Women's Hoops Wraps up Regular Season with Senior Day Tilt Against BSU

Women's Basketball vs. Ball State
Date	Saturday, March 3 \| 2 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center (8,754)
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| BSU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	E SPN3
Listen	WEMU (89.1 FM)
Twitter	@EMUW BB \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The regular season comes to a close as Eastern Michigan University's women's basketball team plays host to Ball State University Saturday, March 3, in a Mid-American West Division clash. The Senior Day tilt is scheduled for 2 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.
   Eastern has fallen on tough times as of late, losing nine of its last 10 contests, including a 74-66 setback at Western Michigan, Feb. 28. EMU's record now sits at 10-18 overall and 6-11 in conference play. Ball State has clinched the No. 3 seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament, with a 12-5 league record and 23-5 overall mark. Most recently, the Cardinals saw a 12-point lead slip away at MAC-leading Central Michigan, Feb. 28.
   The game will be broadcast on ESPN3, where Ryan Wooley will call the action on the court with Kyler Ludlow adding analysis. Veteran broadcasters Chad Bush and Greg Steiner will also have the call on WEMU 89.1 FM. Fans can also follow via Twitter, @EMUWBB.

SEEDING SCOOP: With just one game to go in the regular season, Eastern Michigan finds itself in the thick of things when it comes to tournament seeding. If the MAC Tournament began today, the Eagles would hold the No. 9 seed and travel to No. 8 seeded Northern Illinois. Central Michigan, Buffalo, Ball State, and Miami have already clinched byes to Cleveland as the top four seeds, while first-round match-ups have yet to be determined.

BATTLE OF THE BIRDS: The Eagles will meet Mid-American Conference West Division rival Ball State on the hardwood for the 78th time in program history Saturday, March 3. Holding a 40-37 lead in the all-time series, the Eagles have lost five of the last six meetings with the Cardinals.
   A ferocious comeback by the Eagles was halted by the Cardinals' free throws in Muncie, Feb. 7, as EMU fell, 91-85, in the first meeting of the season.

THANK YOU, SENIORS!: This Saturday will mark the final home game for EMU's senior class of Tiffany Suarez, Sasha Dailey, Tori Easley, and Micah Robinson.

#0 Tiffany Suarez - Suarez joined the Eagles as a graduate transfer from Fordham prior to the 2017-18 season. This year, Suarez has appeared in 22 games, making two starts. She has set career-highs in three-pointers made, free throw percentage, field goals made, and steals.

#1 Sasha Dailey - Dailey is a four-year letterwinner and two-year starter for the Eagles. The Toledo, Ohio native had a memorable EMU debut, dropping 31 points versus Kent State-Tuscarawas, Nov. 14, 2014, the most by in a freshman debut in program history. Her 31 points in a debut also rank second-most in NCAA Division I women's basketball history. For her career, Dailey has posted 48 double digit scoring efforts and has scored 20-or-more points 11 times. Currently, she ranks 17th in scoring with 1,207 points, seventh in steals with 233 swipes, 35th in rebounding, and is fourth in EMU history having appeared in 127 games.

#3 Tori Easley - A four-year letterwinner for the Green and White, Easley has appeared in 103 games during her time in Ypsilanti. She set career-highs in nearly every statistical category as a junior, including points, rebounds, steals, blocks, and minutes. Easley ranks tied for 22nd in career double-doubles, having posted a 10 point-10 rebound performance against Central Michigan last season. This year, Easley has set a career-best in free throw percentage.

#42 Micah Robinson - A native of Ann Arbor, Robinson has appeared in 106 games for the Eagles. As a junior, Robinson led the MAC in minutes played, in addition to setting career-highs in games played, field goals made, points, rebounds, and steals. This season, she has been EMU's top distributor, leading the Green and White in assists. Off the court, Robinson is one of just four players in EMU history to be named to the Academic All-MAC team in multiple seasons.

CLOSING IT OUT WITH THE CARDINALS: Saturday will be just the third time Eastern Michigan closes out the regular season against Ball State, and the first occurrence since the 1990-91 campaign. That year, EMU outlasted BSU, 93-90, in overtime in Ypsilanti, March 2. The other time the Cardinals and Eagles clashed in the regular season finale was March 1, 1986, a 74-72 setback for the Green and White.

WINNING RECORD AT HOME: With a win the Eagles would secure their first winning record at home for the first time since going 10-4 on their home court during the 2015-16 season. Currently, EMU is 6-5 inside the friendly confines of the Convocation Center.

APPROACHING RARE AIR: Sasha Dailey enters Saturday's Senior Day tilt just 12 rebounds shy of 400 for her career. If Dailey grabs 12 boards prior to the end of the season, she will be just the third player in program history to score 1,200+ points, grab 400+ rebounds, and register 200-or-more steals. Additionally, she would be the first Eagle to accomplish the feat since Ryan Coleman did so in 2006. Dailey would join Coleman, who ranks second in steals (265), fourth in points (1,793), and eighth in rebounds (747), and Stephanie Smiley (1,401 points/785 rebounds/243 steals) in the elusive 1,200-400-200 club.

CHECKING ANOTHER ITEM OFF THE LIST: Courtnie Lewis is on the verge of checking another accomplishment off the list in what has been an incredible season for the freshman guard. Lewis, who averages 14.7 points per game, is set to become the first EMU freshman to average double figures since Cha Sweeney did so in 2013. Sweeney, who was good for 17.4 points per game, went on to be named the 2013 MAC Freshman of the Year.

