Eagles Travel to Mount Pleasant for Clash with Chippewas

Women's Basketball at Central Michigan
Date	Saturday, Jan. 26 \| 1 p.m.
Venue	Mount Pleasant, Mich. \| McGuirk Arena (5,300)
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN +
Listen	E agle All-Access
Twitter	@EMU WBB \| @EMUAthletics

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - Winners of three of its last four games, the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team looks to keep things rolling Saturday, Jan. 26, when it travels to McGuirk Arena for a clash with in-state foe Central Michigan University. Tipoff of the Mid-American Conference West Division matchup is scheduled for 1 p.m.
   Eastern (10-7, 3-3 MAC) rode the hot hands of its freshmen for an 81-74 come-from-behind win over Bowling Green State University, Jan. 23, and heads into Mount Pleasant with some momentum. Meanwhile, Central Michigan (13-5, 4-2 MAC) has dropped two of its last three contests, most recently suffering a 62-59 setback at the University of Toledo, Jan 23.
   The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ while Greg Steiner will also have the call from McGuirk on Eagle All-Access. Additional coverage can be found by following the team's account, @EMUWBB, on Twitter, and through live stats at EMUEagles.com.

DOUBLE DOZEN DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Freshman Kiara Johnson became the fourth Eagle to post a double-double this season with a 12-point, 12-rebound showing against Bowling Green, Jan. 23. Johnson's dozen boards were a career-high. Additionally, Johnson is the 11th "true" freshman to register a double-double since the 1998-99 campaign.

THREE-POINT PARTY: The Green and White converted 12 three-pointers to tie a season-high in its win over Bowling Green, Jan. 23. Jenna Annecchiarico knocked down a career-best six triples, while Courtnie Lewis and Corrione Cardwell added three apiece. It marks the first time since the 2014-15 campaign, and just the third time in the past 15 years, that the Eagles have hit 12-or-more three-pointers twice in a season.
   The last time Eastern posted three games of 12-or-more threes was the 2003-04 season. That year, EMU converted 13 against Akron (Jan. 7, 2004), 12 versus Ball State (Feb. 21, 2004), and 13 versus Central Michigan (March 2, 2004).

JENNA LEADS THE CHARGE: Freshman Jenna Annecchiarico matched her career-high with 18 points in the first off of EMU's come-from-behind win over Bowling Green, Jan. 23. Annecchiarico scored the Eagles' first 10 points to dig Eastern out of an early hole en route to a career-best 26-point effort. Annecchiarico knocked down a career-high six three-pointers in the win.

MAKING THEM PAY: Eastern Michigan has turned conference opponents over an average of 16.7 times per game this season and has made a habit of cashing in on the other end. EMU is turning opponents mistakes into nearly 17 points a game, most recently scoring 27 points off 18 Bowling Green turnovers, Jan. 23.

WE CAN BENCH MORE: Bowling Green's bench came into its meeting with Eastern having scored 48, 33, and 34 points (38 ppg) in the Falcons last three outings. BGSU's advantage off the bench came to an abrupt halt against EMU, as the Eagles' bench outscored the Falcons, 29-8. Courtnie Lewis led the way with 17 points, while Kiara Johson added 12.

IN GOOD COMPANY: Third-year Head Coach Fred Castro registered his third straight win against Bowling Green, Jan. 23. Castro is the second coach in EMU history to win their first three clashes with the Falcons, joining Kathy Hart who led the Eagles to five consecutive wins from 1977-82. The Eagles knocked off the Falcons, 81-74, Castro's first season at the helm and then topped BGSU, 54-52, last year, before coming out on top 81-74, Jan. 23.
   Eastern's three-game win streak over Bowling Green is the best since EMU won five in-a-row from March 8, 2003 to Feb. 19, 2005. Additionally, Castro is the third coach to post a three-game win streak against the Falcons, joining Kathy Hart and Suzy Merchant.

FACING IN-STATE FOES: The Chippewas are one of four opponents on the Eagles' 2018-19 schedule that call Michigan home. Eastern Michigan has thrived against in-state competition over the years, compiling a 157-146 advantage over in-state opponents, including a 35-49 mark against CMU. The Eagles have been most successful against Western Michigan, piecing together a 48-36 mark versus the Broncos. Meanwhile, Michigan State has been the toughest opponent for EMU, leading the all-time series 15-1 over the Eagles.

CHIP DIP: Saturday's contest marks the 85th meeting between the Chippewas and Eagles, who first met during the 1976-77 season. CMU leads the overall series, 49-35. EMU has won 22 of the last 39 meetings dating back to the 2000-01 campaign, but CMU enters the clash as winners of eight straight against Eastern, including all three of last season's meetings.

LAST WIN OVER CMU: Eastern Michigan has not tasted victory against in-state foe Central Michigan since the 2014-15 campaign. That season, the Green and White closed out the regular season with a, 93-86, win over the Chippewas at McGuirk, March 7, 2015, EMU's third consecutive win against CMU.
   Janay Morton scored a game-high 34 points to lead the way, while Cha Sweeney joined the 1,000-point club with a 20-point effort.

RAISING THEIR GAME: Freshman Kiara Johnson and sophomore Autumn Hudson have taken their games to another level since conference play began. After combining for just 4.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in EMU's 11 non-conference games, the duo have more than doubled their outputs in MAC games. Johnson is averaging 7.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest, alongside Hudson's 4.5 points and 5.7 boards to lead the Eagles in the post.

LONG DISTANCE LUST: The Green and White has attempted 20-or-more three-pointers in 12 of its 16 games this season, including 36 at Illinois, Dec. 1. Furthermore, Eastern is 10-24 when taking 20-or-more threes since the start of the 2016-17 season.

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 13.4 points per game, nearly 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 43.6, while she has made 11 triples after going 0-for-8 from the long line in 2017-18. Her rebounding average is up from 1.7 per game to 4.1. 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 3.8 assists per game, the 10th-best mark in the MAC. Moreover, the Baldwin, N.Y. native leads the conference, while ranking 31st nationally, with a 2.37 assist-to-turnover ratio, and is one of three freshmen to rank in the NCAA's top-50 (19. Chloe Jackson, Baylor; 33. 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 games. EMU's 8.8 steals per game are the fourth-most in the MAC, as well as the 115th-best nationally. Meanwhile, Eastern is turning opponents over 18.35 times per game, the fourth-highest mark in the conference and the 85th-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)).

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan enjoys a much-needed week of rest before returning to action for a doubleheader with the EMU men's basketball team Saturday, Feb. 2. The Eagles welcome the Huskies of Northern Illinois University to the Convocation Center for the second leg of the double dip, with tipoff scheduled for approximately 2:30 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Jenna Annecchiarico

Corrione Cardwell

Autumn Hudson

Kiara Johnson

Courtnie Lewis

Eastern Michigan Athletics