Women's Hoops Heads to Akron for Saturday Bout With Zips

Women's Basketball at Akron
Date	Saturday, Feb. 1 \| 2 p.m.
Venue	Akron, Ohio \| James A. Rhodes Arena
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN3
Twitter	@EMUW BB \| @EMUAthletics

AKRON, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team is back on the road for a Mid-American Conference bout with the University of Akron, Saturday, Feb. 1. Tipoff from James A. Rhodes Arena is slated for 2 p.m.
   Eastern (10-9; 5-3 MAC) looks to stay hot after dismantling MAC West foe Toledo, 77-62, Jan. 29. Meanwhile, Akron (9-10; 2-6 MAC) will try to notch its 10th victory of the season and pick up its first MAC win since defeating Miami, 70-62, Jan. 22.
   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.

13-FOR-13: Redshirt junior guard Areanna Combs has been outstanding for the Eagles in the 13 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.
   Combs scored a team-best 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting in her last outing, Jan. 29, at Toledo.

BIG WIN OVER TOLEDO: EMU defeated Toledo, 77-62, Jan. 29 at Savage Arena. The win is the first for the Eagles over UT since Jan. 2018, and first at Toledo since Feb. 2016. Additionally, the 15-point margin of victory is the best for EMU over the Rockets since an 18-point win, Jan. 23, 2016, and the first 15+ point victory at Savage Arena since a 91-54 decision, Feb. 21, 2000.

BEAST ON THE BOARDS: Junior center Autumn Hudson has been outstanding on the glass in her last two performances. She registered a team-best 10-rebound outing against Northern Illinois, Jan. 25, before again setting the standard with 12 boards against Toledo, Jan. 20. The Richwood, Ohio native has tallied five double-digit rebounding efforts this season (11-career), and has led the team on the boards in nine contests (17-career.)

THANKS FOR ASSISTING: Sophomore guard Jenna Annecchiarico is one of the best in the MAC at dishing the rock. She tallied a team-leading five helpers against NIU, Jan. 25, which marked the second time this season that she racked up five-plus assists in a game. She added a team-best four assists against Toledo, Jan. 29. Her 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio is tied for second-best in the league, while her 3.5 assists per game ranks 10th. The Baldwin, N.Y. native leads EMU in both categories.

LEWIS DRAINS A PAIR...AGAIN: Junior guard Courtnie Lewis has been efficient from beyond the arc in EMU's last two wins, over NIU, Jan. 25, and Toledo, Jan. 29. The Belton, Mo. native was a team-best 2-for-3 from downtown in both games. Lewis has now led EMU in single-game three-point makes seven times this season, and 32 times during her career.

GETTING IT DONE ON D: Eastern Michigan's high intensity defense has caused opponents fits this season. The Eagles have forced the opposition into 15+ turnovers 15 times, while picking their pockets 10+ times in six of their 18 games. EMU's 19.4 forced turnovers per game are tied for second-most in the MAC.

WANTED FOR THEFT: Redshirt junior Corrione Cardwell and sophomore Jenna Annecchiarico have been dynamic on the defensive end of the floor for Eastern Michigan. Both have 36 total steals, which lead all Eagles this season. Cardwell ranks sixth in the Mid-American Conference with 2.1 steals per contest, while Annecchiarico is 13th (1.9 spg)

12 STRAIGHT WITH A STEAL: Sophomore Jenna Annecchiarico has been nearly automatic when it comes to swiping the ball. The Baldwin, N.Y. native has recorded at least one steal in each of the Eagles' last 12 contests, dating back to Dec. 7, at Wichita State. She is tied for first on the team with 36 steals (1.9 spg).

CRASH THE BOARDS: EMU front man Fred Castro preaches the importance of rebounding, and for good reason. The Eagles have out-rebounded opponents seven times during the 2019-20 season. Their record in those games: 6-1.

LINE OR DIE: Free throws are a crucial ingredient for winning basketball games. When Eastern has more free throw attempts than its opponents, it is a perfect 8-0 on the season. When it has less attempts, the Eagles are just 2-9.

E SHOOTS 53: EMU tied its single-game season-high with an outstanding 53 percent (27-of-51) shooting percentage against Toledo, Jan. 29, matching its early-season performance against Olivet, Nov. 8. The performance is tied for the seventh-best single game shooting percentage by any MAC team this season.

FACING THE ZIPS: Saturday's matchup between the Eagles and the Zips marks the 42nd meeting between the squads all-time. Akron holds the upper hand in the series, 23-19, but Eastern has won each of the last three meetings.

LAST TIME AGAINST AKRON: A jumper in the paint by former Eagle Danielle Minott with 2.9 seconds left completed a double-digit comeback for Eastern as they finalized an upset win over eighth-seeded University of Akron, March 11, in the opening round of Mid-American Conference Tournament play inside James A. Rhodes Arena. The No. 9 Eagles trailed by as many as 10 in the second half, but held the Zips without a field goal for a six-minute stretch en route to a thrilling 61-59 win.
   Minott led the Eagles with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including a trio of triples, to go along with seven rebounds and an assist. Then-sophomore Courtnie Lewis added 13 points, while then-freshman Kiara Johnson kicked in a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double.

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 to the Convocation Center for a MAC cross-divisional matchup with Ohio University, Wednesday, Feb. 5. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Jenna Annecchiarico

Corrione Cardwell

Areanna Combs

Autumn Hudson

Kiara Johnson

Courtnie Lewis

Danielle Minott

Eastern Michigan Athletics