Eagles Soar South for West Palm Beach Invitational

Women's Basketball at West Palm Beach Invitational
Date	Thursday-Friday, Dec. 20-21
Venue	West Palm Beach, Fla.
	Game #1 - Countess de Hoernle Student Life Center \| Game #2 Rubin Arena
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Live Stats vs. UNC Greensboro \| Live Stats vs. Butler
Watch	vs. UNC Grensboro
Twitter	@EMU WBB \| @EMUAthletics

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team heads to the Sunshine State to take part in the West Palm Beach Invitational Thursday-Friday, Dec. 20-21, with hopes of extending its three-game win streak. Eastern opens up the tournament against UNC Greensboro, Dec. 20, at 4:45 p.m. at the Countess de Hoernle Student Life Center on the campus of Kaiser University. EMU wraps up play against Butler University, Dec. 21, at Palm Beach Atlantic University's Rubin Arena at 1 p.m.
Eastern Michigan (6-2) returns to action after a convincing win at Longwood University, Dec. 15. UNC Greensboro is 5-6 on the season after slipping by Liberty University, 48-45, Dec. 16. Meanwhile, Butler is off to an 8-1 start to the year following a 72-49 dismantling of Indiana State University, Dec. 17.
   Links for live stats can be found on the women's basketball schedule page on EMUEagles.com. Additionally, the game will be tweeted from the team's Twitter account, @EMUWBB.

BATTLING THE BULLDOGS: EMU and Butler have met on the hardwood six times ahead of Thursday's tilt, with the last meeting coming during the 2013-14 campaign. The all-time series is even at 3-3, but Eastern took the last meeting in overtime, 81-76, inside the Convocation Center. The Green and White were led by freshman Janay Morton who netted a career-high 23 points, while Olivia Fouty tied a career-best with 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for her second double-double in as many games.

EMU VS. BIG EAST: The Green and White will square off with its most common Big East Conference opponent Thursday, Dec. 20, when EMU takes on Butler. Eastern is 4-8 against the league all-time, including a 3-3 mark against the Bulldogs and 1-0 edge versus Creighton. Meanwhile, EMU has not fared as well against the rest of the Big East foes its faced, trailing in the all-time series with DePaul (0-3), Providence (0-1), and St. John's (0-1).

SO, SOCON: Eastern Michigan has not had many run ins with the Southern Conference historically, but holds a 2-1 record against the Spartansburg, S.C.-based league all-time. EMU is 1-0 against Furman and Mercer, but 0-1 against Western Carolina.

BIG MOMENT, BIG STAGE: Since 1998-99 the Eagles have posted 11 victories over Power Seven Conference opponents, most recently a 64-63 come-from-behind triumph over Michigan, Dec. 23, 2015.
   Overall, EMU has played 49 contests against high-majors during that span, posting an 11-38 record.

LAST POWER SEVEN WINS: Eastern's last win over a Power Seven opponent came in the confines of the Convocation Center as Phillis Webb's near-double-double led EMU past the University of Michigan, 64-63, Dec. 23, 2015. Webb led the way with 22 points and nine rebounds, while three other Eagles finished in double-figures.
   The last time EMU knocked off a Power Seven opponent outside of the Convocation Center came on a neutral court against the University of Alabama. The Eagles and Crimson Tide opened play against one another at the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas, Nov. 23, 2007, a 52-43 victory for EMU.

EMU AGAINST THE POWER SEVEN: Eastern Michigan holds a combined record of 19-74 against the Power Seven conferences - ACC, American, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC. EMU has faced Big Ten Conference opponents most often, compiling a 13-45 record versus the Rosemont, Ill.-based league, while Eastern is 7-8 versus the American and 4-8 against the Big East. EMU has three wins against both the Atlantic Coast Conference (3-13) and Southeastern Conference (3-5). Meanwhile, EMU is winless against the Big 12 (0-6) and Pac-12 (0-5).

EMU AND THE IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT: The Eagles' have been even in their last six in-season tournaments, posting a 6-6 record.
In 2013-14, EMU went 2-0 at the Seawolves Holiday Classic in Stony Brook, N.Y., Dec. 21-22. The following season, Eastern Michigan posted a 2-0 mark at the Hotel Encanto Thanksgiving Classic in Las Cruces, N.M., Nov. 28-29. Then in 2015-16, the Eagles split a pair of games at the Air Force Tournament. EMU opened the 2016-17 season with a 1-1 record at the Donna Murphy Classic in Morehead, Ky., Nov. 12-13, before going 0-2 at the UTSA Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 25-26, in San Antonio, Texas. Most recently however, Eastern went 0-2 at the LMU Thanksgiving Classic last season, dropping games to Denver, 60-54, and Loyola Marymount, 73-64.

FLORIDA FINDS: Two Eagles will return to their home state this week as EMU heads to Florida for the West Palm Beach Invitational as Miami, Fla. natives Danielle Minott and Natalia Pineda grew up just over an hour south of West Palm Beach.

LAST TRIP TO THE SUNSHINE STATE: The Eagles' trip to Florida will mark EMU's first time in the Sunshine State in more than a decade, and just their second trip ever. EMU is 4-1 in the state all-time.
   The Green and White's last trip was for the Best Western Roundball Classic in Tampa, Fla., Nov. 27-28, 2004. That year, Eastern Michigan topped Niagara, 62-53, and South Florida, 57-49. The other occurrence came Dec. 27-30, 1986 when Eastern went 2-1 in the Sun & Fun Classic in Miami. After losing its tournament-opening tilt against Florida International, 77-62, EMU bested Florida, 65-62, and UMBC, 78-62.

OH, THE PLACE WE'LL GO: Eastern Michigan's trip to West Palm Beach, Fla. is a 2,610-mile trek roundtrip. To put that in perspective, EMU will travel 3,014 total miles for its eight Mid-American Conference road games.

STREAKING: With EMU's 64-45 win over Longwood, Dec. 15, the Eagles three-game win streak is its first since Eastern won three in-a-row, Jan. 13-20, 2018. EMU bested Miami on the road, 74-59, before taking down Western Michigan, 69-67, in overtime and Northern Illinois, 83-76.

NON-CONFERENCE FORTUNE: Eastern Michigan recorded its sixth win of the season at Longwood, Dec. 15. EMU's six victories are its most non-conference wins under Fred Castro, besting the 2016-17 team's total of five.

HELPING HAND: Freshman Jenna Annecchiarico has shown why she came in as such a highly touted recruit through her first few games as an Eagle. In fact, Annecchiarico has embraced the role of floor general to the tune of 4.6 assists per game, the sixth-best mark in the MAC. Moreover, the Baldwin, N.Y. native has turned the ball over just nine times, making her one of the top point guards in the conference. Annecchiarico leads the conference, while ranking fourth nationally, with a 4.11 assist to turnover ratio. She is the only freshman to boast an assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.9-or-better, and is the only freshman in the top-30 of the NCAA.

GETTING AFTER IT ON DEFENSE: Eastern Michigan's high intensity defense has caused opponents fits this season as the Eagles have forced the opposition into 20+ turnovers three times, while picking their pockets 10+ times in four of their seven games. EMU's 9.3 steals per game are the third-most in the MAC, as well as the 98th-best nationally. Meanwhile, Eastern is turning opponents over 19.25 times per game, the third-highest mark in the conference and the 78th-best in the country.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan wraps up its non-conference slate after the holidays when EMU hosts Northwood University Sunday, Dec. 30. Tipoff inside the Convocation Center is scheduled for 2 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Jenna Annecchiarico

Danielle Minott

Natalia Pineda

Eastern Michigan Athletics