Women's Hoops Hosts Kent State in Rematch of MAC Opener

Women's Basketball vs. Kent State
Date	Wednesday, Feb. 13 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center (8,754)
Preview Info	EMU Notes
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) - A three-game homestand kicks off Wednesday, Feb. 13, for the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team as it plays host to Kent State University. The rematch of the Mid-American Conference season-opener is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.
   The Eagles (10-11, 3-7 MAC) find themselves below .500 for the first time this season amid a four-game losing skid after a 63-43 loss at the University of Toledo, Feb. 9. Meanwhile, the Golden Flashes (12-9, 5-5 MAC) have lost five of their last seven games after beginning league play with three straight wins. Most recently, KSU fell short, 75-66, at the University at Buffalo, Feb. 9.
   The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Ryan Wooley calling the action on the court alongside Greg Steiner. Chad Bush will return to the airwaves on WEMU 89.1 FM, while coverage can also be found on the team's Twitter account, @EMUWBB, and through live stats at EMUEagles.com.

GALENTINE'S DAY AT THE CONVO: Celebrate a ladies night out with Eastern Women's Basketball on Galentine's Day, Feb. 13, as the Eagles host the Golden Flashes! For just $8 you can get two wine samples and an EMU wine glass with your ticket to the game. Purchase your tickets by clicking here.

BACK AT HOME: Eastern Michigan opens up a three-game homestand against Kent State Wednesday, Feb. 13. It is not only EMU's longest homestay of the year, but it is its longest since hosting Detroit Mercy, St. Bonaventure, and Monmouth, Dec. 6-12, 2016.
   Furthermore, it marks the first time Eastern has played three straight home MAC games since Jan. 14-21, 2015. That year, Eastern Michigan fell to Ohio, 82-59, before besting Bowling Green, 64-52, and Miami, 56-38.

HOW ABOUT HUDSON!: Sophomore Autumn Hudson has found her stride as of late, posting double digit rebounds in back-to-back-to-back games. Hudson grabbed a career-high 12 boards in an overtime loss to Northern Illinois, Feb. 2, before following it up with 11 rebounds at Miami, Feb. 6, and then adding in 12 caroms at Toledo, Feb. 9.
   She is the first Eagle to post three straight games with 10-or-more boards since Emoni Jackson did so Jan. 17-24, 2018, grabbing 15 against Western Michigan, 14 at Northern Illinois, and 13 versus Miami.
   If the Richwood, Ohio native can turn in a fourth straight 10+ rebounding effort, she will be the first Eagle to accomplish the feat since Natachia Watkins collected 13, 10, 14, and 11 from Jan. 28 to Feb. 11, 2012.

PAST THE MIDPOINT: With more than half of the Mid-American Conference season in the books, Eastern Michigan finds itself in the thick of things when it comes to tournament seeding. If the MAC Tournament began today, the Eagles would hold the No. 9 seed and travel to No. 8 seeded Akron. Ohio, Miami, Central Michigan, and Buffalo would hold byes to Cleveland as the top four seeds.

REMAINING SLATE: Eastern Michigan's conference opposition through the first half of league play own a combined 137-75 record this season, good for a .646 winning percentage. Meanwhile, EMU's remaining conference opponents own a 91-80 record (.532 winning percentage) on the year.

KEPT IT CLEAN: Despite coming out on the wrong end at Toledo, Feb. 9, Eastern turned in its cleanest game of the season. The Eagles turned the ball over a season-low nine times in the contest and posted a positive assist-to-turnover ratio for just the third time this year. The other occurrences came in the Eagles' season-opener against Cleveland State (18 assists - 17 turnovers) and at Purdue Fort Wayne (20 assists - 15 turnovers).

A WIN WOULD...: With a win, Eastern Michigan would tie its overall win total from a season ago. Additionally, a victory would secure the Eagles' first winning record at home since the 2015-16 season.

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 .660 win percentage on its home court.

GOING UP AGAINST THE GOLDEN FLASHES: Wednesday's showdown between the Eagles and Golden Flashes marks the 67th time the two teams will battle on the hardwood since the series began during the 1980-81 campaign. Kent State holds the edge in the all-time series, 39-27, but prior to its current five-game losing skid against KSU, Eastern Michigan had won 11 straight meetings.
   Kent State came out on top, 71-64, at the M.A.C. Center when the two tangled in the league opener, Jan. 5, as the Golden Flashes won their fifth straight against the Eagles. Three Eagles notched double-digit scoring efforts, led by Natalia Pineda's 16-point, eight-rebound performance. Corrione Cardwell added 15 points, while Jenna Annecchiarico chipped in 14 points.

LAST WIN OVER KSU: None of the current Eagles were on EMU's roster the last time Eastern bested Kent State. In fact, just one of the 17 players who logged minutes in the Eagles' last win over the Golden Flashes returns - in KSU's Alexa Golden.
   EMU's last win over KSU came in the opening round of the 2016 MAC Tournament. Eastern dispatched of Kent State, 73-60, inside the Convocation Center to advance to Cleveland. Four Eagles reached double figures, paced by Janay Morton's 17-point effort. Phillis Webb added 14 points and Cha Sweeney pitched in a 14-point, 10-assist double-double.

NOT MUCH LOVE FOR FEBRUARY: Eastern Michigan has not fared particularly well in the second month of the calendar year in recent years, as EMU is just 1-17 in February since 2017. Ironically, the Eagles' last win in the month came on Valentine's Day of last year when Eastern knocked off Ohio, 73-58, in Athens.

MAKING THEM PAY: Eastern Michigan has turned conference opponents over an average of 16.3 times per game this season and has made a habit of cashing in on the other end. EMU is turning opponents' mistakes into more than 16 points a game, including 22 points off 18 Northern Illinois turnovers, Feb. 2.

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 5.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest, alongside Hudson's 6.7 points and 6.5 boards to lead the Eagles in the post.

LONG DISTANCE LUST: The Green and White has attempted 20-or-more three-pointers in 15 of its 21 games this season, including a season-high 36 at Illinois, Dec. 1. Furthermore, Eastern is 10-26 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 13.3 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 43.8, while she has made 14 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 4.1. Moreover, Cardwell scored 108 points all of last year, a mark she surpassed nine games into this season.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan remains at home for a MAC West clash with Ball State University Saturday, Feb. 16. Tipoff between the Eagles and Cardinals is slated for 2 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.

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Players Mentioned

Jenna Annecchiarico

Corrione Cardwell

Autumn Hudson

Emoni Jackson

Kiara Johnson

Natalia Pineda

Eastern Michigan Athletics