Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, January 18
Buffalo, N.Y.
2 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Buffalo
Women's Basketball Heads to Buffalo in Search of 4-1 MAC Record
1/16/2020 4:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Eagles and Bulls will square off at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 15
| Women's Basketball at Buffalo | |
| Date | Saturday, Jan. 18 | 2 p.m. |
| Venue | Buffalo, N.Y. | Alumni Arena |
| Preview Info | EMU Notes |
| Live Stats | Fan Stats | Media Stats |
| Watch | ESPN3 |
| @EMUWBB | @EMUAthletics | |
Buffalo, N.Y. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team, equipped with a 3-1 Mid-American Conference record, is back on the road for a bout against the University at Buffalo Saturday, Jan. 18. Tipoff from the Empire State is set for 2 p.m., inside Alumni Arena.
Eastern (8-7; 3-1 MAC) avenged its first conference loss (Jan. 11 at Ball State) with a dominant win over Miami, 80-53, Wednesday, Jan. 15. Meanwhile, Buffalo (11-4; 2-2 MAC) evened its league-play ledger at 2-2 with a 65-59 handling of Bowling Green, Jan. 15.
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Fans can also follow live stats at EMUEagles.com/livestats, or get live updates from the team's Twitter, @EMUWBB.
NINE-FOR-NINE: Redshirt junior guard Areanna Combs has been outstanding for the Eagles in the nine games she has played this season. The Oklahoma City native has scored in double-figures in each contest, dropping a career-best 32 points against BGSU, Jan. 4. In all, Combs is averaging a team-best 19.0 points per game, an average that only two players in the MAC have outpaced this season.
BEST START UNDER CASTRO: Eastern's 3-1 record to open MAC play is the best stretch compiled under fourth-year head coach Fred Castro. EMU is outscoring its opponents by 11.0 points per game and out-rebounding its competition by a margin of 9.3 per game in those MAC games. The highest win total in league play under Castro is six, a number the Eagles looked poised to best this season.
NINE DOWN, TWO TO GO: EMU head man Fred Castro has beaten nine of the 11 Mid-American Conference opponents. He and the Eagles will have a chance to cross Buffalo off that list Saturday, Jan. 18. They'll get first crack at the Chippewas of Central Michigan Wednesday, Jan. 22.
BEST MAC WIN: Wednesday's win over Miami, 80-53, is EMU's largest margin of victory over a Division I opponent this season. Additionally, the 27-point win over the RedHawks is the largest (by total points) that the Eagles have registered over a MAC opponent in the Fred Castro era. Previously, the team had bested two opponents by 15 points each (Miami,1-13-19; Ohio, 2-14-19).
FIRST QUARTER FIREWORKS: EMU scored 29 first-quarter points against Miami, Jan. 15. That number is the highest first quarter point total for EMU since its 31-point effort against Youngstown State, Nov. 16, 2019.
IT'S SIMPLE: BUILD A LEAD, KEEP THE LEAD: Starting hot has been critical for the Eagles this season. The Eagles are 7-3 in games which they have led at the half, but 0-5 in games which they have trailed heading into the locker room. That trend is no surprise, as Fred Castro-led teams are 26-13 all-time when leading at the half, and just 9-54 when trailing at the break.
DICKERSON DENIED: Coming into EMU's game against Miami, Jan. 15, RedHawk guard Lauren Dickerson was averaging 17.8 points per game, third-best in the MAC. The Eagles were up to the challenge, as they held Dickerson scoreless for just the second time in her career, and first since 2017, forcing her into an 0-for-6, five-turnover performance.
CAN'T HANDLE HUDSON: Junior Autumn Hudson put on a career-best performance in Eastern's win over Miami, Jan. 15. The Richwood, Ohio native recorded career-highs in points (14) and field goal makes (7), while simultaneously tying her career-high in steals with two. Her 14-point effort tied for the team lead in scoring, the second time she has accomplished that feat in her three-year Eagle career. Additionally, her seven rebound effort also tied for the team lead, the 14th time she has paced EMU in that category in her time with the Green and White.
