Eagles Trek to Kent for Rematch with Golden Flashes

Women's Basketball at Kent State
Date	Wednesday, Jan. 10 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Kent, Ohio \| M.A.C. Center (6,327)
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	E SPN3
Listen	WEMU (89.1 FM)
Twitter	@EMUW BB \| @EMUAthletics

KENT, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team begins a two-game Mid-American Conference East Division swing Wednesday, Jan. 10, at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation (M.A.C.) Center in Kent, Ohio, as the Eagles tangle with the Golden Flashes of Kent State University. Tipoff for the rematch of the league opener is scheduled for 7 p.m.
   Eastern Michigan is 6-8 (2-1 MAC) following a convincing, 70-57, win over Toledo, Jan. 6, while Kent State sits at 8-7 (1-2 MAC) after a 66-61 setback at the hands of Western Michigan, Jan. 6.
   The game will be broadcast on ESPN3. Chad Bush and Greg Steiner will have the call on WEMU (89.1 FM) beginning at approximately 6:50 p.m. Fans can also follow via Twitter through the team's account, @EMUWBB.

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 162 points so far this year to put her career total at 1,017, ranking her 21st in EMU laurels. Currently, she sits 32 points behind Denise Allen and Natachia Watkins for 19th all-time.

ON THE UPSWING: With its win against BGSU, Jan. 3, EMU matched its Mid-American Conference win total from a season ago. Now, just three games into the conference season, the Eagles have surpassed last year's win total with their 70-57 win over Toledo, Jan. 6. In knocking off the Rockets, the Eagles also matched last season's overall win total (6).

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 59.8 percent (76-of-127) of its attempts from the stripe in losses.

SASHA MAKES IT FIVE STRAIGHT: When Sasha Dailey joined the 1,000-point club Saturday, Jan. 6, it marked the fifth consecutive season in which the Eagles have had a player break into four-digit scoring for their career. The streak began with Natachia Watkins back in 2013-14, while Cha Sweeney (2014-15), Janay Morton (2015-16), and Phillis Webb (2017-18) accomplished the feat leading up to Dailey.

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 569 points, or 63.5 percent of the team's scoring, while also representing 75.2 percent of EMU's rebounding. No other school in the MAC has seen contributions from newcomers quite like the Eagles have, as Ohio's new pieces have scored 338 points, or 36.0 percent of the Bobcats' scoring, while also turning in 33.1 percent (151) of the squad's rebounding total.

GOING UP AGAINST THE GOLDEN FLASHES: Wednesday's showdown between the Eagles and Golden Flashes marks the 65th time the two teams will battle on the hardwood since the series began during the 1980-81 campaign. Kent State holds the edge in the all-time series, 37-27, but Eastern Michigan has had KSU's number as of late, winning 11 of the last 14 meetings.
   Earlier this season, Kent State topped Eastern Michigan, 67-60, inside the Convocation Center. Sasha Dailey led the Eagles with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Courtnie Lewis added 17 points and Danielle Minott chipped in 12.

SO WE MEET AGAIN: Eastern Michigan and Kent State will tangle on the hardwood for the second time in a 12-day span when they play Wednesday, Jan. 10, in Kent, Ohio.
The contest marks the second straight season in which the two squads have played in a home-and-home season series. In the 17 seasons in which the teams have played twice in the regular season, the Flashes have posted sweeps on six occasions compared to just four for EMU. Eastern is 7-21 all-time inside the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.

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 48 swipes on the season, and currently has 221 for her career. Dailey's 221 career thefts put her just outside the top-10, as she trails Janay Morton (223) by two. 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 12th in steals per game (3.43) and 16th in steals (48), while Bond is slotted 11th in steals per game (2.6) and 13th in total steals with 39.

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH: Eastern Michigan's 14-player roster has combined for 6,452 career minutes ahead of the 2017-18 season, the third-fewest in the Mid-American Conference. Additionally the Eagles are the least experienced team in the West Division. Ohio brings back just 3,877 minutes, the fewest in the league, while Akron returns 4,964. Meanwhile, Miami is the most experienced squad in the league with 13,782 career minutes on the roster.

OFF TO THE RACES: Eastern Michigan has been dominant in transition through its first 14 games, outscoring the opposition 191-72 in fast break points. Offensively, the Green and White average 13.6 transition points per game, while giving up just an average of 5.1 points per contest. For the season, EMU is 5-3 when scoring 10+ fast break points.

CREATING SECOND CHANCES: The Green and White have dominated the offensive glass, racking up 222 offensive rebounds. EMU's 16 offensive rebounds per game ranks first in the MAC and 24th nationally, while leading to 163 points or 18.2 percent of Eastern's scoring this season.

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 seven games this year and has averaged 68.7 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: In 14 games, Head Coach Fred Castro has utilized eight different starting lineups. Sasha Dailey is the only Eagle to earn the nod in all 14 games, while 11 different players have made starts so far this season.

ON THE HORIZON: Remaining on the road, the Eagles return to the Buckeye State this weekend, Jan. 13, when they travel to Oxford, Ohio. There, EMU will take on Miami University in the first of two meetings this season. The game is slated to begin at 2 p.m. inside Millett Hall.

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Players Mentioned

Sasha Dailey

Courtnie Lewis

Danielle Minott

Eastern Michigan Athletics