Eagles and Broncos Set for a Double-Dip in Kalamazoo

Women's Basketball vs. Western Michigan
Date	Saturday, Feb. 18 \| 1 p.m.
Venue	Kalamazoo, Mich. \| University Arena (5,421)
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN3
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

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team hits the road Saturday, Feb. 18, for a Mid-American Conference affair versus Western Michigan University. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at University Arena in Kalamazoo, Mich. The game is the first part of a doubleheader with the EMU men's basketball team, who tangle with WMU following the conclusion of the women's contest.
   Eastern Michigan enters the game with a mark of 6-19 (1-12 MAC) after coming up just short against the University at Buffalo, 56-52, inside the Convocation Center, Feb. 15. The Broncos are 15-9 (6-7 MAC) on the season following a 74-53 victory over Bowling Green State University to snap a five-game skid.
   Chad Bush and Greg Steiner will have the radio call beginning at 12:50 p.m. on WEMU (89.1 FM). Links to live video and statistics can be found at EMUEagles.com.

WEBB TO TIE RECORD FOR GAMES PLAYED: When senior Phillis Webb suits up Saturday in Kalamazoo, it will be the 129th time she has worn the Green and White uniform in a game. A durable cog in the EMU lineup the past four years, Webb will tie EMU greats Tavelyn James and Paige Redditt for the all-time mark for games played in a career. Webb, who also ranks 13th in career minutes played, is currently tied with Desyree Thomas (2010-14) for third with 128 appearances.
   Each 1,000-point scorers in their careers, James and Redditt played from 2008-12 with their final game coming in the 2012 NCAA Tournament against the University of South Carolina. The duo posted 77 wins and three postseason appearances during their tenure.

DOUBLE THE FUN: For just the second time in the past seven years, fans of Eastern Michigan basketball will get the chance to see both the men's and women's teams in back-to-back contests at the same road venue Saturday, Feb. 18. Overall, it will be the fifth time it has happened in the past 15 seasons.
   The last occurrence was a season ago in DeKalb, Ill. against Northern Illinois University, Jan. 9, 2016. The women's team pulled out an 87-80 overtime victory over the Huskies, but the men fell by an 80-63 tally.
   This weekend will be the third time it has occurred in Kalamazoo, Mich., with the last one taking place Jan. 9, 2010. That day, the women's team walked away with a 61-52 victory, but the men's squad fell 61-47 to the Broncos. Coincidentally, the previous road doubleheader to that also came at WMU and was six years earlier. It was again the women winning, 85-74, with the men falling, 75-55.

CHANGE IT UP: Against Buffalo, Feb. 15, Head Coach Fred Castro and staff made the decision to slow the tempo of play knowing his players were having to play significant minutes due to a limited bench. The move paid off, as EMU nearly knocked off the defending MAC Tournament Champions if it was not for some late-game heroics in the waning moments.
   EMU had 69 possessions in the contest with an average scoring possession length of 23 seconds, compared to 71 for UB and an average of 16 seconds. In the five games prior, the Eagles averaged 78 trips up the floor with an average of 15.4 seconds. EMU had 96 possessions in its victory over Bowling Green, Jan. 25, needing just 14 seconds per score.

OH WHAT A WEBB WE WEAVE: Senior Phillis Webb has been putting on a show as of late, averaging 19.1 points and 9.6 caroms a contest in her last seven appearances. During that time frame, the Brooklyn Park, Minn. native is shooting 39.7 percent (50-of-126) from the floor, including 15 trilighters. Webb has carried 30.7 percent of the Eagles' offensive output, and has taken 39 more shots than anyone else on the squad.

FEELING GOOD AT THE BREAK: Eastern Michigan went to the locker room against Buffalo, Feb. 15, with a 28-26 advantage at the half. The two-point edge marked the first time since Dec. 21, 2016, that the Eagles had outscored the opposition in the first 20 minutes of play.
   EMU is 4-2 on the year when leading at halftime.