NICE TO SEE YOU, NATALIA: Undeterred by recent shooting struggles, sophomore Natalia Pineda found her stroke against Miami, Jan. 15. The Miami, Fla. native posted 13 points on a team-best 3-for-6 effort from behind the arc. The performance was Pineda's fifth-career effort with three-or-more triples in a game, and is her seventh-career game in which she paced the team in three-point makes.
KJ COMING HOME: Saturday's game against the Bulls has extra-special implications for sophomore Kiara Johnson, as she hails from the city of Buffalo, N.Y. Johnson is expected to have droves of family, friends, and former teammates in attendance, and will square off against her best childhood friend, Summer Hemphill, a senior forward for the Bulls.
GETTING IT DONE ON D: Eastern Michigan's high intensity defense has caused opponents fits this season as the Eagles have forced the opposition into 15+ turnovers 12 times, while picking their pockets 10+ times in four of their 15 games. EMU's 19.4 forced turnovers per game are the third-most in the MAC.
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL: Eastern's ability to protect the ball has certainly contributed to its recent success. EMU has forced 155 turnovers while only relinquishing possession on 115 occasions during its last seven games, in which it boasts a 6-1 record.
ALL-TIME AGAINST UB: Saturday's contest pits Eastern Michigan against Buffalo for the 27th time in program history. The Green and White hold the upper hand in the series, 15-11, but UB has had the edge as of late winning six of the last eight meetings.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE BULLS: Former Eagle Danielle Minott tied a Convocation Center record with 43 points, but it was not enough to lift the Eagles past Buffalo, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019. EMU led by three with less than a minute to go but could not hold on as UB outlasted Eastern in overtime, 91-84.
A layup by then-redshirt sophomore Corrione Cardwell and a free throw by Minott gave Eastern a 76-73 edge with 29 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, but UB's Cierra Dillard found Hanna Hall for a corner three to knot the game at 76 all and force overtime where Minott hit a triple to reclaim the lead, 81-78, for EMU. Buffalo responded with a three of their own, a well-contested trey from Dillard, to even the score before the Bulls closed out the contest on a 13-3 run to hand the Eagles a seven-point setback.
LAST WIN AGAINST BUFFALO: Four double-digit scorers led a balanced offense for the Eagles to a 70-55 win inside Alumni Arena, Feb. 17, 2016. Former Eagle Cha Sweeney led the way, scoring a team-high 19 while then-Eagle Sasha Dailey added 17 points, finishing one off her season-high. One-time EMU player Chanise Baldwin posted her fifth double-double of the season, pitching in 13 points to go along with team-high 10 rebounds. The 6-foot-3 center also tied a season-best with four rejections to go along with two assists and a steal. Former Eagle star Janay Morton rounded out the double-digit performances, adding 12 points and six rebounds.
LAST TIME AT BUFFALO: A three-pointer with 39 seconds left in regulation by then-redshirt junior Danielle Minott forced overtime between Eastern and Buffalo Saturday, Jan. 27, inside Alumni Arena. Minott's clutch three was part of a record breaking performance in which the Miami, Fla. native rewrote the record book with a 44-point effort in a 97-92 setback for EMU.
Minott's 44 points are the most by an Eagle since former EMU great Tavelyn James netted 42 points against Northeastern, Nov. 11, 2011. Additionally, Minott scored the most points by a player in the MAC to that point in the season, and became just the fifth player in NCAA Division I women's basketball to score 44-or-more.
FIVE STRAIGHT: Eastern's win over Kent State, Jan. 8, gave the team five consecutive wins for the first time during the 2019-20 campaign. The Eagles dominated Purdue Fort Wayne, 64-40, Dec. 10, before taking care of UIC, 68-59, Dec. 18, Detroit Mercy, 84-70, Dec. 21, and BGSU, 78-61, Jan. 4. The Eagles picked up the fifth win with a 74-69 handling of the Golden Flashes in Kent, Ohio, Wednesday, Jan. 8.
BEST IN A DECADE: With its win at Kent State, Jan. 8, Eastern became 2-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign, when the Eagles opened MAC play with wins over Northern Illinois, and Ball State, respectively.
BACK IN #MACtion: The Green and White's 2019-20 campaign marks the 39th 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 268-360 record against conference opponents all-time.
