Eastern Michigan Athletics
Women's Basketball Grounds Bowling Green, 78-61
1/4/2020 4:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Areanna Combs scores career-high 32 points as Eagles win Mid-American Conference opener
Photo Gallery.
Postgame Recap Video.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team extended its winning streak to four consecutive games, as it opened its 2020 Mid-American Conference slate with a 78-61 victory over Bowling Green State University Saturday, Jan. 4, inside the Convocation Center.
The Eagles (6-6, 1-0 MAC) were led by a stellar performance from redshirt junior Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)), who tallied a career-high 32 points on 14-of-20 shooting, while adding seven rebounds, four steals, two assists, and a pair of blocks. Her 14 successful field goal attempts also tied for the eighth-most in program history, equaling the mark set by Tavelyn James versus Kent State, Feb. 11, 2012 and Danielle Minott against Buffalo, Jan. 27, 2018 and Jan. 9, 2019. Additionally, Combs became the first Eagle to reach the 30-point plateau since Minott tallied a program-record 43 points in an overtime loss to Buffalo, Jan. 9, 2019.
Fellow redshirt junior Corrione Cardwell (Cleveland, Ohio-New Tech East) also reached double-digits in points, recording 10 points and a team-best six steals along with four rebounds and three helpers. Freshman Aaliyah Stanley (Boynton Beach, Fla.-Oxbridge Academy) and Kiara Johnson (Buffalo, N.Y.-Cardinal O'Hara) tied Combs for the team lead with seven boards, while redshirt sophomore Juanita Agosto (Seattle, Wash.-Garfield) notched eight points on 4-of-5 shooting along with a team-high four assists.
EMU finished 50.8 percent (33-of-65) from the field, while BGSU (7-6, 0-1 MAC) ended the contest with a 41.8 percent (23-of-55) clip. The Green and White overwhelmed their MAC East opposition in multiple categories, including rebounds (44-23), fast-break points (14-0), and points in the paint (50-22).
After Bowling Green scored the game's first bucket, the Eagles responded with an 11-1 run to capture an 11-3 lead by the halfway mark of the opening quarter. Cardwell added a layup to extend EMU's cushion to 16-6, but the hosts called a timeout after BGSU scored 10 unanswered points to knot the score at 16 with 1:16 left in the first period.
The Eagles quickly collected themselves and responded with a 14-0 run that carried over into the second quarter, opening up a 30-18 lead with 6:58 left in the first half. In total, EMU outscored BGSU 23-4 at one stretch to build a 39-20 advantage with 4:27 left in the second stanza.
The Green and White held a commanding 45-27 lead coming out of the break, but were dealt a scare when they were outscored by BGSU in the third quarter, 22-12. The Falcons eventually sliced the lead to 57-51 with 9:36 to go in regulation, but the Eagles pulled way with an 8-1 run to open up a 65-52 lead with fewer than six-and-a-half minutes remaining. Combs and Stanley provided the bulk of EMU's offense during the fourth quarter, before sophomore Natalia Pineda (Miami, Fla.-John A. Ferguson) wrapped up the scoring with a last-minute triple to seal a 17-point victory.
Eastern Michigan continues Mid-American Conference play with a two-game road trip, starting with a visit to Kent, Ohio to take on the Golden Flashes of Kent State University Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m.
Postgame Recap Video.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team extended its winning streak to four consecutive games, as it opened its 2020 Mid-American Conference slate with a 78-61 victory over Bowling Green State University Saturday, Jan. 4, inside the Convocation Center.
The Eagles (6-6, 1-0 MAC) were led by a stellar performance from redshirt junior Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)), who tallied a career-high 32 points on 14-of-20 shooting, while adding seven rebounds, four steals, two assists, and a pair of blocks. Her 14 successful field goal attempts also tied for the eighth-most in program history, equaling the mark set by Tavelyn James versus Kent State, Feb. 11, 2012 and Danielle Minott against Buffalo, Jan. 27, 2018 and Jan. 9, 2019. Additionally, Combs became the first Eagle to reach the 30-point plateau since Minott tallied a program-record 43 points in an overtime loss to Buffalo, Jan. 9, 2019.
Fellow redshirt junior Corrione Cardwell (Cleveland, Ohio-New Tech East) also reached double-digits in points, recording 10 points and a team-best six steals along with four rebounds and three helpers. Freshman Aaliyah Stanley (Boynton Beach, Fla.-Oxbridge Academy) and Kiara Johnson (Buffalo, N.Y.-Cardinal O'Hara) tied Combs for the team lead with seven boards, while redshirt sophomore Juanita Agosto (Seattle, Wash.-Garfield) notched eight points on 4-of-5 shooting along with a team-high four assists.
EMU finished 50.8 percent (33-of-65) from the field, while BGSU (7-6, 0-1 MAC) ended the contest with a 41.8 percent (23-of-55) clip. The Green and White overwhelmed their MAC East opposition in multiple categories, including rebounds (44-23), fast-break points (14-0), and points in the paint (50-22).
After Bowling Green scored the game's first bucket, the Eagles responded with an 11-1 run to capture an 11-3 lead by the halfway mark of the opening quarter. Cardwell added a layup to extend EMU's cushion to 16-6, but the hosts called a timeout after BGSU scored 10 unanswered points to knot the score at 16 with 1:16 left in the first period.
The Eagles quickly collected themselves and responded with a 14-0 run that carried over into the second quarter, opening up a 30-18 lead with 6:58 left in the first half. In total, EMU outscored BGSU 23-4 at one stretch to build a 39-20 advantage with 4:27 left in the second stanza.
The Green and White held a commanding 45-27 lead coming out of the break, but were dealt a scare when they were outscored by BGSU in the third quarter, 22-12. The Falcons eventually sliced the lead to 57-51 with 9:36 to go in regulation, but the Eagles pulled way with an 8-1 run to open up a 65-52 lead with fewer than six-and-a-half minutes remaining. Combs and Stanley provided the bulk of EMU's offense during the fourth quarter, before sophomore Natalia Pineda (Miami, Fla.-John A. Ferguson) wrapped up the scoring with a last-minute triple to seal a 17-point victory.
Eastern Michigan continues Mid-American Conference play with a two-game road trip, starting with a visit to Kent, Ohio to take on the Golden Flashes of Kent State University Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m.
Team Stats
BGSU
EMU
FG%
.418
.508
3FG%
.313
.333
FT%
.667
.600
RB
23
44
TO
23
20
STL
11
14
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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