Eagles Welcome Bulls to Convo for Midweek MAC Tilt

Women's Basketball vs. Buffalo
Date	Wednesday, Jan. 9 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center (8,784)
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Eastern Insider Podcast: Kiara_Johnson \| Beyond the Baseline: Episode 2
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	WEMU 89.1 FM
Twitter	@EMU WBB \| @EMUAthletics
Tickets	Order Tickets Online or call 734.487.3669

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - In search of its first Mid-American Conference win of the year, the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team returns to the Convocation Center Wednesday, Jan. 9, for a showdown with reigning MAC East Division Champion University at Buffalo. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
   Eastern enters the midweek clash with a 7-5 record after the Eagles' comeback attempt at Kent State University came up short, 71-64, Jan. 5. Meanwhile, Buffalo (8-4, 0-1 MAC) hopes to bounce back from a hearbreaking, 74-71, overtime loss to Ohio University at home, Jan. 5.
   The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ where Ryan Wooley will call the action on the court alongside analyst Greg Steiner. Chad Bush will also have the call on WEMU 89.1FM. Additional coverage can be found by following @EMUWBB on Twitter, and through live stats at EMUEagles.com.

YOUNG BUCKS STEP UP: The top recruiting class in the MAC was on full display at Kent State, Jan. 5, as Jenna Annecchiarico, Makenna Drabick, Kiara Johnson, and Natalia Pineda combined for 35 points, 21 rebounds, and seven assists. Pineda led the way in both points (16) and rebounds (8), while Drabick and Johnson added a career-best six rebounds apiece. Overall, EMU's freshmen accounted for 54.7 percent of the team's scoring, 46.7 percent of the rebounding efforts, and 70 percent of the assist total.

¡VAMOS NATALIA!: In her second career start and her first conference game, Natalia Pineda turned in quite a showing. The Miami, Fla. product led the Eagles with a career-best 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting, while also tying career-highs in three-pointers made (4) and rebounds (8). She is the fifth Eagle to lead the Green and White in scoring this season.

UNLUCKY NUMBER SEVEN: Eastern Michigan's loss at Kent State, Jan. 5, marked the third straight time EMU has lost to KSU by seven points. Eastern dropped last season's meetings, 67-60 and 76-69, before falling short, 71-64, this past weekend.

BATTLING THE BULLS: Wednesday's Mid-American Conference cross-divisional contest pits Eastern Michigan against Buffalo for the 26th time in program history. The Green and White hold the upperhand in the series, 15-10, but UB has had the upperhand as of late winning five of the last seven meetings.
   Last season, Buffalo outlasted Eastern, 97-92, in overtime at Alumni Arena, Jan. 28, 2018. Danielle Minott scored a program record 44 points and Courtnie Lewis added a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double, but EMU could not overcome its 26 turnovers.

LAST WIN OVER BUFFALO: EMU is looking for its first win over UB since the 2015-16 season. Buffalo has squeaked out wins in each of the past two meetings - 56-52 in Ypsilanti, Feb. 15, 2017, and 97-92 in overtime in Buffalo, Jan. 28, 2018.
   Eastern's last win over the Bulls came at Alumni Arena, Feb. 17, 2016, when the Eagles tamed the Bulls, 70-55. Cha Sweeney scored a team-high 19 points, while Chanise Baldwin posted her fifth double-double of the season, pitching in 13 points to go along with team-high 10 rebounds.

BIG DAY IN BUFFALO: The last time Eastern Michigan played Buffalo, Danielle Minott put on a show. Minott dropped a record-setting 44-points. The Miami, Fla. native broke an eight-year old record previously held by Tavelyn James and finished the year as one of just seven players nationally to score 43-or-more points in a game in 2017-18. She also became the only Eagle not named Tavelyn James to score 40-or-more in a game. James accomplished it four times from 2010-12.

BULLSEYE!: En route to her 44 points at Buffalo, Jan. 27, 2018, Danielle Minott etched her name into the record book for more than just her point total. Minott knocked down 14 shots, the eighth-most in EMU history, including eight triples. Her eight three-pointers rank as the second-most in Eastern Michigan laurels, and were the most since Sydney Huntley-Rogers made eight against Central Michigan, Feb. 20, 2010.

DIAPER DANDY DOUBLE-DOUBLE: A well-rounded performance by Courtnie Lewis in EMU's last meeting with UB saw the freshman register the first double-double of her career. Lewis went off for 22 points and added a career-best 11 rebounds, Jan. 27, 2018. Lewis became the 10th "true" freshman to do so since the 1998-99 campaign, and the first since Phillis Webb posted one against Evansville in the first round of the Women's Basketball Invitational, March 20, 2014.

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 172 wins for the program, with the Green and White holding a .660 win percentage on its home court.

SO MUCH FOR CHARITY: Free throws have been anything but free for the Eagles this season. The Green and White connect on just 58.1 percent of its shots from the charity stripe and boast the worst FT percentage in the league. In four of its five 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)).

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 14.1 points per game, more than a 10-point improvement over last season's mark of 3.7 mark. Cardwell has seen her field goal percentage improve from 36.7 percent to 44.0, while she has already made six triples after going 0-for-8 from the long line in 2017-18. Her rebounding average is up from 1.7 per game to 3.7. Moreover, Cardwell scored 108 points all of last season and has already surpassed that mark this season as she has scored a team-best 169 points.

HELPING HAND: Freshman Jenna Annecchiarico has embraced the role of floor general to the tune of 4.1 assists per game, the 10th-best mark in the MAC. Moreover, the Baldwin, N.Y. native has turned the ball over 16 times, making her one of the top point guards in the conference. Annecchiarico leads the conference, while ranking 12th nationally, with a 3.06 assist to turnover ratio. She is one of two freshmen (Brianna Breedy, Oakland) to rank in the top-35 of the NCAA.

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 six times, while picking their pockets 10+ times in six of their 12 games. EMU's 9.2 steals per game are the third-most in the MAC, as well as the 99th-best nationally. Meanwhile, Eastern is turning opponents over 19.08 times per game, the fourth-highest mark in the conference and the 67th-best in the country.

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 273-349 record against conference opponents all-time.

RESPECT THE GAME: The Mid-American Conference 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 and UB have each received votes in the top-25, while four teams are currently ranked in the Mid-Major Top-25 - No. 5 Central Michigan, No. 6 Buffalo, No. 8 Ohio, and No. 24 Toledo.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern remains at home this weekend when EMU hosts in-state rival Western Michigan University Saturday, Jan. 12. Tipoff between the Eagles and Broncos is set for approximately 2:30 p.m. and will serve as the second leg of a doubleheader with the EMU men's basketball team.

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Players Mentioned

Jenna Annecchiarico

Corrione Cardwell

Makenna Drabick

Kiara Johnson

Courtnie Lewis

Danielle Minott

Natalia Pineda

Eastern Michigan Athletics