Eagles and Zips to Play4Kay Wednesday Night

Women's Basketball vs. Ball State
Date	Wednesday, Feb. 20 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center (8,754)
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) - Eastern Michigan University's women's basketball team looks to wrap up its three-game homestand on a high note when it plays host to the University of Akron Wednesday night, Feb. 20, inside the Convocation Center. The Play4Kay clash between the Mid-American Conference foes is set to tip at 7 p.m.
   Eastern (11-12, 4-8 MAC) matched its win total from a season ago and aims to build on a gritty, 56-53, win over Ball State University, Feb. 16. Meanwhile, Akron (14-9, 5-7 MAC) sits one game ahead of EMU in the league standings despite a 67-61 home setback against Miami University, Feb. 16.
   The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Ryan Wooley calling the action on the court alongside Greg Steiner. Chad Bush will also return to the airwaves on WEMU 89.1 FM. Additionally, coverage can be found on the team's Twitter account, @EMUWBB, and through live stats at EMUEagles.com.

CLIPPING THE CARDINALS: EMU's 56-53 win over Ball State, Feb. 16, was Eastern Michigan's first win over BSU since ending the Cardinals' season, 67-53, in the quarterfinals of the 2016 MAC Tournament, March 9, 2016. Cha Sweeney paced the Eagles with 29 points, while Chanise Baldwin added nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Since that meeting in Cleveland, the Eagles had lost four straight against the Cardinals.
   Moreover, it marked the first time the Green and White came out victorious over Ball State inside the Convocation Center since Feb. 25, 2012. In that game, EMU cruised past BSU, 74-43, behind 23 points from Tavelyn James and a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double from Paige Redditt.

HOME COOKING: With its 56-53 win against Ball State, Feb. 16, EMU secured its first winning season at the Convocation Center since the 2015-16 campaign, now sitting at 8-3 at home. The Eagles now have the opportunity to post their most wins at home since finishing the 2014-15 season with an 11-4 record inside Convo. EMU's remaining home slate includes Wednesday night's clash with Akron, a rematch with MAC West-leading Central Michigan, March 2, and a senior day tilt versus Toledo, March 6.

ALL ABOUT BALANCE: Four Eagles scored in double figures to lead EMU past Ball State, Feb. 16. Jenna Annecchiarico finished with 13 points, while Corrione Cardwell added 12 points. Courtnie Lewis and Autumn Hudson chipped in 10 apiece. It is the third time this season four Eagles have tallied 10-or-more points in game, with the other instances coming in wins at Purdue Fort Wayne (87-72), Dec. 8, and at Akron (72-60), Jan. 16.

THEFT REPORTED IN YPSILANTI: Eastern Michigan has made a living behind its defensive play this season, forcing the fourth-most turnovers per game (17.77) in the conference, while ranking 90th nationally. Additionally, Eastern is the only school in the league to have three players ranked inside the MAC's top-15 in steals per game. Corrione Cardwell leads the way, ranking fifth with 2.4 thefts per contest, while Danielle Minott (2.3) and Jenna Annecchiarico (1.7) are slotted sixth and tied for 12th, respectively.

EMU AND AKRON ALL-TIME: Wednesday's meeting between the Eagles and the Zips marks the 40th meeting between the squads all-time. Akron holds the upper hand in the series, 23-16, and has won 10 of the last 14 meetings.
Earlier this season, the Eagles walked away winners, 72-60. Not only was it Eastern's first win inside of James A. Rhodes Arena since Jan. 22, 2011, but it also snapped the Eagles' four-game losing skid against the Zips. Jenna Annecchiarico led the way for Eastern with 17 points, while Courtnie Lewis (14), Corrione Cardwell (12), and Autumn Hudson (10) also finished in double figures.

UNCHARTERED TERRITORY: Eastern Michigan and Akron have only met multiple times in a year on seven occasions, with the most recent taking place during the 2015-16 campaign. When the two squads square off Wednesday night, the Eagles will have the opportunity to post its second victory of the season over the Zips, a feat EMU has never accomplished. In fact, Eastern Michigan is just 3-12 against UA when clashing two-or-more times in a season.

WHEN WE BENCH MORE, GOOD THINGS HAPPEN: The Eagles have been most successful when their bench players have been at their best, which probably is not all that shocking. In fact, eight of Eastern's 12 wins have come when EMU has held the advantage in bench points. Overall, the Eagles are 8-4 when leading in bench scoring.

SHARING IS CARING: Eastern Michigan dished out 10 assists in its win over Ball State, Feb. 16. It was the 12th time this season the Eagles have totaled 10-or-more dimes. EMU is 8-4 this year when recording at least 10 assists, with two of its four losses taking place in overtime (at Illinois and vs. Buffalo).

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 2-18 in February since 2017. Eastern broke an eight-game losing streak in the month with a nail-biting 56-53 win over Ball State, Feb. 16, in Ypsilanti. It was the Eagles' first win since Valentine's Day of last year when Eastern knocked off Ohio, 73-58, in Ypsilanti.

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 4.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest, alongside Hudson's 7.0 points and 6.5 boards to lead the Eagles in the post.

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 13.1 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 15 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.

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. Miami, Ohio, Central Michigan, and Buffalo would hold byes to Cleveland as the top four seeds.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan begins a brief two-game roadtrip Saturday, Feb. 23, against in-state foe Western Michigan University. Tipoff between the Eagles and Broncos is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Kalamazoo.

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Players Mentioned

Jenna Annecchiarico

Corrione Cardwell

Autumn Hudson

Kiara Johnson

Courtnie Lewis

Danielle Minott

Eastern Michigan Athletics