Women's Hoops Looks for Third Straight at Ohio Saturday

Women's Basketball at Akron
Date	Saturday, Jan. 19 \| 1 p.m.
Venue	Athens, Ohio \| Convocation Center (13,080)
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Live Stats
Watch	ESPN3
Twitter	@EMU WBB \| @EMUAthletics

ATHENS, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team heads to Athens, Ohio Saturday, Jan. 19, looking for its third straight Mid-American Conference win when it takes on Ohio University. Tipoff inside of Ohio's Convocation Center is scheduled for 1 p.m.
   Eastern (9-6, 2-2 MAC) used a balanced effort to cruise past the University of Akron, 72-60, in the Rubber City, Jan. 16, for its second consecutive MAC win. Meanwhile, Ohio (14-1, 3-1 MAC) knocked off Kent State University, 84-82, Jan. 16, for its third straight league victory.
   The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Jake Hromada and Ryan Boyd calling the action on the court. Additional coverage can be found by followingthe team's account, @EMUWBB, on Twitter, and through live stats at EMUEagles.com.

VICTORS!: Eastern Michigan picked up its first win over Akron since the 2014-15 season when the Eagles knocked off the Zips, 72-60, in the Rubber City, Jan. 16. Additionally, EMU's win snapped a four-game losing skid against UA and marked the first time the Eagles walked out of James A. Rhodes Arena victors since Jan. 22, 2011.

MINOTT TABBED MAC WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Redshirt senior Danielle Minott was named Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week, Jan. 15, following a pair of sensational appearances, Jan. 9-12. It is the third weekly MAC honor of her career and the first by an Eagle this season. Minott averaged 34.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, three steals, one assist, and one block per game to pace the Eagles on both ends of the floor. She kicked off the week with a 43-point, 12-rebound double-double against Buffalo, Jan. 9, before posting 25 points and 11 rebounds against Western Michigan, Jan. 12.
   For her career, Minott now holds the top two single game scoring marks, and is one of two Eagles to have multiple 40-point performances during their Eastern Michigan career. Additionally, she moved into 16th all-time in career double-doubles and is the active team leader.

ALL ABOUT BALANCE: Four Eagles scored in double figures to lead Eastern Michigan past Akron, Jan. 16. Jenna Annecchiarico finished one point off her career-high to lead the way with 17 points, while Courtnie Lewis returned to form with a 14-point effort. Corrione Cardwell added 12 points and Autumn Hudson chipped in 10 as four Eagles tallied 10+ points for just the second time this season.

SWIPE!: Redshirt sophomore Corrione Cardwell picked the pockets of the Zips a career-best six times Wednesday night, Jan. 16, in Akron. Cardwell's six steals were the most since Danielle Minott tallied six against Illinois-Chicago, Nov. 27. The Cleveland, Ohio native's six steals were part of a near triple-double performance for Cardwell as she finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, and six thefts.

MAKIN' THE MOST OF HER MINUTES: Freshman Makenna Drabick made the most of her time on the court in Eastern's win over Akron, Jan. 16. Drabick scored a career-high five points and added four crucial rebounds in just eight minutes of action against the Zips.

FINDING HER GROOVE: Kiara Johnson has raised her game in the Eagles' past three contests, averaging 8.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. After grabbing a then-career-best seven rebounds against Buffalo, Jan. 9, Johnson followed it up with 15 points and nine rebounds against Western Michigan, Jan. 12. Not only were both career-highs, but Johnson's 15 points were more than she produced in her previous six games combined.

FREE THROWS - THE GOOD AND THE BAD: The Eagles are one of the best in the conference at getting to the free throw line, ranking fourth in the league and 102nd nationally with 242 free throw attempts. Unfortunately, EMU has not been able to cash in on its chances at the charity stripe, converting just 176 of its attempts. Eastern's free throw percentage sits at 58.3 percent on the season, the lowest mark in the MAC and the 338th-worst in the country.

BATTLING THE BOBCATS: Saturday's tilt between EMU and Ohio will mark the 62nd meeting all-time between the two conference foes. The Bobcats hold the upper hand, leading the all-time series, 35-26, and have won five of the last seven meetings.
   Last season, Eastern Michigan rolled past Ohio, 73-58, on Valentine's Day in Ypsilanti. Danielle Minott led all scorers with 24 points while adding nine rebounds and a team-high five assists. Sasha Dailey recorded 19 points, four boards, three helpers, and a team-best three steals, while Courtnie Lewis recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards.

