle, compared to 59.7 points per contest when it is out-rebounded.

SLOW SECOND QUARTERS: Since turning its focus to MAC play, the second quarter has been a thorn in the side of EMU. Through its first seven league games, EMU is connecting on just 26.7 percent (27-of-101) of its field goal attempts in the period, including just 3-of-36 from three-point range. The Eagles' offensive struggles have been compounded by their opponents' 41.0 field goal percentage in the frame, as the opposition has connected on 48-of-117 attempts.

ON THE HORIZON: EMU returns to the road Saturday, Jan. 28, with a trip to Akron, Ohio, to battle the University of Akron. The game is the first leg of a doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. inside James A. Rhodes Arena.

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Players Mentioned

Sheyna Deans

Phillis Webb

Eastern Michigan Athletics