Women's Basketball Readies for CMU in MAC Quarterfinal Round

Women's Basketball vs. Central Michigan
Date	Wednesday, March 7 \| 12 p.m.
Venue	Cleveland, Ohio \| Quicken Loans Arena (20,562)
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	E SPN3
Listen	WEMU (89.1 FM)
Twitter	@EMUW BB \| @EMUAthletics

CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) - Postseason play rolls on for the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team with a trip to Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, Wednesday, March 7. The No. 9 seeded Eagles will square off with top-seeded Central Michigan University in the quarterfinals at noon.
   Eastern Michigan (11-19, 6-12 MAC) overcame a 10-point deficit to upset No. 8 Northern Illinois University, 84-77, March 5, to earn a trip to Cleveland. CMU, who earned a bye to the quarterfinals, is coming off a hard-fought win over Ball State University, March 3, in its regular season finale.
   The game will be broadcast on ESPN3, while Chad Bush and Greg Steiner will have the call on WEMU (89.1 FM).

RETURN TO THE LAND: EMU has advanced to Cleveland for the first time since the 2015-16 season. That year, the Green and White were the No. 6 seed. Eastern Michigan bounced Kent State in the opening round, 73-60, before upending No. 3 Ball State, 67-53. EMU bowed out in the semifinals with an 86-71 setback at the hands of No. 2-seeded Central Michigan.

UPSET SPECIAL: Eastern Michigan is the first No. 9 seed to come out victorious in the opening round of the MAC Tournament since 2015, when No. 9 Central Michigan topped No. 8 Northern Illinois, 49-44. CMU fell short against No. 5 Western Michigan, 81-68, in the second round.

EMU AT THE Q: Eastern Michigan is very familiar with the Quicken Loans Arena floor, as the school has posted a 14-10 record, including capturing the 2004 and 2012 championships.

NOW THIS IS MARCH MADNESS: EMU has posted a 42-35 record during the month of March over the last 20 years, including an 8-2 mark during the 2014-15 season.

MINOTT AND LEWIS EARN ALL-MAC NODS: Danielle Minott and Courtnie Lewis picked up MAC postseason honors the league announced, March 6. Minott landed on the All-MAC Third Team, while Lewis was named All-MAC Honorable Mention as well as earning a spot on the All-MAC Freshman Team. EMU's two All-MAC honorees are its most since the 2015-16 season, when Cha Sweeney was named Second Team and Janay Morton garnered Third Team honors.
   Minott led the Eagles offensively in her first season donning the Green and White, averaging a team-best 16.1 points per game and 18.5 in MAC games. The Miami, Fla. native rewrote the record book in a historic junior campaign, setting the school record for points scored in a game with 44 at Buffalo, Jan. 27. Additionally, Minott has put on some of the best three-point shooting performances in program history, including a 7-for-10 effort at Toledo, Feb. 21. Currently, Minott's 466 points rank sixth-most by an EMU junior.
   Not to be outdone, Lewis is amid one of the best freshman seasons in Eastern Michigan history. The Belton, Mo. product ranks inside the conference's top-10 in five categories, while also leading all freshmen in four of them. Her 423 points rank third-most by an EMU freshman, while her 40.5 three-point field goal percentage is slotted second among EMU freshmen and eighth overall.

EMU AGAINST THE TOP-SEED: The Eagles have faced the top-seed in the MAC Tournament five times since the 1981-82 season. Most recently, Eastern Michigan saw an incredible tournament run cut short against No. 1 Ohio in the 2015 MAC Tournament Championship game. Ohio bested No. 6 EMU, 60-44, to earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Green and White went on to make a run to the "Sweet 16" of the WNIT, and finished the season with a 24-13 record.

CHIP DIP: Saturday's contest marks the 84th meeting between the Chippewas and Eagles, who first met during the 1976-77 season. CMU leads the overall series, 48-35. EMU has won 22 of the last 38 meetings dating back to the 2000-01 campaign, but CMU enters Wednesday as winners of seven straight against Eastern, including two meetings earlier this year.

LAST POSTSEASON MEETING VERSUS CMU: Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan's quarterfinal clash Wednesday, will be the first postseason meeting between the two since the semifinals of the 2016 MAC Tournament. No. 2 CMU came out on top of No. 6 EMU in that one, 86-71, before falling short against Buffalo in the championship game. Phillis Webb led the Eagles with 20 points and six rebounds, while Cha Sweeney and Janay Morton added 18 and 12 points, respectively.

UNDERDOGS: In EMU's postseason history, it has posted seven wins over better ranked opponents. The Green and White's last upset was in the opening round Monday, March 5, as EMU ousted NIU, 84-77, in DeKalb, Ill. It was EMU's first upset since No. 6 EMU toppled No. 3-seeded Ball State, 67-53, inside Quicken Loans Arena, March 9, 2016.

APPROACHING RARE AIR: Sasha Dailey enters Wednesday's quarterfinals tilt just six rebounds shy of 400 for her career. If Dailey grabs six boards before 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 exclusive club.

