Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
6-3
UNC Greensboro
6-6
Women's Hoops Win Streak Snapped by UNC Greensboro
12/20/2018 7:04:00 PM | Women's Basketball
EMU closes out play at the West Palm Invitational tomorrow, Dec. 21, against Butler at 1 p.m.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team saw its three-game win streak snapped with a 49-44 setback at the hands of UNC Greensboro Thursday night, Dec. 20, in its first game at the West Palm Invitational at Countess de Hoernle Student Life Center on the campus of Kaiser University. Eastern Michigan (6-3) nearly erased a 12-point deficit, but UNC Greensboro used its three-point shooting to slip past the Eagles.
Redshirt senior Danielle Minott (Miami, Fla.-Miami Country Day (Syracuse)) and redshirt sophomore Corrione Cardwell (Cleveland, Ohio-New Tech East) led the Eagles with 12 points apiece, while redshirt senior Emoni Jackson (Los Angeles, Calif.-Long Beach Polytechnic (Michigan)) grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds and added eight points.
As a team, EMU shot just 29.4 percent from the floor and 2-of-20 from three-point range. Meanwhile, UNCG converted 34.6 percent of its shots, highlighted by six three-pointers. The Eagles forced the Spartans into 21 turnovers and recorded nine steals, led by freshman Jenna Annecchiarico's (Baldwin, N.Y.-Baldwin) five thefts.
Eastern Michigan and UNCG played even through the first few minutes, thanks to five early points by Minott, but the Spartans used a triple at the buzzer to take a 16-9 edge into the second period.
The Eagles opened the second quarter on a 6-1 run to pull within two, 17-15, and force a Spartans timeout with 6:34 to play in the half. UNCG came back with a three-ball to extend its lead back to five, but EMU responded with back-to-back buckets to take its first lead of the night. After a diving play by Autumn Hudson (Richwood, Ohio-North Union) gave Eastern the ball on the sideline, the Eagles worked it around for a Minott layup to go up, 21-20. Natalia Pineda (Miami, Fla.-John A. Ferguson) hit a free throw to extend EMU's edge to two moments later, but the Spartans knocked down a triple to carry a 23-22 advantage into the break.
The Green and White evened the score on a Minott free throw out of halftime, but the Spartans scored six straight points to force an EMU timeout with 7:57 to go in the frame. The break did little to slow UNCG as its lead grew to as many as 12 amid a five-minute EMU scoring drought.
Feeding off the defensive play of Annecchiarico, Eastern clawed its way within six, 38-32, with 10 minutes to play.
Eastern continued to battle in the final stanza, but for every EMU bucket was answered by UNC Greensboro as the Spartans snapped the Eagles' win streak with a 49-44 defeat.
Eastern Michigan wraps up play in the West Palm Invitational tomorrow, Dec. 21, against Butler University. Tipoff between the Eagles and Bulldogs is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Rubin Arena on the campus of Palm Beach Atlantic University.
