Eagles Looks to Get Back on Track Against RedHawks

Women's Basketball at Miami
Date	Saturday, Jan. 13 \| 2 p.m.
Venue	Oxford, Ohio \| Millett Hall (6,400)
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats
Watch	E SPN3
Listen	N/A
Twitter	@EMUW BB \| @EMUAthletics

OXFORD, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) - Looking to bounce back, the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team heads to Oxford, Ohio, for a Mid-American Conference cross-divisional contest with Miami University Saturday, Jan. 13, at Millett Hall. The EMU-MU tilt is scheduled for 2 p.m.
The Eagles make the trip to Millett following a foul-ridden 76-69 setback on the road at Kent State, Jan. 10. Meanwhile, the RedHawks return home looking to snap a three-game losing skid, most recently falling at Buffalo, Jan. 10.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN3. Fans can also follow via Twitter through the team's account, @EMUWBB.

FOUL FRENZY: The Green and White were whistled for 32 fouls in its road loss to Kent State, Jan. 10. EMU's 32 violations were the most Eastern Michigan has committed since racking up 35 against Bowling Green, March 6, 1990. To put that in perspective, none of the players on EMU's current roster were born, nor was assistant coach Cassandra Callaway. Furthermore, it was just the eighth time ever the Eagles have tallied 30-or-more fouls.

ALL-TIME VERSUS MIAMI: Saturday's contest with Miami marks the 59th meeting between the RedHawks and Eagles, who first met during the 1979-80 season. Miami has dominated the all-time series, 40-18, but the Eagles have won six of the last 10 meetings.
Miami swept last year's meetings, 72-61, and, 79-63. Spurned by a sluggish second quarter in which they were outscored 29-7, a second half comeback fell short for the Eagles at the Convocation Center, Feb. 11, 2017. Phillis Webb led EMU with 24 points, while Sheyna Deans and Micah Robinson added 13 and 10 points, respectively.

MILLETT NOT KIND TO EMU: Miami University's Millett Hall has traditionally been a building that has caused EMU coaches to have nightmares. The Eagles have posted an all-time record of 9-17 in the venerable building. However, things have started to change of late, as the Eagles have posted victories in five of their last seven trips to Oxford, Ohio.

COMMON BONDS: Eastern Michigan and Miami share four mutual opponents - Detroit Mercy, Loyola Marymount, Denver, and Florida A&M. The Eagles went 2-2 against the group, throttling FAMU, 83-61, in their season opener and outlasting UDM, 78-76, while falling to LMU and DU at the LMU Thanksgiving Tournament, Nov. 24-25. The RedHawks own a 3-1 record against the familiar foes, having topped UDM, FAMU, and Denver.

OLD FACES, NEW PLACES: When the Eagles and RedHawks face off in Millett Hall Saturday, Jan. 13, redshirt junior Emoni Jackson will reunite with former coach Megan Duffy. Jackson, a transfer from the University of Michigan, played for the Wolverines for two seasons (2014-16) at which time current Miami bench boss was an assistant under Kim Barnes Arico.

SWEET CHARITY: A key to Eastern Michigan's ability to win close games this season has been how the Green and White perform at the free throw line. In its six victories EMU is shooting 69.7 percent (85-of-122), while Eastern is converting just 61.2 percent (93-of-152) of its attempts from the stripe in losses.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: Eastern Michigan added four freshmen and four transfers to the roster ahead of this season, and boy have those new pieces paid off for the Eagles. EMU's newcomers have accounted for 626 points, or 64.9 percent of the team's scoring, while also representing 74.9 percent of EMU's rebounding. No other school in the MAC has seen contributions from newcomers quite like the Eagles have, as EMU's fresh faces have had the greatest impact in the conference, while ranking fourth in the country in scoring and second in the nation in their rebounding efforts. A full ranking of the impact newcomers have had nationally can be found below...

School	Points	% of Points	Rebounds	% of Rebounds
Savannah State	638	94.7	442	94.7
Alabama A&M	644	77.3	464	77.9
Loyola Chicago	542	71.8	272	55.8
Eastern Michigan	626	64.9	433	74.9
Alabama State	504	63.0	328	58.0

CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Senior Sasha Dailey has proven to be one of the best defensive players Eastern Michigan has ever seen, as she has frustrated opponents with her knack for racking up steals over the course of her career. The Toledo, Ohio native has registered 49 swipes on the season, and currently has 222 for her career. Dailey's 222 career thefts put her just outside the top-10, as she trails Janay Morton (223) by one. Desyree Thomas owns the program record, having accumulated 297 from 2010-14.
   As of Jan. 8, Dailey's steals ranked most in the league and the 16th-most in the country, while her 3.43 steals per game are the best in the MAC and come in at 12th in the nation.

DOMINATING DEFENSIVE DUO: Both the men's and women's basketball teams at Eastern Michigan have become known for their stifling defense over the years. In fact, the stout defensive play of seniors Sasha Dailey and Tim Bond is some of the best across the country.
   EMU is the only school in the nation to have players ranked inside the country's top-16 in steals and steals per game for both men's and women's basketball. Dailey is ranked 14th in steals per game (3.27) and 16th in steals (49), while Bond is slotted ninth in steals per game (2.63) and total steals (42).

CREATING SECOND CHANCES: The Green and White have dominated the offensive glass, racking up 235 offensive rebounds. EMU's 15.7 offensive rebounds per game ranks first in the MAC and 24th nationally, while leading to 175 points or 18.1 percent of Eastern's scoring this season.
OFF TO THE RACES: Eastern Michigan has been dominant in transition through its first 14 games, outscoring the opposition, 201-76, in fast break points. Offensively, the Green and White average 13.4 transition points per game, while giving up just an average of 5.1 points per contest. For the season, EMU is 5-4 when scoring 10+ fast break points.

SHARING IS CARING: EMU's ability to distribute the ball has been a true-tale sign of its success offensively this season. Eastern has racked up 10-or-more assists in eight games this year and has averaged 68.8 points in those contests. On the flip side, the Eagles score roughly nine points less (59.3 ppg) when finishing with a single digit assist total.

STARTING LINEUP SHUFFLE: After using eight different lineups over the first 11 games of the season, Head Coach Fred Castro has stuck with the same starting five for the past three games. Additionally, Sasha Dailey is the only Eagle to earn the nod in all 15 games, while 11 different players have made starts so far this season.

DAILEY JOINS THE COMMA CLUB: Needing just three points against her hometown team to become the 22nd Eagle to eclipse the 1,000-point mark, Sasha Dailey went off for a season-high 20 points against Toledo, Jan. 6, to accomplish the feat.
   Dailey amassed 855 points for her career through her first three seasons, and has scored 170 points so far this year to put her career total at 1,025, ranking her 21st in EMU laurels. Currently, she sits 24 points behind Denise Allen and Natachia Watkins for 19th all-time.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan is back at home Wednesday, Jan. 17, when the Eagles play host to the Broncos of Western Michigan University in a MAC West showdown. Action is slated to begin at 7 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.

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Players Mentioned

Sasha Dailey

Emoni Jackson

Micah Robinson

Eastern Michigan Athletics