Eastern Readies for Midweek Matchup at Miami

Women's Basketball at Miami
Date	Wednesday, Feb. 6 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Oxford, Ohio \| Millett Hall (9,200)
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	WEMU 89.1 FM
Twitter	@EMU WBB \| @EMUAthletics

OXFORD, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team dips back into Mid-American Conference cross-divisional play Wednesday night, Feb. 6, when the Eagles take on the RedHawks of Miami University. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the venerable Millett Hall.
   Eastern (10-9, 3-5 MAC) treks to Oxford, Ohio looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking, 68-65, overtime loss at home to Northern Illinois University, Feb. 2. Meanwhile, Miami (15-4, 6-2 MAC) is riding a five-game win streak after handling Western Michigan University, 81-62, on the road, Feb. 2.
   The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, while Chad Bush will also have the call on WEMU 89.1 FM. Additional coverage can be found on the team's account, @EMUWBB, on Twitter, and through live stats at EMUEagles.com.

STUNNED IN EXTRA TIME: Eastern Michigan came up short in overtime against Northern Illinois, Feb. 2, falling to the Huskies, 68-65. It was EMU's third overtime game of the season, as EMU dropped OT heartbreakers at Illinois, Dec. 1, and against Buffalo, Jan. 9. With the setback, Eastern fell to 22-22 in overtime games all-time.

HOW ABOUT HUDSON!: Sophomore Autumn Hudson was a beast on the boards in Eastern Michigan's clash with Northern Illinois, Feb. 2, racking up a career-high and game-best 12 rebounds to go along with eight points and a block in 30 minutes of action. In addition to her dozen caroms being a career-best, Hudson's 30 minutes played were also a career-high.

THAT WAS UNCHARACTERISTIC: In Eastern Michigan's OT loss to Northern Illinois, Feb. 2, the Green and White did some things it hasn't done in quite some time. The Eagles, who had led by as many as 13 in the contest, lost a game after leading by 10+ points for the first time since Feb. 21, 2018, when they lost a 12-point edge at Toledo. Additionally, it was the first time EMU surrendered a halftime lead this season, as well as the first time Eastern lost a game in which it held a better field goal percentage (43.9 to 42.4) than its opponent.

CAN'T BUY A FREE THROW: In its overtime loss to NIU, Feb. 2, EMU attempted just five free throws. The Eagles five trips to the charity stripe were not only its fewest this season, but the least amount Eastern Michigan has tallied since it recorded four free throw tries in a 72-62 setback against Ball State, Feb. 11, 2015.

THORN IN THE EAGLES' SIDE: Eastern Michigan has out-rebounded opponents, 759-735, this season, but trails on the offensive glass by a 242-218 tally. EMU is giving up an average of 12.7 offensive boards a game, which has allowed opponents to score 11.4 second chance points per contest. To put that in perspective, that could have been the difference in seven of EMU's nine losses this season, including four of its five conference defeats.

SHE'S BAAAAAACK!: Returning to action for the first time in two weeks, Natalia Pineda came off the bench to score 10 points, while adding three rebounds, two assists, a block, and a steal against Northern Illinois, Feb. 2. Pineda finished the game 4-of-5 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from three-point range and picked up the third double-digit scoring effort of her career.

20/20 VISION: After topping the 20-point plateau just twice in non-conference play, Danielle Minott posted her second straight 20-point effort and fourth in MAC play with 22 points against NIU, Feb. 2. It marks the second time this MAC season Minott has posted back-to-back 20-point games, as well as the second time an Eagle has done so this year.

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 1-15 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, inside the Convocation Center.

ALL-TIME VERSUS MIAMI: Wednesday's contest with Miami marks the 61st meeting between the RedHawks and Eagles, who first met during the 1979-80 season. Miami has dominated the all-time series, 41-19, but the Eagles have won seven of the last 12 meetings.
Eastern Michigan and Miami split last season's meetings, with the road team coming out on top in each. Hot shooting carried the Eagles to a 74-59 win at Millett Hall, Jan. 13, before the RedHawks edged EMU, 73-69, in Ypsilanti, Jan. 24.

THE MONSTER THAT IS MILLETT: Miami University's Millett Hall has traditionally been a building that has caused EMU coaches to have nightmares. The Eagles have posted an all-time record of 10-17 in the venerable building. However, things have started to change of late, as the Eagles have posted victories in six of their last eight trips to Oxford, Ohio.
   Eastern came away 74-59 winners in its last trip to Millett, picking up its 10th win on Miami's home floor in 27 tries. Danielle Minott led the way with 21 points, while Sasha Dailey (14), Courtnie Lewis (10), and Juanita Agosto (10) also finished in double figures. EMU shot a whopping 49.2 percent from the floor and a blistering 53.8 percent from distance, while locking down MU in the final three periods to come away victorious.

FREE THROWS - THE GOOD AND THE BAD: The Eagles are one of the best in the conference at getting to the free throw line, ranking fifth in the league and 155th nationally with 339 free throw attempts. Unfortunately, EMU has not been able to cash in on its chances at the charity stripe, converting just 199 of its attempts. Eastern's free throw percentage sits at 58.7 percent on the season, the lowest mark in the MAC and the 339th-worst in the country.

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 42.5, while she has made 13 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 4.2. Moreover, Cardwell scored 108 points all of last year, a mark she surpassed nine games into this season.

SO MUCH FOR CHARITY: Free throws have been anything but free for the Eagles this season. The Green and White connect on just 58.4 percent of its shots from the charity stripe and boast the worst FT percentage in the league. In six of its nine 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); LOT, vs. Buffalo, 84-91 - 17-of-27 (-10); LOT vs. Northern Illinois, 65-68 - 2-of-5 (-3)).
   Most recently, EMU went 2-for-5 from the line against NIU, Feb. 2, with all five free throw opportunities coming in regulation.

MAKING THEM PAY: Eastern Michigan has turned conference opponents over an average of 16.7 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 17 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 6.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest, alongside Hudson's 6.3 points and 5.3 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 19 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.

ANOTHER YEAR OF #MACtion: This is 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 275-353 record against conference opponents all-time.

HELPING HAND: Freshman Jenna Annecchiarico has embraced the role of floor general to the tune of 3.5 assists per game, the 13th-best mark in the MAC. Moreover, the Baldwin, N.Y. native leads the conference, while ranking 36th nationally, with a 2.28 assist-to-turnover ratio, and is one of four freshmen to rank in the NCAA's top-50 (19. Chloe Jackson, Baylor; 35. Mikayla Markham, Columbia; 37. Nia Clouden, Michigan State).

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan remains on the road Saturday, Feb. 9, as the Eagles trek south on US-23 to take on the University of Toledo. Tipoff from Savage Arena is scheduled for 2 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Juanita Agosto

Jenna Annecchiarico

Corrione Cardwell

Sasha Dailey

Autumn Hudson

Kiara Johnson

Courtnie Lewis

Danielle Minott

Natalia Pineda

Eastern Michigan Athletics