Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
6-4
Butler
10-1
EMU's Comeback Bid Falls Short Against Butler
12/21/2018 3:22:00 PM | Women's Basketball
EMU wraps up non-conference play at home versus Northwood, Dec. 30
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team's comeback effort came up short in its final game of the West Palm Invitational Friday, Dec. 21, at Rubin Arena on the campus of Palm Beach Atlantic University. EMU (6-4) trimmed a 23-point Butler University lead to 10 late in the fourth quarter, but ran out of time and fell, 73-63.
Redshirt senior Danielle Minott (Miami, Fla.-Miami Country Day (Syracuse)) scored a team-high 21 points, including five three-pointers, while redshirt sophomore Corrione Cardwell (Cleveland, Ohio-New Tech East) also finished in double figures, chipping in 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting.
Redshirt senior Lorraine Enabulele (Ajax, Ontario-Notre Dame (Kansas)) led the Eagles on the glass, grabbing a team-high seven boards.
Eastern Michigan shot 32.2 percent from the field compared to Butler's (10-1) 47.3 clip. EMU held the advantage from the long line though, knocking down 9-of-30 three-pointers, while BU went 3-of-13 from deep. The Bulldogs also held the edge at the charity stripe, converting 66.7 percent of their freebies to the Eagles' 55.2 free throw percentage.
Eastern spotted Butler an 11-0 lead in the first quarter, and despite a late push found itself down by 11, 21-10, going into the second period.
The Eagles struck first in the second, but the Bulldogs promptly responded with a 14-0 run that spanned more than four minutes. Cardwell broke the drought with a layup in transition and Natalia Pineda (Miami, Fla.-John A. Ferguson) knocked down a free throw to cut BU's lead to 19, 35-16, with 2:42 to go before halftime. EMU held Butler without a field goal for the remainder of the half, but could not gain much ground offensively, heading into the locker room down 16, 38-22.
Eastern Michigan continued to battle in the third, hitting four triples to get as close as 13, but Butler went 6-of-8 from the field to remain in control, 57-40, with 10 minutes to play.
Ultimately, the deficit proved too much to overcome for the Green and White, as EMU pulled within 10 in the closing minutes before falling, 73-63.
The Eagles close out non-conference play and the calendar year at home Sunday, Dec. 30, when Eastern hosts Northwood College. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.
