Women's Basketball Begins Homestand Against Central Michigan

Women's Basketball vs. Central Michigan
Date	Wednesday, Jan. 22 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN+
Twitter	@EMUW BB \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team returns home to the friendly confines of the Convocation Center for a midweek matchup with in-state and Mid-American Conference West Division foe Central Michigan University, Jan. 22. Tipoff between the Eagles and Chippewas is slated for 7 p.m.
   Eastern (8-8; 3-2 MAC) is back on the court following a 66-63 loss to Buffalo. Meanwhile, Central (12-4; 5-0 MAC) stayed perfect in conference play with a decisive 10-point win over Western Michigan, 80-70, Jan. 18.
   The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Ryan Wooley calling the play-by-play and Tom Helmer providing analysis. Chad Bush will have the radio call via WEMU 89.1 FM. Fans can also follow live stats at EMUEagles.com/livestats, or get live updates from the team's Twitter, @EMUWBB.

10-FOR-10: Redshirt junior guard Areanna Combs has been outstanding for the Eagles in the 10 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 18.5 points per game, an average that only two players in the MAC have outpaced this season.

TRIPLE-DIPPER: EMU saw offensive production from a slew of players against Buffalo, Jan. 18. Three different Eagles scored in double figures, led by freshman Aaliyah Stanley's 17 points. Redshirt junior Areanna Combs added 14 points of her own, while sophomore Jenna Annecchiarico had 13. EMU has seen double-digit performances by at-least three players in nine of its 16 games this season.

REBOUND MACHINE: Junior Autumn Hudson was outstanding on the glass against Buffalo, Jan. 18. The Richwood, Ohio native hauled in a season-best 13 boards, a number that is fifth-best in a single game this season among MAC players. Hudson has tallied double-digit rebounds in three contests during the 2019-20 campaign, and has led the Eagles in single-game rebounding on seven different occasions during the current season.

THREE, FOR THREE: A trio of Eagles led the team with two three-point makes at Buffalo, Jan. 18. Freshman Aaliyah Stanley, sophomore Jenna Annecchiarico, and junior Courtnie Lewis each hit that mark. Stanley leads the team with 34 triples this season, while Lewis (23) and Annecchiarico (18) rank second and third, respectively.

TURNOVER TOWN: EMU forced 25 UB turnovers, Jan. 18. The Eagles have forced 25-plus TOs four times this season, including each of the last two games.

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 13 times, while picking their pockets 10+ times in four of their 16 games. EMU's 19.8 forced turnovers per game are the third-most in the MAC.

TROUBLE WITH TRAILING: 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 0-6 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 9-55 when trailing at the break.

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL: Eastern's ability to protect the ball has certainly contributed to its recent success. EMU has forced 180 turnovers while only relinquishing possession on 128 occasions during its last seven games, in which it boasts a 6-2 record.

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 off Central Michigan Wednesday, Jan. 22.

CHIP DIP: Wednesday's contest marks the 88th meeting between the Chippewas and Eagles, who first met during the 1976-77 season. CMU leads the overall series, 52-35. EMU has won 22 of the last 41 meetings dating back to the 2000-01 campaign, but Central enters the clash as winners of 11 straight against Eastern.

LAST TIME AGAINST CMU: A ferocious fight by the ninth-seeded Eagles was not enough to knock off top-seeded Central in the Mid-American Conference Quarterfinals, March 13, inside Quicken Loans Arena (now Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse). EMU went up three with five seconds to go, but a CMU three-pointer tied the game at 73-all, where the Chippewas outlasted the Eagles, 88-80, in overtime.
   A layup by former Eagle Danielle Minott and a pair of free throws by then-sophomore Courtnie Lewis put Eastern in front, 69-66, with 12 seconds left in regulation. Eastern elected to foul out of a timeout, allowing Central to pull back within one, 69-68. The two squads traded free throws once more before CMU sent Lewis to the charity stripe for a third time in the final seconds of play. Lewis knocked down two more clutch freebies, but the Chippewas inbounded the ball quickly to make way for Presley Hudson's game-tying three at the buzzer.
   In overtime, the Green and White could not cut Central's momentum. The Chippewas went up five midway through the extra stanza, but despite big shots by then-freshmen Jenna Annecchiarico and Kiara Johnson, the top-seeded Chips closed out the game at the free throw line to end EMU's season, 88-80.

LAST WIN AGAINST CENTRAL: Trailing by six with five minutes remaining in the contest, Eastern rallied in the closing minutes to take a 93-86 victory in its final regular season game of the 2014-15 season over the Chippewas, March 7, at McGuirk Arena.
   Former Eagle Cha Sweeney became the 19th player all-time in EMU history to reach the 1,000-point club for Eastern women's basketball. The then-sophomore guard notched 20 points in the Eagles' win over Central to become the second-fastest player in school history to reach the grand total, needing just 61 games, as EMU's all-time leading scorer Tavelyn James (2008-12) was also a sophomore when she joined the elusive club in 57 career games.

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 remains home for the back-end of its two-game homestand as it welcomes MAC West Division foe Northern Illinois Saturday, Jan. 25. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.

Women's Basketball Begins Homestand Against Central Michigan

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Players Mentioned

Jenna Annecchiarico

Areanna Combs

Autumn Hudson

Kiara Johnson

Courtnie Lewis

Danielle Minott

Aaliyah Stanley

Eastern Michigan Athletics