Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, January 18
Buffalo, N.Y.
2 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
8-8 (3-2MAC)
63
at
66
Buffalo
12-4 (3-2MAC)
1
2
3
4
F
Eastern Michigan
9
16
14
24
63
Buffalo
16
18
15
17
66
Women's Hoops Bested by Bulls, 66-63
1/18/2020 4:17:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Eagles erased a 16-2 first quarter deficit but could not pull off the comeback
BUFFALO, N.Y. (EMUEagles.com) – The wintry cold of Upstate New York carried over to the court as the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team suffered a tough loss at the hands of Mid-American Conference East Division foe the University at Buffalo today, Jan. 18. Although it fought valiantly to erase a 16-2 first-quarter deficit, the Bulls proved too powerful, eventually winning the contest, 66-63.
The result dropped Eastern (8-8; 3-2 MAC) to 3-2 in league play and .500 overall on the season, while Buffalo (12-4; 3-2 MAC) notched itself into a winning record in conference play. Although EMU was unable to secure the win, it did enjoy a large cheering section. A large majority of the nearly 75-fan contingent was in attendance to support Buffalo native, sophomore Kiara Johnson (Buffalo, N.Y.-Cardinal O'Hara), who finished the game with one point and two rebounds.
On the court, the Eagles were led by freshman Aaliyah Stanley (Boynton Beach, Fla.-Oxbridge Academy), who put up 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting, including two triples. The double-digit scoring effort is the 10th of the season for Stanley, who has led the Eagles in single-game scoring four times during the current campaign.
Eastern's first quarter performance is best characterized as a tale of two teams. The Eagles quickly fell behind by 14, 16-2, but closed the quarter on a 7-0 run to get right back in the game, 16-9. The underclassmen duo of sophomore Jenna Annecchiarico (Baldwin, N.Y.-Baldwin) and Stanley each contributed three-point plays. Annecchiarico split the defense and finished through contact, scoring a layup and finishing the "and-one," at the line, while Stanley drained her team-best 33rd shot from behind the arc.
Down seven to start the second quarter, EMU remained aggressive. After a scoreless first frame, Eastern's season points-per-game leader Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)) got involved on the offensive end of the court. She contributed a pair of buckets while junior Courtnie Lewis (Belton, Mo.-Belton) got on the stat sheet via her 22nd three-pointer of the season. Combs finished with 14 points in the contest, and notched her 10th-consecutive game with 10-or-more points. The Eagles pulled within three, 23-26, with 3:55 remaining in the half, but were unable to derail the Bulls' momentum. UB finished the half on a 6-2 run to build its advantage back to nine at the break, 34-25.
Eastern was unable to build consistent momentum in the second half. Down nine, the Eagles scrapped to get within six, 41-35, with 5:18 left in the period, but the Bulls quickly surged back with a 5-0 run of their own to go ahead by 11, 46-35, with just under four minutes to go. Separate makes by Annecchiarico and Combs brought the deficit back to single-digits before the quarter ended, but a UB score with 46 seconds remaining ultimately put the hometown team up 10 at the end of the quarter, 49-39.
As it did all game long, EMU continued to battle in the fourth quarter, building a short spurt of momentum after it forced yet another UB turnover, one of the 25 they tallied for the game. Immediately after, Stanley drained a contested three to pull the Green and White within seven, 51-44, with just under eight minutes remaining. Unfortunately, the Eagles were unable to close the gap with the time remaining as UB pulled off the win, 66-63.
EMU is back in action Wednesday, Jan. 22, for the first of consecutive home games. The Eagles will battle in-state foe Central Michigan at 7 p.m. inside the Convocation Center. For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU Athletics, visit EMUEagles.com or follow the team on social media at @EMUWBB.
The result dropped Eastern (8-8; 3-2 MAC) to 3-2 in league play and .500 overall on the season, while Buffalo (12-4; 3-2 MAC) notched itself into a winning record in conference play. Although EMU was unable to secure the win, it did enjoy a large cheering section. A large majority of the nearly 75-fan contingent was in attendance to support Buffalo native, sophomore Kiara Johnson (Buffalo, N.Y.-Cardinal O'Hara), who finished the game with one point and two rebounds.
On the court, the Eagles were led by freshman Aaliyah Stanley (Boynton Beach, Fla.-Oxbridge Academy), who put up 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting, including two triples. The double-digit scoring effort is the 10th of the season for Stanley, who has led the Eagles in single-game scoring four times during the current campaign.
Eastern's first quarter performance is best characterized as a tale of two teams. The Eagles quickly fell behind by 14, 16-2, but closed the quarter on a 7-0 run to get right back in the game, 16-9. The underclassmen duo of sophomore Jenna Annecchiarico (Baldwin, N.Y.-Baldwin) and Stanley each contributed three-point plays. Annecchiarico split the defense and finished through contact, scoring a layup and finishing the "and-one," at the line, while Stanley drained her team-best 33rd shot from behind the arc.
Down seven to start the second quarter, EMU remained aggressive. After a scoreless first frame, Eastern's season points-per-game leader Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)) got involved on the offensive end of the court. She contributed a pair of buckets while junior Courtnie Lewis (Belton, Mo.-Belton) got on the stat sheet via her 22nd three-pointer of the season. Combs finished with 14 points in the contest, and notched her 10th-consecutive game with 10-or-more points. The Eagles pulled within three, 23-26, with 3:55 remaining in the half, but were unable to derail the Bulls' momentum. UB finished the half on a 6-2 run to build its advantage back to nine at the break, 34-25.
Eastern was unable to build consistent momentum in the second half. Down nine, the Eagles scrapped to get within six, 41-35, with 5:18 left in the period, but the Bulls quickly surged back with a 5-0 run of their own to go ahead by 11, 46-35, with just under four minutes to go. Separate makes by Annecchiarico and Combs brought the deficit back to single-digits before the quarter ended, but a UB score with 46 seconds remaining ultimately put the hometown team up 10 at the end of the quarter, 49-39.
As it did all game long, EMU continued to battle in the fourth quarter, building a short spurt of momentum after it forced yet another UB turnover, one of the 25 they tallied for the game. Immediately after, Stanley drained a contested three to pull the Green and White within seven, 51-44, with just under eight minutes remaining. Unfortunately, the Eagles were unable to close the gap with the time remaining as UB pulled off the win, 66-63.
EMU is back in action Wednesday, Jan. 22, for the first of consecutive home games. The Eagles will battle in-state foe Central Michigan at 7 p.m. inside the Convocation Center. For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU Athletics, visit EMUEagles.com or follow the team on social media at @EMUWBB.
Team Stats
EMU
UB
FG%
.338
.471
3FG%
.333
.231
FT%
.500
.714
RB
36
46
TO
13
25
STL
9
5
Game Leaders
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
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