Eastern Michigan Athletics
Sunday, December 6
Cape Girardeau, Mo.
2 p.m. CT
Eastern Michigan University
3-1
63
at
49
Southeast Missouri State
1-2
1
2
3
4
F
Eastern Michigan
13
22
12
16
63
Southeast Missouri
8
14
10
17
49
Women's Hoops Defeats Southeast Missouri For Program's 600th Win
12/6/2020 5:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball
EMU improves to 3-1 on the young season
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (EMUEagles.com) – A nine-hour bus ride and sluggish start weren't nearly enough to keep the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team from earning its 600th win in program history today, Dec. 6, as it defeated Southeast Missouri State, 63-49, in a non-conference affair at the Show Me Center.
With the win, Eastern (3-1, 1-0 MAC) has its first back-to-back victories of the season (defeated Ball State, Dec. 2), and improves its overall record to 3-1, a mark which is tied for the best start to a season under fifth-year head coach Fred Castro (2018-19). The win is also historic in nature, as it is the 600th in program history. Now in its 45th season, EMU first fielded a team in the 1976-77 season and was led by Kathy Hart. The team posted its first-ever victory in just its third game, as it defeated the University of Michigan, 62-52, on Jan. 21, 1977. From there, the program has achieved impressive success, racking up eight 20+ win seasons, eight postseason appearances since 2003-04, including two NCAA Tournament appearances (2004, 2012), and four MAC Divisional titles.
The Eagles were led by a large contingent of players, but none were better than redshirt senior Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)), who put up 23 points on 9-of-23 shooting, including a career-best five three-pointers. The game marks her 28th consecutive contest with 10+ points. She has now led EMU in scoring in 18 of her 28 career games and has scored better than 20 points in 15 contests. Combs' fellow Oklahoma City native, redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Florida International)) was also impressive, putting up 15 points on 7-of-16 shooting. Nine of Skanes' points came in the second half. EMU's trio of double-digit scorers in the contest was completed by newcomer Kylee O'Hara (Ajax, Ontario-Henry Street (Florida International)), a junior transfer who donned the Green and White for the first time in today's contest. She was electric in the first half as she scored nine from behind the long line. O'Hara finished the contest with 12 points.
Neither team was particularly sharp in the early going as just 21 total points were exchanged between the two teams in the opening 10 minutes of play. Knotted at five-apiece with four minutes gone by, EMU went on an 8-3 run that was started when redshirt junior RayJon Harris (Euclid, Ohio-Euclid) flushed a mid-range jumper. From there, it was a set of triples by junior guard Jenna Annecchiarico (Baldwin, N.Y.-Baldwin) and Combs that pushed EMU's lead to five, 13-8, by the end of the frame. EMU finished the quarter with a 3-of-9 mark from deep, a number that matched a season-best for a single quarter this season to that point.
The pace picked up in the second period as Eastern was able to convert a season-best five three-pointers in the quarter. Three of those shots were hit by O'Hara, who went 3-for-4 from deep in the first half of her debut game with the Green and White. O'Hara's effort was good enough to help lift Eastern to a 35-22 lead as the game hit its intermission.
EMU remained hot out of the halftime break. Already up 13, 35-22, the Eagles wasted no time expanding the edge. Annecchiarico got the second half party started with a made jump shot just 50 ticks into the third quarter. Quickly after, Combs followed suit, hitting yet another EMU three-ball to put Eastern ahead by 18, 40-22, with 8:43 remaining in the quarter. Undeterred, Southeast Missouri worked to put together a 7-0 run of its own which cut it to 11 with five minutes left in the quarter. Needing a bucket to re-establish its edge, EMU went successfully into the paint on the back of Skanes, who made a nice move and finished her shot to tilt the lead back to a baker's dozen, 42-29, with 4:40 on the clock. The Eagles were able to add three points from the charity stripe and another bucket in the remaining minutes to take a comfortable 47-32 lead into the fourth quarter.
Although the home team continued to fight hard through the game's final minutes, there was no doubt that Eastern Michigan was the better-equipped team in the contest. The EMU lead peaked at an impressive 19 points when Skanes beat a pair of defenders to drop in a layup with just over eight minutes left in the contest. The Redhawks were able to hit a couple of late three-pointers to tighten the spread back to 11, 60-49, but with less than one minute left to go in the game, the effort was not enough. EMU added one more bucket to finish the game in a victorious fashion, 63-49.
