EMU Heads to Buffalo for Clash with MAC East Leader UB

Women's Basketball at Buffalo
Date	Saturday, Jan. 27 \| 2 p.m.
Venue	Buffalo, N.Y. \| Alumni Arena (6,100)
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats
Watch	E SPN3
Listen	N/A
Twitter	@EMUW BB \| @EMUAthletics

BUFFALO, N.Y. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team looks to bounce back when it travels to Buffalo, N.Y. for a Mid-American Conference cross-divisional clash with East Division-leading University at Buffalo Saturday, Jan. 27. Tipoff between EMU and UB is scheduled for 2 p.m. inside Alumni Arena.
   Eastern Michigan enters the road tilt on the heels of a, 73-69, setback at the hands of Miami, Jan. 24. EMU led with less than a minute to play, but MU cashed in at the free throw line down the stretch to end Eastern's three-game win streak. Buffalo returns to the hardwood for the first time in seven days after knocking off Toledo, 87-69, at home, Jan. 20.
   The game will be broadcast on ESPN3. Fans can also follow via Twitter through the team's account, @EMUWBB.

BEAST ON THE BOARDS: Rebounding has been a key factor in Eastern Michigan's success this season, and redshirt junior Emoni Jackson's presence on the glass is a large reason why. Specifically, Jackson is averaging 12.0 rebounds over the last four contests, while adding in 9.3 points per game over the stretch.
   The Los Angeles, Calif. native has turned in three straight 10+ rebounding efforts, becoming the first Eagle to accomplish the feat since Natachia Watkins collected 10, 12, and 10 from March 5-10, 2014.

COMMA CLUB CLIMB: 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 then 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 245 points so far this year to put her career total at 1,100, ranking her 19th in EMU laurels. Currently, she sits 25 points behind former teammate Phillis Webb for 18th all-time.

DANIELLE PICKS UP MAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS: Redshirt junior Danielle Minott was named Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week for the period ending Jan. 21. Minott was clutch in leading Eastern Michigan to a 2-0 record, Jan. 17-20.
   Minott averaged 22.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals, 1.0 assist, and 0.5 blocks per game over the two-game stretch, as EMU defeated Western Michigan, 69-67, in overtime, Jan. 17, before topping Northern Illinois, 83-76, on the road, Jan. 20.

TRENDING UP: Since the Eagles have turned their attention to Mid-American Conference play they have been one of the top defenses in the league. In conference games, EMU is giving up just 65.9 points per contest, the second-fewest in the league. The Green and White also rank third in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to a 39.6 percent clip, and fourth with 9.1 steals per game.

BATTLING THE BULLS: Saturday's Mid-American Conference cross-divisional contest pits Eastern Michigan against Buffalo for the 25th time in program history. The Green and White hold the upperhand in the series, 15-9. UB took last season's meeting in Ypsilanti, 56-52, and has won four of the last six meetings, while EMU has won eight of the last nine meetings inside Alumni Arena.

FINDING HER STRIDE: Danielle Minott has been incredible in MAC play this season, ranking second on the team in scoring (16.5 ppg) and leading the Eagles in steals (20), while ranking second on the team in rebounding at 4.4 boards per game.
   Over the last four games, Minott is averaging 19.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 steals, and 1.3 assists, while shooting 44.3 percent (27-of-61) from the floor and 52.2 percent (12-of-23) from three-point range.

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 nine victories EMU is shooting 67.7 percent (111-of-164), while Eastern is converting just 61.8 percent (102-of-165) of its attempts from the stripe in losses.

CREATING SECOND CHANCES: The Green and White have dominated the offensive glass, racking up 301 offensive rebounds. EMU's 15.8 offensive rebounds per game ranks first in the MAC and 18th nationally, while leading to 244 points or 19.4 percent of Eastern's scoring this season.

OFF TO THE RACES: Eastern Michigan has been dominant in transition through 19 games, outscoring the opposition, 223-82, in fast break points. Offensively, the Green and White average 11.7 transition points per game, while giving up just an average of 4.3 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 11 games this year and has averaged 70.5 points in those contests. On the flip side, the Eagles score more than 10 points less (60.5 ppg) when finishing with a single digit assist total.

ALL THE STEALS: 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 50 swipes on the season, and currently has 223 for her career. Dailey's 223 career thefts put her in a tie for 10th all-time. Desyree Thomas owns the program record, having accumulated 297 from 2010-14.
   As of Jan. 24, Dailey's steals ranked fourth-most in the league and the 50th-most in the country, while her 2.63 steals per game are the fifth in the MAC and come in at 53rd in the nation.

TWO TIMES!: Emoni Jackson grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds and added a career-high tying 13 points en route to her second straight double-double. Jackson is now the active team leader with two career double-doubles, as well as the first Eagle with back-to-back double-doubles since Chanise Baldwin did so against Oral Roberts (15 pts.-14 reb.), Dec. 1, and Air Force Academy (11 pts.-10-rebs.), Dec. 4.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan takes an extended break before returning to the hardwood when it hosts in-state foe Central Michigan Saturday, Feb. 3. The Eagles-Chippewas game is the second leg of a doubleheader with the EMU men's basketball team and is scheduled to get underway at approximately, 2:30 p.m.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sasha Dailey

Emoni Jackson

Danielle Minott

Eastern Michigan Athletics