EMU AT OHIO'S CONVOCATION CENTER: EMU and OU have battled inside of Ohio's Convocation Center 28 times since the teams first squared off in 1981. Ohio has protected its home court throughout the all-time series, holding a 18-10 edge over Eastern in Athens. The Bobcats have won the last two meetings on their home floor, snapping the Eagles' previous six-game win streak in Athens.
   The Eagles' last win against the 'Cats came at their place, Feb. 18, 2015, when the Green and White defeated the Bobcats 73-61. Three players scored in double figures for the Eagles (Cha Sweeney-23, Jamaica Bucknor-17, and Janay Morton-14) while Eastern knocked down 20-of-21 free throws in their 12-point victory.

LAST TIME IN ATHENS: Eastern's last trip to Athens came in the first round of the 2017 Mid-American Conference Tournament when No. 12 seeded EMU fell to No. 5 Ohio, 63-49. After trailing by double digits, the Eagles pulled within six points in the fourth quarter, but the Bobcats closed the game on a 14-3 run to punch their ticket to Cleveland. Sasha Dailey carried the Eagles offensively, scoring a team-high 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting.

YONNIE OR LAUREL? WE SAY YONNIE!: Corrione Cardwell's work this offseason is paying dividends for the Eagles this season as the redshirt sophomore finds herself amid a career-year.
   For the season, Cardwell is averaging a career-best 13.7 points per game, a 10-point improvement over last season's mark of 3.7. Cardwell has seen her field goal percentage improve from 36.7 percent to 44.1, while she has already made seven triples after going 0-for-8 from the long line in 2017-18. Her rebounding average is up from 1.7 per game to 4.3. Moreover, Cardwell scored 108 points all of last season, a mark she surpassed nine games into the campaign.

HELPING HAND: Freshman Jenna Annecchiarico has embraced the role of floor general to the tune of 4.0 assists per game, the ninth-best mark in the MAC. Moreover, the Baldwin, N.Y. native leads the conference, while ranking 26th nationally, with a 2.61 assist to turnover ratio, and is one of three freshmen to rank in the NCAA's top-50 (28. Chloe Jackson, Baylor; 50. Mikayla Markham, Columbia).

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 seven times, while picking their pockets 10+ times in seven of their 15 games. EMU's 9.1 steals per game are the third-most in the MAC, as well as the 102nd-best nationally. Meanwhile, Eastern is turning opponents over 18.80 times per game, the fourth-highest mark in the conference and the 76th-best in the country.

SO MUCH FOR CHARITY: Free throws have been anything but free for the Eagles this season. The Green and White connect on just 58.7 percent of its shots from the charity stripe and boast the worst FT percentage in the league. In five of its six losses, missed free throws have been the difference, as EMU's margin of defeat could have been made up at the charity stripe (L at Illinois, 66-72 - 11-of-20 - (-9); L, vs. UNCG, 44-49 - 12-of-18 (-6); L, vs. Butler, 63-73 - 16-of-29 (-13); L, at Kent State, 64-71 - 8-of-19 - (-11); LOT, vs. Buffalo, 84-91 - 17-of-27 (-10)).

ANOTHER YEAR OF #MACtion: The Green and White's 2018-19 campaign marks the 38th season Eastern Michigan will compete as a member of the Mid-American Conference. Having been a member of the Cleveland, Ohio-based league since the 1981-82 campaign, EMU has compiled a 275-350 record against conference opponents all-time.

RESPECT THE GAME: The MAC proved how strong of a league it was a year ago as both Central Michigan and Buffalo advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. This year has not been any different as CMU, UB, and Ohio have each received votes in the top-25, while three teams are currently ranked in the Mid-Major Top-25 - No. 4 Central Michigan, No. 7, Ohio, and No. 9 Buffalo, in addition to Toledo and Kent State receiving votes.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan returns home for its third straight MAC crossover contest Wednesday, Jan. 23, when EMU welcomes Bowling Green State University to the Convocation Center for a 7 p.m. tip.

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Players Mentioned

Jenna Annecchiarico

Corrione Cardwell

Sasha Dailey

Makenna Drabick

Autumn Hudson

Kiara Johnson

Courtnie Lewis

Danielle Minott

Eastern Michigan Athletics