Following its victory, EMU will enjoy nearly one week of rest before returning to Mid-American Conference action with a trip to Bowling Green State University on Friday, Dec. 11. That game is set for 6 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU women's basketball, visit EMUEagles.com, and continue to follow the team's social media accounts at @EMUWBB.
With the win, Eastern (3-1, 1-0 MAC) has its first back-to-back victories of the season (defeated Ball State, Dec. 2), and improves its overall record to 3-1, a mark which is tied for the best start to a season under fifth-year head coach Fred Castro (2018-19). The win is also historic in nature, as it is the 600th in program history. Now in its 45th season, EMU first fielded a team in the 1976-77 season and was led by Kathy Hart. The team posted its first-ever victory in just its third game, as it defeated the University of Michigan, 62-52, on Jan. 21, 1977. From there, the program has achieved impressive success, racking up eight 20+ win seasons, eight postseason appearances since 2003-04, including two NCAA Tournament appearances (2004, 2012), and four MAC Divisional titles.
The Eagles were led by a large contingent of players, but none were better than redshirt senior Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)), who put up 23 points on 9-of-23 shooting, including a career-best five three-pointers. The game marks her 28th consecutive contest with 10+ points. She has now led EMU in scoring in 18 of her 28 career games and has scored better than 20 points in 15 contests. Combs' fellow Oklahoma City native, redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Florida International)) was also impressive, putting up 15 points on 7-of-16 shooting. Nine of Skanes' points came in the second half. EMU's trio of double-digit scorers in the contest was completed by newcomer Kylee O'Hara (Ajax, Ontario-Henry Street (Florida International)), a junior transfer who donned the Green and White for the first time in today's contest. She was electric in the first half as she scored nine from behind the long line. O'Hara finished the contest with 12 points.
Neither team was particularly sharp in the early going as just 21 total points were exchanged between the two teams in the opening 10 minutes of play. Knotted at five-apiece with four minutes gone by, EMU went on an 8-3 run that was started when redshirt junior RayJon Harris (Euclid, Ohio-Euclid) flushed a mid-range jumper. From there, it was a set of triples by junior guard Jenna Annecchiarico (Baldwin, N.Y.-Baldwin) and Combs that pushed EMU's lead to five, 13-8, by the end of the frame. EMU finished the quarter with a 3-of-9 mark from deep, a number that matched a season-best for a single quarter this season to that point.
The pace picked up in the second period as Eastern was able to convert a season-best five three-pointers in the quarter. Three of those shots were hit by O'Hara, who went 3-for-4 from deep in the first half of her debut game with the Green and White. O'Hara's effort was good enough to help lift Eastern to a 35-22 lead as the game hit its intermission.
EMU remained hot out of the halftime break. Already up 13, 35-22, the Eagles wasted no time expanding the edge. Annecchiarico got the second half party started with a made jump shot just 50 ticks into the third quarter. Quickly after, Combs followed suit, hitting yet another EMU three-ball to put Eastern ahead by 18, 40-22, with 8:43 remaining in the quarter. Undeterred, Southeast Missouri worked to put together a 7-0 run of its own which cut it to 11 with five minutes left in the quarter. Needing a bucket to re-establish its edge, EMU went successfully into the paint on the back of Skanes, who made a nice move and finished her shot to tilt the lead back to a baker's dozen, 42-29, with 4:40 on the clock. The Eagles were able to add three points from the charity stripe and another bucket in the remaining minutes to take a comfortable 47-32 lead into the fourth quarter.
Although the home team continued to fight hard through the game's final minutes, there was no doubt that Eastern Michigan was the better-equipped team in the contest. The EMU lead peaked at an impressive 19 points when Skanes beat a pair of defenders to drop in a layup with just over eight minutes left in the contest. The Redhawks were able to hit a couple of late three-pointers to tighten the spread back to 11, 60-49, but with less than one minute left to go in the game, the effort was not enough. EMU added one more bucket to finish the game in a victorious fashion, 63-49.
Following its victory, EMU will enjoy nearly one week of rest before returning to Mid-American Conference action with a trip to Bowling Green State University on Friday, Dec. 11. That game is set for 6 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU women's basketball, visit EMUEagles.com, and continue to follow the team's social media accounts at @EMUWBB.
Team Stats
EMU
SEMOW
FG%
.375
.275
3FG%
.400
.267
FT%
.556
.739
RB
41
41
TO
11
15
STL
9
4
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
9
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
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