Women's Basketball Set for Binghamton

Women's Basketball at Binghamton
Date	Sunday, Dec. 1 \| 11 a.m.
Venue	Vestal, N.Y. \| BU Events Center (5,142)
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN+
Twitter	@EMUW BB \| @EMUAthletics

UPDATE: Due to the pending snow storm, Sunday's start time has been moved up to 11 a.m.

VESTAL, N.Y. (EMUEagles.com) -- After a three-game homestand, the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team is on the road for a two-game, non-conference road swing. EMU first travels to Vestal, N.Y. for a game against the Bearcats of Binghamton University, Dec. 1, before heading to Wichita, Kan. for a bout against Wichita State University, Dec. 7.
   Eastern (2-4) has dropped consecutive contests, falling at home to Southern Illinois, 85-54, Nov. 23, and Michigan, 57-38, Nov. 27. Meanwhile, Binghamton (7-0) is off to a perfect start this season, most recently defeating St. Bonaventure, 78-67, Nov. 27.
   The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can also follow live stats at EMUEagles.com/livestats, or get live updates from the team's Twitter, @EMUWBB.

BLOCK PARTY: Sophomore Kiara Johnson is one of just nine players across the MAC to average one-or-more blocks per game. Her 1.0 average is tied for sixth in the conference.

PASS-FIRST MINDSET: Sophomore Jenna Annecchiarico and redshirt junior Corrione Cardwell have no trouble sharing the ball. Cardwell's 4.0 assist per game average ranks sixth in the MAC. Additionally, her 1.7 assist/turnover ratio (20-to-12) is good for fifth in the league. Annecchiarico is eighth in the conference with 3.8 assists per game.

TAKING THE ROCK AWAY: After forcing 16.7 turnovers per game a season ago, Eastern looks poised to be pesky on the defensive end of the court yet again in 2019-20. EMU has forced 104 turnovers, including 46 swipes this season. EMU stole a season-best 13 passes against Youngstown State, Nov. 16.

PACED BY PINEDA: Sophomore Natalia Pineda had a season-best performance against Michigan, Nov. 27. Making her first start of the season, Pineda notched a game-best 16-point performance, shooting 6-of-13, including 4-of-9 from deep, in the game. Her points and three-pointers made match career-bests for the Miami native.
   The outing was the second time she has led EMU in single-game points, and the seventh time she has scored in double figures (one-plus season at EMU).

BETTER OUT OF THE BREAK: Third quarters have not been kind to EMU this season. Through its first four games, EMU was outscored, 112-75, in the third frame. Against Michigan, Nov. 27, EMU righted that trend, outscoring the Wolverines, 20-18, out of the break.

FINDING HER STROKE: After beginning the season 1-of-11 (9.1%) clip from deep, freshman guard Aaliyah Stanley has found her stroke in the last four games. The Boynton Beach, Fla. native drained 4-of-7 (57.1%) shots from downtown, and recorded her first-ever game as the team's three-point leader, Nov. 16 at Youngstown State. Stanley followed up that performance with a team-leading 24-point performance to guide the Eagles against Southeast Missouri, Nov. 19. The freshman shot 5-of-9 from behind the three point line and 9-of-15 overall. Against Southern Illinois, Nov. 23, she tallied 15 points and led the team with three triples.
   In her most recent contest, against Michigan, Nov. 27, she added eight points in 31 minutes played.
   Stanley now leads the team with a 31.0 percent shooting clip from downtown, and a team-best average of 12.3 points per game.

UTILIZING DEPTH: Depth is a term Fred Castro has consistently used to describe his 2019-20 squad. The depth of his bench has been on display thus far, as at-least nine players have seen action in every game this season. All-11 players that have been active for the game have found court time in three of five contests thus far. Every player scored against Olivet, Nov. 8.

RETURNING HOME: Two Eagles will return to their home state, New York, when EMU faces Binghamton. Sophomore Jenna Annecchiarico hails from Baldwin, 214 miles from Vestal, while fellow second-year Kiara Johnson is from Buffalo, which resides 190 miles northwest of Binghamton's campus. Both players are expected to have family, friends, and former coaches and teammates in the stands.

ALL-TIME VS. BINGHAMTON: The Eagles and Bearcats will meet for the first time Sunday. A member of the America East Conference, Binghamton is off to a perfect 7-0 start this season. The Vestal, N.Y.-based squad last played Nov. 27, where it knocked-off St. Bonaventure, 78-67.

AGAINST THE AMERICA EAST: While Eastern has never faced Binghamton, the Eagles do have three games of experience against the America East Conference, compiling a 2-1 record against the Cambridge, Mass.-based organization. EMU has wins over Hartford and UMBC, while its only loss to the conference came against Vermont.

ALL THE LEAGUES EMU WILL FACE: The Eagles will play teams hailing from eight different Division I conferences this season. In addition to its 18-game Mid-American Conference slate, EMU will face three Horizon League members, two teams from the Big Ten Conference, as well as one opponent from the Missouri Valley Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, America East Conference, American Athletic Conference, and Summit League.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern is back on the road for a game against Wichita State, Saturday, Dec. 7. Tipoff for the non-conference road affair is set for 3 p.m. (2 p.m. CT), inside Charles Koch Arena.

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Players Mentioned

Jenna Annecchiarico

Corrione Cardwell

Kiara Johnson

Natalia Pineda

Aaliyah Stanley

Eastern Michigan Athletics