RING CHASING: Eastern enters league play in search of its first conference championship since 2012. That year, the Eagles captured both the MAC West and MAC Tournament titles. Overall, EMU has claimed four division crowns (2004, 2006, 2008, 2012) and two tournament championships (2004, 2012).
ON THE HORIZON: Eastern returns home for a pair of Mid-American Conference matchups at the Convocation Center. The Eagles kick off the festivities with a game against Central Michigan, Jan. 22, at 7 p.m.
Eastern (8-7; 3-1 MAC) avenged its first conference loss (Jan. 11 at Ball State) with a dominant win over Miami, 80-53, Wednesday, Jan. 15. Meanwhile, Buffalo (11-4; 2-2 MAC) evened its league-play ledger at 2-2 with a 65-59 handling of Bowling Green, Jan. 15.
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Fans can also follow live stats at EMUEagles.com/livestats, or get live updates from the team's Twitter, @EMUWBB.
NINE-FOR-NINE: Redshirt junior guard Areanna Combs has been outstanding for the Eagles in the nine games she has played this season. The Oklahoma City native has scored in double-figures in each contest, dropping a career-best 32 points against BGSU, Jan. 4. In all, Combs is averaging a team-best 19.0 points per game, an average that only two players in the MAC have outpaced this season.
BEST START UNDER CASTRO: Eastern's 3-1 record to open MAC play is the best stretch compiled under fourth-year head coach Fred Castro. EMU is outscoring its opponents by 11.0 points per game and out-rebounding its competition by a margin of 9.3 per game in those MAC games. The highest win total in league play under Castro is six, a number the Eagles looked poised to best this season.
NINE DOWN, TWO TO GO: EMU head man Fred Castro has beaten nine of the 11 Mid-American Conference opponents. He and the Eagles will have a chance to cross Buffalo off that list Saturday, Jan. 18. They'll get first crack at the Chippewas of Central Michigan Wednesday, Jan. 22.
BEST MAC WIN: Wednesday's win over Miami, 80-53, is EMU's largest margin of victory over a Division I opponent this season. Additionally, the 27-point win over the RedHawks is the largest (by total points) that the Eagles have registered over a MAC opponent in the Fred Castro era. Previously, the team had bested two opponents by 15 points each (Miami,1-13-19; Ohio, 2-14-19).
FIRST QUARTER FIREWORKS: EMU scored 29 first-quarter points against Miami, Jan. 15. That number is the highest first quarter point total for EMU since its 31-point effort against Youngstown State, Nov. 16, 2019.
IT'S SIMPLE: BUILD A LEAD, KEEP THE LEAD: Starting hot has been critical for the Eagles this season. The Eagles are 7-3 in games which they have led at the half, but 0-5 in games which they have trailed heading into the locker room. That trend is no surprise, as Fred Castro-led teams are 26-13 all-time when leading at the half, and just 9-54 when trailing at the break.
DICKERSON DENIED: Coming into EMU's game against Miami, Jan. 15, RedHawk guard Lauren Dickerson was averaging 17.8 points per game, third-best in the MAC. The Eagles were up to the challenge, as they held Dickerson scoreless for just the second time in her career, and first since 2017, forcing her into an 0-for-6, five-turnover performance.
CAN'T HANDLE HUDSON: Junior Autumn Hudson put on a career-best performance in Eastern's win over Miami, Jan. 15. The Richwood, Ohio native recorded career-highs in points (14) and field goal makes (7), while simultaneously tying her career-high in steals with two. Her 14-point effort tied for the team lead in scoring, the second time she has accomplished that feat in her three-year Eagle career. Additionally, her seven rebound effort also tied for the team lead, the 14th time she has paced EMU in that category in her time with the Green and White.
NICE TO SEE YOU, NATALIA: Undeterred by recent shooting struggles, sophomore Natalia Pineda found her stroke against Miami, Jan. 15. The Miami, Fla. native posted 13 points on a team-best 3-for-6 effort from behind the arc. The performance was Pineda's fifth-career effort with three-or-more triples in a game, and is her seventh-career game in which she paced the team in three-point makes.
KJ COMING HOME: Saturday's game against the Bulls has extra-special implications for sophomore Kiara Johnson, as she hails from the city of Buffalo, N.Y. Johnson is expected to have droves of family, friends, and former teammates in attendance, and will square off against her best childhood friend, Summer Hemphill, a senior forward for the Bulls.