MAKIN' IT LOOK EASLEY: Senior Tori Easley has seen a significant bump in minutes over the past two games, playing 19 against Ball State, March 3, and 21 at NIU, March 5. The Toledo, Ohio native has made her presence known on the court, leading the Ealges in rebounding in their last two outings. Easley grabbed a season-high-tying seven boards against BSU, before racking up a season-high eight in EMU's win over NIU. Her combined 15 rebounds are more than her total over the previous 15 games.

SENIORS STEP UP: EMU knocked off eighth-seeded NIU Monday, March 5, and the play of its trio of four-year seniors was a vital part of closing it out down the stretch. Tori Easley grabbed a season-high eight rebounds to pace EMU's effort on the glass, while Micah Robinson dropped 15 points. Sasha Dailey balanced out the score sheet with eight points, a season-high six assists, and three steals.

TRIPLE THREAT: For the first time since Jan. 20, at Northern Illinios, Eastern Michigan had three players score 15-or-more points in a game. In EMU's opening-round win over NIU, March 5, Danielle Minott, Courtnie Lewis, and Micah Robinson accomplish the feat. Minott and Lewis scored a team-high 22 points each, while Robinson added 15 points in one of her best games of the season.

ON THE ROAD IN THE TOURNEY: All-time, Eastern Michigan is 1-6 in road tournament games, going 0-2 at Bowling Green, 0-1 at Toledo, 0-1 at Kent State, 0-1 at WMU, and 0-1 at Ohio. EMU's lone road win came Monday, March 5, an 84-77 triumph at Northern Illinois.

FEW AND FAR BETWEEN: Underdogs have been hard-pressed to string together wins in the MAC Tournament in recent years, as no team seeded No. 9-or-below has won more than two games since 2009. If EMU can upended top-ranked CMU, the Eagles will be the first team seeded No. 9-or-below to win two games since Buffalo knocked off Northern Illinois, 57-52, and then Kent State, 66-54, in the 2009 tournament.

ALL-TIME AGAINST TEAMS IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT: The Eagles sport a 25-21 mark in 23 trips to the conference postseason and are making their second under Head Coach Fred Castro. The Eagles have faced Bowling Green (2-5) the most times of any squad in the tournament. Eastern is 5-1 against Toledo, 2-4 versus Ohio, 3-3 against Kent State, and 2-2 versus Miami. EMU is 3-1 in postseason play versus Ball State and 2-2 against Northern Illinois. The Green and White are 2-0 against Buffalo, 1-1 versus Central Michigan, 1-1 against Akron, and winless against Western Michigan in two tries. EMU was 2-0 versus Marshall in tournament play before the Thundering Herd departed for Conference USA.

MAC TOURNAMENT SEEDING FACTS: In the 35 years of the tournament, the top seed has won the title 22 times. In 2015, the No. 6 Eastern Michigan Eagles became the then-highest seed to ever advance to the tournament championship game. Buffalo, a No. 8 seed in 2016, is the highest seed to ever win the title. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds have met 15 times in the championship game, with the top seed winning 13 times.

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 15.1 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.

HEY! I CAN DO THAT TOO!: Just one week after Danielle Minott surpassed 400 points on the season, freshman Courtnie Lewis followed suit. With 18 points against Ball State Saturday, March 3, Lewis became just the fifth Eagle to score 400-or-more points as a freshman. Currently, the Belton, Mo. native ranks three points behind former EMU standout Tavelyn James (426) for second-most on the all-time list.

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, making her the first Eagle to score 400+ points this year. Sasha Dailey and Phillis Webb registered 475 and 454 points last season, respectively. The Miami, Fla. native has 456 points rank as the seventh-most by a junior in EMU history. She is currently 19 points behind Dailey's fifh-ranked total of 475.

ONE IS THE LONELIEST NUMBER...OR IS IT?: A Mid-American Conference All-Freshman Team honoree, 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 45+ percent - 40+ percent - 75+ percent from the field, three-point range, and free throw line, respectively. The Belton, Mo. native is shooting 45.3 percent from the floor, 40.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 78.6 percent from the charity stripe in her first collegiate season.

ALL-FRESHMEN TEAM HONOREE: Freshman Courtnie Lewis is 28 games into her Eastern Michigan career, but has already put people on notice. The Belton, Mo. native is averaging 15.1 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 fifth in three-point field goal percentage (40.5), and 11th in scoring, tied for 11th in free throw percentage (78.6), and 12th in three-pointers made (51), all of which are the best of any freshman in the league.

ON THE HORIZON: With a win, the Eagles will advance to the semifinals of the MAC Tournament and face the winner of the quarterfinal tilt between No. 5 Ohio and No. 4 Miami, March 9, at 11 a.m.

Women's Basketball Readies for CMU in MAC Quarterfinal Round

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Players Mentioned

Sasha Dailey

Tori Easley

Courtnie Lewis

Danielle Minott

Micah Robinson

Eastern Michigan Athletics