Women's Hoops Returns to Action Versus NIU in Double Dip

Women's Basketball vs. Northern Illinois
Date	Saturday, Feb. 2 \| 2:30 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center (8,784)
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN 3
Listen	WEMU 89.1 FM
Twitter	@EMU WBB \| @EMUAthletics
Tickets	Order Tickets Online or call 734.487.3669

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - After a week-long break the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team returns to the hardwood Saturday, Feb. 2, to take on Mid-American Conference foe Northern Illinois University. Tipoff between the Eagles and Huskies will serve as the second leg of a doubleheader with the EMU men's basketball team and is scheduled to tip at approximately 2:30 p.m.
   Eastern Michigan (10-8, 3-4 MAC) is coming off an 81-71 setback at Central Michigan University, Jan. 26. Meanwhile, Norther Illinois (11-8, 3-4 MAC) had its midweek canceled due to the weather and most recently lost at the University at Buffalo, 93-64.
   The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 where Ryan Wooley will call the action on the court alongside analyst Greg Steiner. Additional coverage can be found on WEMU 89.1 FM, by following the team's account, @EMUWBB, on Twitter, and through live stats at EMUEagles.com.

FIRED UP TO PLAY THE CHIPS: Redshirt senior Danielle Minott continued her string of strong performances against Central Michigan when the Eagles and Chippewas squared off in Mount Pleasant, Jan, 26. Minott scored a team-high 21 points, on 5-of-8 shooting from deep, while adding five rebounds. In four career games against the Chips, Minott is averaging 21.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. Additionally, she has been efficient in stuffing the stat sheet, shooting 46.2 percent (30-for-65) from the floor and 46.4 (13-for-28) from three-point range.

DOUBLE THE EASTERN BASKETBALL FUN: Saturday's double dip will be mark the fourth time this season that the Convocation Center will play host to an Eastern Basketball doubleheaders. The double feature gets started at noon when the EMU men's basketball team takes on Miami University, while the EMU-NIU will follow at approximately 2:30 p.m.
   In the past five seasons, the Eagles have played 19 doubleheaders in the Convocation Center, posting a 12-7 record, highlighted by a 3-0 mark this season.

HITTING THE HARDWOOD WITH THE HUSKIES: Saturday's MAC West tilt between Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois will be the 52nd meeting between the two squads all-time. EMU holds the edge, leading the series 36-15.
   Last season, Eastern came out on top in two of the three meetings. The Eagles knocked off the Huskies, 83-76, in DeKalb, Jan. 20, 2018, and Northern Illinois came out victorious in Ypsilanti, 84-75, Feb. 24. Squaring off a third time in the first round of the MAC Tournament, the No. 9 seeded Eagles upset the No. 8 Huskies, 84-77, March 5, 2018, to earn a trip to Cleveland. Courtnie Lewis and Danielle Minott dropped 22 points apiece, while EMU shot a blistering 50 percent from the floor to knock off NIU.

HOSTING THE HUSKIES: Playing host to the Huskies has turned out pretty well for the Eagles since NIU made its first trip to Ypsilanti back on Jan. 19, 1983. EMU is 18-6 against Northern Illinois on its home court all-time and has won 10 of the last 13 meetings in Ypsilanti dating back to 2006.
Since snapping EMU's 11-game home win streak against NIU, the Huskies have won two in-a-row, including an 83-76 triumph last year.

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 fifth in the league and 155th nationally with 339 free throw attempts. Unfortunately, EMU has not been able to cash in on its chances at the charity stripe, converting just 199 of its attempts. Eastern's free throw percentage sits at 58.7 percent on the season, the lowest mark in the MAC and the 339th-worst in the country.

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 13.6 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 43.0, while she has made 13 triples after going 0-for-8 from the long line in 2017-18. Her rebounding average is also up from 1.7 per game to 4.3. Moreover, Cardwell scored 108 points all of last year, a mark she surpassed nine games into this season.

MAKING THEM PAY: Eastern Michigan has turned conference opponents over an average of 16.5 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, including 27 points off 18 Bowling Green turnovers, Jan. 23.

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 6.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest, alongside Hudson's 6.0 points and 4.3 boards to lead the Eagles in the post.

LONG DISTANCE LUST: The Green and White has attempted 20-or-more three-pointers in 14 of its 18 games this season, including a season-high 36 at Illinois, Dec. 1. Furthermore, Eastern is 10-25 when taking 20-or-more threes since the start of the 2016-17 season.

HELPING HAND: Freshman Jenna Annecchiarico has embraced the role of floor general to the tune of 3.7 assists per game, the 10th-best mark in the MAC. Moreover, the Baldwin, N.Y. native leads the conference, while ranking 38th nationally, with a 2.28 assist-to-turnover ratio, and is one of four freshmen to rank in the NCAA's top-50 (19. Chloe Jackson, Baylor; 40. Mikayla Markham, Columbia; 47. Nia Clouden, Michigan State).

ANOTHER YEAR OF #MACtion: This is 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 275-352 record against conference opponents all-time.

THE EMERALD YEAR: Home to EMU's basketball and volleyball teams, the Convocation Center is celebrating its 20th birthday this season. In its Emerald year, the Convo has been the home of EMU women's basketball since the 1998-99 season. The Convocation Center has been the backdrop of 175 wins for the program, with the Green and White holding a .662 win percentage on its home court.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan dips back into MAC cross divisional play Wednesday, Feb. 6, against Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Tipoff from Millett Hall is set for 7 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Jenna Annecchiarico

Corrione Cardwell

Autumn Hudson

Kiara Johnson

Courtnie Lewis

Danielle Minott

Eastern Michigan Athletics