Eastern Michigan Athletics
Women's Hoops Grounds Toledo in Border-State Brawl
1/29/2020 9:21:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Eagles were led by Areanna Combs' 27 points
Photo Gallery.
Postgame Recap Video.
TOLEDO, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team is soaring back to Michigan with a victory in-hand after grounding its Mid-American Conference West Division rival, the University of Toledo, 77-62, tonight, Jan. 29, inside Savage Arena. The win is the team's first over the Rockets on UT's home court since February of 2016.
With the win, Eastern (10-9; 5-3 MAC) is back above the .500-plateau on the season, and has stretched its conference record to 5-3, including an even 2-2 in the MAC West. Additionally, the team successfully closed the month of January with a 5-3 record, which is tied for a team-best under fourth-year Head Coach Fred Castro.
Eastern was led by redshirt junior Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)), who put up 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Sophomore floor-general Jenna Annecchiarico (Baldwin, N.Y.-Baldwin) added 13 points, to go along with a team-best four steals and four assists.
The Eagles faced early adversity as Toledo jumped ahead, 5-0, just 59 seconds into the game. Undeterred, EMU got on the board via a Juanita Agosto (Seattle, Wash.-Garfield) free throw before Combs settled in with two quick buckets to bring the Green and White within three at the first media timeout, 8-5. The margin did not waver through the remainder of the quarter, as Toledo closed the frame with a 15-12 lead.
The two squads traded blows in the second quarter, with Eastern landing the first punch in the form of a 16-2 run. The spurt was highlighted by a seven-point Combs explosion in which the Oklahoma City-native converted a layup, jumper, and three-point shot as part of her 16-point opening-half performance. Junior Courtnie Lewis (Belton, Mo.-Belton) also added a triple, one of two she hit in the first half, while fellow upperclassman Corrione Cardwell (Cleveland, Ohio.-New Tech East) added a pair of buckets as well. A resilient Toledo closed the quarter on a 15-7 run to bring the score within three at the break, 35-32.
The second half started in identical fashion to the first, as Toledo quickly retook the lead via a 5-0 scoring run. Again proving its poise, EMU battled back to reclaim the lead with 6:24 on the clock. Down one, 40-39, Annecchiarico battled under the basket, converting an "and-one," to give the Eagles a two-point edge, 42-40. The Eagles used that momentum to build a 50-44 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
While it attempted a comeback, the Rockets were no match for the high-energy EMU squad in the fourth quarter. Ahead by five-plus points for the majority of the 10-minute span, the Eagles finished off the UT to win by a 15-point margin, 77-62. The margin of victory is the largest for EMU over Toledo since it defeated the Rockets by 18, 59-41, Jan. 23, 2016.
After a two-day break, Eastern will return to the Buckeye State for a weekend game against the University of Akron Saturday, Feb. 1. Tipoff from the James A.Rhodes Arena is slated for 12 p.m. For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU women's hoops, visit EMUEagles.com or follow the team on social media at @EMUWBB.
Postgame Recap Video.
TOLEDO, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team is soaring back to Michigan with a victory in-hand after grounding its Mid-American Conference West Division rival, the University of Toledo, 77-62, tonight, Jan. 29, inside Savage Arena. The win is the team's first over the Rockets on UT's home court since February of 2016.
With the win, Eastern (10-9; 5-3 MAC) is back above the .500-plateau on the season, and has stretched its conference record to 5-3, including an even 2-2 in the MAC West. Additionally, the team successfully closed the month of January with a 5-3 record, which is tied for a team-best under fourth-year Head Coach Fred Castro.
Eastern was led by redshirt junior Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)), who put up 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Sophomore floor-general Jenna Annecchiarico (Baldwin, N.Y.-Baldwin) added 13 points, to go along with a team-best four steals and four assists.
The Eagles faced early adversity as Toledo jumped ahead, 5-0, just 59 seconds into the game. Undeterred, EMU got on the board via a Juanita Agosto (Seattle, Wash.-Garfield) free throw before Combs settled in with two quick buckets to bring the Green and White within three at the first media timeout, 8-5. The margin did not waver through the remainder of the quarter, as Toledo closed the frame with a 15-12 lead.
The two squads traded blows in the second quarter, with Eastern landing the first punch in the form of a 16-2 run. The spurt was highlighted by a seven-point Combs explosion in which the Oklahoma City-native converted a layup, jumper, and three-point shot as part of her 16-point opening-half performance. Junior Courtnie Lewis (Belton, Mo.-Belton) also added a triple, one of two she hit in the first half, while fellow upperclassman Corrione Cardwell (Cleveland, Ohio.-New Tech East) added a pair of buckets as well. A resilient Toledo closed the quarter on a 15-7 run to bring the score within three at the break, 35-32.
The second half started in identical fashion to the first, as Toledo quickly retook the lead via a 5-0 scoring run. Again proving its poise, EMU battled back to reclaim the lead with 6:24 on the clock. Down one, 40-39, Annecchiarico battled under the basket, converting an "and-one," to give the Eagles a two-point edge, 42-40. The Eagles used that momentum to build a 50-44 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
While it attempted a comeback, the Rockets were no match for the high-energy EMU squad in the fourth quarter. Ahead by five-plus points for the majority of the 10-minute span, the Eagles finished off the UT to win by a 15-point margin, 77-62. The margin of victory is the largest for EMU over Toledo since it defeated the Rockets by 18, 59-41, Jan. 23, 2016.
After a two-day break, Eastern will return to the Buckeye State for a weekend game against the University of Akron Saturday, Feb. 1. Tipoff from the James A.Rhodes Arena is slated for 12 p.m. For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU women's hoops, visit EMUEagles.com or follow the team on social media at @EMUWBB.
Team Stats
EMU
TOLEDO
FG%
.529
.380
3FG%
.286
.313
FT%
.613
.731
RB
36
28
TO
19
21
STL
12
10
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