LAST WIN OVER BALL STATE: Eastern Michigan is in search of its first win over Ball State since knocking the Cardinals out of the 2016 MAC Tournament in the quarterfinals, 67-53, March 9, 2016. Cha Sweeney paced the Eagles with 29 points, while Chanise Baldwin added nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Since that meeting in Cleveland, the Eagles have lost three straight against the Cardinals.

400 POINTS... AND THEN SOME: Redshirt junior Danielle Minott's 18-point output versus Northern Illinois, Feb. 24, pushed her season point total to 409. She is the first Eagle to score 400+ points this season. Sasha Dailey and Phillis Webb registered 475 and 454 points, respectively, last season. Dailey's total ranks as the fifth-most by a junior in EMU history. The Miami, Fla. native currently has 427 points rank as the 10th-most by a junior in EMU history. At her current average of 16.4 points per game, Minott is on pace for 458 points, which would be good for seventh on the all-time list.

ONE IS THE LONELIEST NUMBER...OR IS IT?: A serious candidate for Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year, Courtnie Lewis has been one of EMU's most consistent players this season. Lewis is the only freshman in the country to boast shooting percentages of 44+ percent - 39+ percent - 75+ percent from the field, three-point range, and free throw line, respectively. The Belton, Mo. native is shooting 45.2 percent from the floor, 39.8 percent from beyond the arc, and 77.5 percent from the charity stripe in her first collegiate season.
SASHA CRACKS THE TOP-FIVE: In her return home, Sasha Dailey cracked Eastern Michigan's top-five for games played in a career. Dailey's appearance against Toledo marked the 126th game she has played in for the Eagles, tying for the fifth-most in EMU laurels. Currently, Dailey ranks tied for fourth with 128 games played. Former teammate Phillis Webb holds the record, having played in 134 games from 2013-17.

SECOND TIME AROUND: The Green and White have not found success when squaring off against opponents for the second time. So far this season, EMU has played two games against Kent State, Miami, Central Michigan, Toledo, NIU, and Western Michigan. Eastern is 4-2 when taking on those opponents for the first time, but are winless (0-6) in the secondary meetings.
   A large part of the Eagles' struggles have been on the defensive side of the ball, where Eastern Michigan is allowing 10 points more per game (80.3-70.2). Opponents are also shooting the ball more efficiently, knocking down buckets at a 48.0 clip compared to a 43.6 mark overall, and improve from a 31.4 three-point field goal percentage to a 42.7 clip from deep. To make matters worse, EMU holds a 38.3-37.0 edge on the glass the first time around, but is -3.7 on the glass in rematches.

BIG GAMES AGAINST THE BIG THREE: EMU's setback at Central Michigan Saturday, Feb. 17, marked Eastern's fourth game against the "Big Three" of the MAC. Buffalo, CMU, and Ball State, all of whom rank inside the top-40 RPI, hold the top three seeds in the MAC currently, but don't tell Courtnie Lewis that.
   The Belton, Mo. product is averaging 24.8 points and 7.5 rebounds in four games against the trio of MAC foes. Not only is she putting up gaudy numbers, she is also doing it efficiently. Lewis is shooting a whopping 55.1 percent from the floor against the trio, including a blistering 52.4 percent from three-point range.

MAKIN' MOVES: Senior Sasha Dailey eclipsed the 1,000-point mark against Toledo, Jan. 6. Since then, the Toledo, Ohio native has continued her ascent up the EMU all-time scoring list. Currently, she ranks 17th in EMU laurels with 1,207 points, just 21 points behind Kristy Maska (1,228).

PLENTY TO GO AROUND: Since conference play has rolled around, Eastern Michigan has seen the best of its three-headed monster. In league games only, EMU is one of two teams to have three players inside the top-15 in scoring, with Central Michigan being the only other team to do so. Danielle Minott's 19.2 points per contest rank tied for fourth-most, while Courtnie Lewis comes in at ninth at 16.5 ppg. Sasha Dailey rounds out the trio at 15th with 15.1 points per contest.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE: Freshman Courtnie Lewis is 27 games into her Eastern Michigan career, but has already put people on notice. The Belton, Mo. native is averaging 14.7 points per game, the second-best mark on the team, as well as the sixth-highest scoring average among "true" freshmen nationally. In the MAC, Lewis ranks eighth in three-point field goal percentage (39.3) and 12th in scoring, 14th in free throw percentage (77.8), and 13th in three-pointers made (46), all of which are the best of any freshman in the league.

CONTINUING TO CLIMB: It comes as no surprise to those familiar with Eastern Michigan that Courtnie Lewis has reached yet another milestone in what has already been a fantastic freshman season. A MAC Freshman of the Year candidate, Lewis eclipsed the 300-point mark with her 29-point output versus Ball State, Feb. 7, becoming the first freshman Eagle to do so since Janay Morton and Cha Sweey both accomplished the feat in 2013-14.
   In addition, Lewis sits in sixth-place on EMU's freshman scoring list and trails Holly Mitchell's fifth-ranked mark of 393 points by 10. With her current average of 14.7 points per game, she is on pace to finish the year with 428 points, which would be good for second-most in EMU laurels.

ON THE HORIZON: Postseason play begins Monday, March 5, as the Eagles hit the road for the opening round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament. Seeding is still up in the air, but EMU could end up at Toledo, Northern Illinois, or Western Michigan based on how things shake out around the league on Saturday.

Women's Hoops Wraps up Regular Season with Senior Day Tilt Against BSU

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Players Mentioned

Sasha Dailey

Tori Easley

Courtnie Lewis

Danielle Minott

Micah Robinson

Tiffany Suarez

Eastern Michigan Athletics