DAILEY FROM DOWNTOWN: Against Buffalo, Feb. 15, junior Sasha Dailey led EMU with a game-high 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-4 from three point land. It marked the 10th time this year that Dailey had led EMU in three-pointers made, while it was the fourth time she had connected on at least three outside shots in a game.
   In the second half, the Toledo, Ohio native scored 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting.

THE 400 CLUB: Against UB, Feb. 15, Sasha Dailey passed the 400 point plateau this season, and is knocking on the door of being of one of the most prolific junior seasons in program history. With 403 points, she needs 18 points to catch Sharon Brown (1984-85 - 421 points) for the ninth most points scored by an EMU junior. Tavelyn James holds the all-time third-year mark with 642 points during the 2010-11 campaign.
   At her current pace of 16.8 points per game, Dailey is on pace for 504 points which would rank fifth all-time. For the complete list, turn to page 10 of these notes.

THE 400 CLUB, PART DEUX: Not to outdone, Phillis Webb needs 32 points to pass 400 points during her senior season. Currently at 368, the Broolyn Park, Minn. product is on pace for 441 which would rank eighth most by an EMU senior.

EMU WORKHORSE: Coming into the season, junior Micah Robinson had played a total of 378 minutes over 50 games in the first two seasons of her collegiate career, averaging just 7.5 minutes per contest. This season, Robinson has been one of the most utilized players in the country. The Ann Arbor product has played 915 minutes, the most of any player in the conference and the 35th-most in the country. Additionally, Robinson's 36.6 minutes per game average ranks 30th nationally.

THE FINAL FIVE: Down the backstretch of the season the Eagles have not been dealt an easy hand by the schedule makers. EMU plays teams with a combined winning percentage of .705 (86-36) with all but one of the squads having 17-or-more victories. Of those six teams, three have already won 10 games in conference play (Ball State, Central Michigan, and Northern Illinois).

ALL-TIME VERSUS WESTERN MICHIGAN: Saturday's contest against Western Michigan marks the 82nd meeting between the Broncos and Eagles, who first met during the 1976-77 season. Eastern leads the all-time series by a count of 47-34, including winning 19 of the last 25 meetings.
   Earlier this year, Western Michigan posted a 76-67 victory at the Convocation Center, Jan. 14. Sasha Dailey filled up the stat sheet, finishing the afternoon with a game-high 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting to go along with nine rebounds, six assists, four steals, and two blocks.
   EMU swept last year's series, as the Eagles outlasted the Broncos, 70-66, in double overtime in Ypsilanti, Feb. 6, before downing WMU, 63-52, in Kalamazoo, March 2.

OLD FACES IN NEW PLACES: Western Michigan Head Coach Shane Clipfell spent nine seasons as an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan, and was the acting head coach for most of the 2006-07 season when then-Head Coach Suzy Merchant was on maternity leave.
    While serving as the acting head coach at EMU for a majority of the 2006-07 season, he guided the Eagles to a 16-13 overall record and a 10-6 finish in the MAC, good for second place in the West Division. Individually, Sarah VanMetre became the first women's basketball player in program history to be named Academic All-American, Patrice McKinney was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year and Alyssa Pittman was named the MAC Freshman of the Year.

MAC TOURNAMENT SEEDING: With cross-divisional play complete, some parts of the MAC Tournament picture are becoming clearer. If the season ended today, EMU would be the 12th seed traveling to Kent State University in the first round. Central Michigan Northern Illinois, Ball State, and Ohio would have byes directly to Cleveland. For the complete bracket, turn to page nine of these notes.

SWIPING RIGHT MORE THAN TINDER: Junior Sasha Dailey is the team leader with 58 steals this season, the fourth-most in the league, and good for 78th nationally. Meanwhile, her 2.42 steals per game are fourth-most in the conference and ranks 61st in the nation.

STEADY AS IT GOES: The offense has scored between 60 and 69 points on 14 occasions in 2016-17.

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Players Mentioned

Sasha Dailey

Micah Robinson

Phillis Webb

Eastern Michigan Athletics