GETTING IT DONE ON D: Eastern Michigan's high intensity defense has caused opponents fits this season as the Eagles have forced the opposition into 15+ turnovers 12 times, while picking their pockets 10+ times in four of their 15 games. EMU's 19.4 forced turnovers per game are the third-most in the MAC.
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL: Eastern's ability to protect the ball has certainly contributed to its recent success. EMU has forced 155 turnovers while only relinquishing possession on 115 occasions during its last seven games, in which it boasts a 6-1 record.
ALL-TIME AGAINST UB: Saturday's contest pits Eastern Michigan against Buffalo for the 27th time in program history. The Green and White hold the upper hand in the series, 15-11, but UB has had the edge as of late winning six of the last eight meetings.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE BULLS: Former Eagle Danielle Minott tied a Convocation Center record with 43 points, but it was not enough to lift the Eagles past Buffalo, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019. EMU led by three with less than a minute to go but could not hold on as UB outlasted Eastern in overtime, 91-84.
A layup by then-redshirt sophomore Corrione Cardwell and a free throw by Minott gave Eastern a 76-73 edge with 29 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, but UB's Cierra Dillard found Hanna Hall for a corner three to knot the game at 76 all and force overtime where Minott hit a triple to reclaim the lead, 81-78, for EMU. Buffalo responded with a three of their own, a well-contested trey from Dillard, to even the score before the Bulls closed out the contest on a 13-3 run to hand the Eagles a seven-point setback.
LAST WIN AGAINST BUFFALO: Four double-digit scorers led a balanced offense for the Eagles to a 70-55 win inside Alumni Arena, Feb. 17, 2016. Former Eagle Cha Sweeney led the way, scoring a team-high 19 while then-Eagle Sasha Dailey added 17 points, finishing one off her season-high. One-time EMU player Chanise Baldwin posted her fifth double-double of the season, pitching in 13 points to go along with team-high 10 rebounds. The 6-foot-3 center also tied a season-best with four rejections to go along with two assists and a steal. Former Eagle star Janay Morton rounded out the double-digit performances, adding 12 points and six rebounds.
LAST TIME AT BUFFALO: A three-pointer with 39 seconds left in regulation by then-redshirt junior Danielle Minott forced overtime between Eastern and Buffalo Saturday, Jan. 27, inside Alumni Arena. Minott's clutch three was part of a record breaking performance in which the Miami, Fla. native rewrote the record book with a 44-point effort in a 97-92 setback for EMU.
Minott's 44 points are the most by an Eagle since former EMU great Tavelyn James netted 42 points against Northeastern, Nov. 11, 2011. Additionally, Minott scored the most points by a player in the MAC to that point in the season, and became just the fifth player in NCAA Division I women's basketball to score 44-or-more.
FIVE STRAIGHT: Eastern's win over Kent State, Jan. 8, gave the team five consecutive wins for the first time during the 2019-20 campaign. The Eagles dominated Purdue Fort Wayne, 64-40, Dec. 10, before taking care of UIC, 68-59, Dec. 18, Detroit Mercy, 84-70, Dec. 21, and BGSU, 78-61, Jan. 4. The Eagles picked up the fifth win with a 74-69 handling of the Golden Flashes in Kent, Ohio, Wednesday, Jan. 8.
BEST IN A DECADE: With its win at Kent State, Jan. 8, Eastern became 2-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign, when the Eagles opened MAC play with wins over Northern Illinois, and Ball State, respectively.
BACK IN #MACtion: The Green and White's 2019-20 campaign marks the 39th 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 268-360 record against conference opponents all-time.
RING CHASING: Eastern enters league play in search of its first conference championship since 2012. That year, the Eagles captured both the MAC West and MAC Tournament titles. Overall, EMU has claimed four division crowns (2004, 2006, 2008, 2012) and two tournament championships (2004, 2012).
ON THE HORIZON: Eastern returns home for a pair of Mid-American Conference matchups at the Convocation Center. The Eagles kick off the festivities with a game against Central Michigan, Jan. 22, at 7 p.m.
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