Alumnae Day Showdown Pits EMU Against CMU Saturday

Women's Basketball vs. Central Michigan
Date	Saturday, March 2 \| 2 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center (8,754)
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN +
Listen	N/A
Twitter	@EMU WBB \| @EMUAthletics
Tickets	Order Tickets Online or call 734.487.3669

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team welcomes Mid-American Conference-leading Central Michigan University to the Convocation Center Saturday afternoon, March 2. Tipoff between the Eagles and Chippewas is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will serve as EMU's Alumnae Day game.
   A slow start plagued Eastern (12-14, 5-10 MAC) at Northern Illinois University, Feb. 27, as the Eagles fell to the Huskies, 70-60. Meanwhile, CMU (21-6, 12-3 MAC) grabbed a share of the conference lead with its fifth straight win, an 81-64 victory at Ball State University, Feb. 27.
   The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Ryan Wooley calling the action on the court alongside Greg Steiner. Additionally, coverage can be found on the team's Twitter account, @EMUWBB, and through live stats at EMUEagles.com.

CELEBRATING WOMEN AND GIRL IN SPORT: Eastern Michigan will celebrate Women and Girls Sport when it takes on Central Michigan, March 2, as several EMU women's teams will se tup in the Convocation Center atrium.
   The game will also serve as Eastern's Alumnae Day, as the Eagles will welcome back players who donned the Green and White in years past. Those interested in attending and taking part in the Alumnae Day festivities can RSVP by calling Britta Brown at 734.487.8684.

GOTTA KEEP 'EM UNDER 70: Eastern Michigan gave up 70 points to Northern Illinois, Feb. 27, marking the 11th time this season EMU has allowed an opponent to score 70-or-more points. The Eagles are 2-9 when opponents top 70 points, and are 6-41 since the 2016-17 campaign.

FINDING HER STRIDE: Sophomore Courtnie Lewis has found her stride as of late, as the Belton, Mo. product is averaging 15.0 points per contest over EMU's last five games, a nearly five-point improvement above her season mark prior to that point (10.4 ppg). She has also been significantly more efficient, boasting a 46.4 field goal percentage on 26-for-56 shooting and knocking down 12-of-29 triples, good for a 41.4 percent clip. Prior to Eastern's game against Kent State, Feb. 13, Lewis had been converting just 32.5 percent of her shots and just 29.3 of her three-point attempts.

HAPPY TO SEE THE CALENDAR FLIP TO MARCH: Not many are happier to see the calendar switch over to March than the Eagles, as EMU owns a 3-20 record 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, its first February win since Valentine's Day of last year when Eastern knocked off Ohio, 73-58, in Ypsilanti.

SEEDING SCOOP: With three games left in the regular season, 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, Central Michigan, Ohio, and Buffalo would hold byes to Cleveland as the top four seeds.

LONG DISTANCE LUST: The Green and White has attempted 20-or-more three-pointers in 17 of its 26 games this season, including a season-high 36 at Illinois, Dec. 1. Furthermore, Eastern is 10-27 when taking 20-or-more threes since the start of the 2016-17 season.

THEFT REPORTED IN YPSILANTI: Eastern Michigan has made a living behind its defensive play this season, forcing the fourth-most turnovers per game (17.38) in the conference, while ranking 100th nationally. Additionally, Eastern is one of two schools (Central Michigan) in the league to have three players ranked inside the MAC's top-15 in steals per game. Danielle Minott leads the way, ranking tied for fifth with 2.3 thefts per contest, while Corrione Cardwell (2.2) and Jenna Annecchiarico (1.6) are slotted seventh and tied for 14th, respectively.

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.

FACING IN-STATE FOES: The Chippewas are one of four opponents on the Eagles' 2018-19 schedule that call Michigan home. Eastern Michigan has thrived against in-state competition over the years, compiling a 157-148 advantage over in-state opponents, including a 35-49 mark against CMU. The Eagles have been most successful against Western Michigan, piecing together a 48-37 mark versus the Broncos. Meanwhile, Michigan State has been the toughest opponent for EMU, leading the all-time series 15-1 over the Eagles.

CHIP DIP: Saturday's contest marks the 86th meeting between the Chippewas and Eagles, who first met during the 1976-77 season. CMU leads the overall series, 50-35. EMU has won 22 of the last 39 meetings dating back to the 2000-01 campaign, but Central enters the clash as winners of nine straight against Eastern.
   EMU came up on the short end at CMU, 71-61, when the two squads met up in Mount Pleasant, Jan. 26. Danielle Minott dropped 21 points, including five triples, while Corrione Cardwell added 17 points and a team-best seven rebounds.

LAST WIN OVER CMU: Eastern Michigan has not tasted victory against in-state foe Central Michigan since the 2014-15 campaign. That season, the Green and White closed out the regular season with a, 93-86, win over the Chippewas at McGuirk, March 7, 2015, EMU's third consecutive win against CMU.
   Janay Morton scored a game-high 34 points to lead the way, while Cha Sweeney joined the 1,000-point club with a 20-point effort.

CLIPPING THE CHIPS AT THE CONVO: Eastern Michigan has 21 of its 35 wins over Central Michigan on its home floor, with the last home victory coming Feb. 14, 2015, when Eastern toppled Central, 85-64, inside the Convocation Center. The Eagles outshot the Chippewas 45.3 to 33.8 percent, while four players finished in double figures. Jamaica Bucknor led the way with 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including a trio of triples. Cha Sweeney added a 17-point, 10-assist double-double, and Janay Morton and Sera Ozelci chipped in 14 and 12 points, respectively.

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 9-3 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 a rematch with MAC West-leading Central Michigan, March 2, and a senior day tilt versus Toledo, March 6.

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

GETTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT: Eastern Michigan's success this season can be tied to how the Eagles have fared in the first quarter. With 26 games complete, EMU is 9-4 when eclipsing the 14-point mark in the first quarter. On the flip side, Eastern is 6-3 when holding the opposition to 14-or-fewer points in the quarter, in stark contrast to the Eagles' 6-11 record when giving up 14+ in the stanza.

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, nine of Eastern's 12 wins have come when EMU has held the advantage in bench points. Overall, the Eagles are 9-5 when leading in bench scoring.

SHARING IS CARING: Eastern Michigan dished out 10 assists in its loss at Western Michigan, Feb. 23. It was the 15th time this season the Eagles have totaled 10-or-more dimes. EMU is 9-6 this year when recording at least 10 assists, with two of its four losses taking place in overtime (at Illinois and vs. Buffalo).

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 5.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest, alongside Hudson's 7.0 points and 6.8 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 13.2 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 43.9, while she has made 17 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.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan wraps up its home slate with a Senior Day showdown against the University of Toledo Wednesday night, March 6. The Eagles will honor their senior trio of Lorraine Enabulele, Emoni Jackson, and Danielle Minott. Tipoff between the Eagles and Rockets is scheduled for 7 p.m. with Senior Day festivities scheduled to begin around 6:50 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Jenna Annecchiarico

Corrione Cardwell

Lorraine Enabulele

Autumn Hudson

Emoni Jackson

Kiara Johnson

Courtnie Lewis

Danielle Minott

Eastern Michigan Athletics