Eastern Michigan Athletics
Women's Hoops Uses Second-Half Surge to Best Bowling Green
2/12/2020 9:02:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Eagles completed the season-sweep over the Falcons with their 70-58 win
Postgame Recap Video.
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team used a second-half surge to upend its Mid-American Conference East Division rival, Bowling Green State University, 70-58, tonight, Feb. 12, inside BGSU's Stroh Center.
The win completed a season-sweep for Eastern (12-11; 7-5 MAC) over Bowling Green (8-15; 1-10 MAC), and lifted EMU to seven conference wins for the first time under fourth-year head coach Fred Castro. Prior to this season, Castro's highest league win total was six (2017-18, 2018-19). The victory also extends EMU's win streak over the Falcons to five games, a new program record.
Eastern was led by the duo of sophomore Jenna Annecchiarico (Baldwin, N.Y.-Baldwin), and redshirt junior guard Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)). Annecchiarico dropped 22 points in her encore performance from a career-high 31-point day at Western Michigan, Feb. 8. Combs was also stellar. The Oklahoma City native registered her third-career double-double with a 20 point, 13 rebound effort. Junior Autumn Hudson (Richwood, Ohio-North Union) contributed 11 rebounds for the Green and White to notch her sixth 10-plus rebound game of the season.
The game began with both teams playing efficient, clean basketball. That was best evidenced by the 8:22 of game clock that ran continuously until the contest's first media timeout. The long-running segment saw 33 collective points, with EMU holding the one-point edge, 17-16, at the stoppage.
Although it took an extended period of time to stop the clock for the first time, it took EMU no time at all to open the game's scoring. After controlling the tip, the Eagles ran their first set play to perfection, which left redshirt junior guard Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)) with an open lane to the basket. She took advantage and put EMU ahead, 2-0. From that point on, the offensive festivities continued. In all, four different Eagles registered points as Annecchiarico paced the team with 10. Despite the offensive comfortability, Bowling Green ended the quarter up one, 20-19.
The pace of play slowed dramatically in the second quarter as the defensive efforts of both teams picked up. The Eagles used a pair of steals courtesy of redshirt sophomore Juanita Agosto (Seattle, Wash.-Garfield) and Combs to fuel a 9-4 run over the frame's first 3:20. Up by a pair of buckets, 28-24, EMU faced another offensive push from the MAC's second-best scoring team. EMU mustered just two points over the final six-plus minutes and went into the locker room down two, 32-30.
It was Eastern that appeared to have utilized the halftime intermission more effectively than its Buckeye State-counterpart as play resumed in the third quarter. The Eagles quickly produced a 14-6 scoring run, and opened up a six point, 44-38 lead with four minutes remaining in the quarter. Annecchiarico and junior Courtnie Lewis (Belton, Mo.-Belton) both knocked in shots from deep during the run. The triple make cemented a sixth-consecutive outing with two-or-more three-pointers by Lewis. Sophomore big Kiara Johnson (Buffalo, N.Y.-Cardinal O'hara) made her presence known on the inside during the third quarter, as she notched her first points of the game and hauled in four rebounds. Combs' layup at the 6:05 mark notched her 10th point of the game, and officially stretched her double-digit scoring streak to 16 games. EMU's offense remained aggressive throughout the period, scoring 19 third-quarter points to lift the Eagles to a 49-41 lead with 10 minutes to play.
Despite spurts of effort by the Falcons in the fourth quarter, Eastern proved much too strong to overcome as the game dwindled into its final minutes. EMU continued to take advantage of BGSU on both ends of the court, and eventually pulled out the 70-58 decision.
EMU returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 15, as it returns home to Ypsilanti for a game against the University of Akron. Tipoff from the Convocation Center is scheduled for 12 p.m., and will serve as the first leg of a women/men doubleheader. Eastern's men will face Western Michigan with a tipoff time slated for approximately 2:30 p.m. For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU women's hoops, visit EMUEagles.com
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team used a second-half surge to upend its Mid-American Conference East Division rival, Bowling Green State University, 70-58, tonight, Feb. 12, inside BGSU's Stroh Center.
The win completed a season-sweep for Eastern (12-11; 7-5 MAC) over Bowling Green (8-15; 1-10 MAC), and lifted EMU to seven conference wins for the first time under fourth-year head coach Fred Castro. Prior to this season, Castro's highest league win total was six (2017-18, 2018-19). The victory also extends EMU's win streak over the Falcons to five games, a new program record.
Eastern was led by the duo of sophomore Jenna Annecchiarico (Baldwin, N.Y.-Baldwin), and redshirt junior guard Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)). Annecchiarico dropped 22 points in her encore performance from a career-high 31-point day at Western Michigan, Feb. 8. Combs was also stellar. The Oklahoma City native registered her third-career double-double with a 20 point, 13 rebound effort. Junior Autumn Hudson (Richwood, Ohio-North Union) contributed 11 rebounds for the Green and White to notch her sixth 10-plus rebound game of the season.
The game began with both teams playing efficient, clean basketball. That was best evidenced by the 8:22 of game clock that ran continuously until the contest's first media timeout. The long-running segment saw 33 collective points, with EMU holding the one-point edge, 17-16, at the stoppage.
Although it took an extended period of time to stop the clock for the first time, it took EMU no time at all to open the game's scoring. After controlling the tip, the Eagles ran their first set play to perfection, which left redshirt junior guard Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)) with an open lane to the basket. She took advantage and put EMU ahead, 2-0. From that point on, the offensive festivities continued. In all, four different Eagles registered points as Annecchiarico paced the team with 10. Despite the offensive comfortability, Bowling Green ended the quarter up one, 20-19.
The pace of play slowed dramatically in the second quarter as the defensive efforts of both teams picked up. The Eagles used a pair of steals courtesy of redshirt sophomore Juanita Agosto (Seattle, Wash.-Garfield) and Combs to fuel a 9-4 run over the frame's first 3:20. Up by a pair of buckets, 28-24, EMU faced another offensive push from the MAC's second-best scoring team. EMU mustered just two points over the final six-plus minutes and went into the locker room down two, 32-30.
It was Eastern that appeared to have utilized the halftime intermission more effectively than its Buckeye State-counterpart as play resumed in the third quarter. The Eagles quickly produced a 14-6 scoring run, and opened up a six point, 44-38 lead with four minutes remaining in the quarter. Annecchiarico and junior Courtnie Lewis (Belton, Mo.-Belton) both knocked in shots from deep during the run. The triple make cemented a sixth-consecutive outing with two-or-more three-pointers by Lewis. Sophomore big Kiara Johnson (Buffalo, N.Y.-Cardinal O'hara) made her presence known on the inside during the third quarter, as she notched her first points of the game and hauled in four rebounds. Combs' layup at the 6:05 mark notched her 10th point of the game, and officially stretched her double-digit scoring streak to 16 games. EMU's offense remained aggressive throughout the period, scoring 19 third-quarter points to lift the Eagles to a 49-41 lead with 10 minutes to play.
Despite spurts of effort by the Falcons in the fourth quarter, Eastern proved much too strong to overcome as the game dwindled into its final minutes. EMU continued to take advantage of BGSU on both ends of the court, and eventually pulled out the 70-58 decision.
EMU returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 15, as it returns home to Ypsilanti for a game against the University of Akron. Tipoff from the Convocation Center is scheduled for 12 p.m., and will serve as the first leg of a women/men doubleheader. Eastern's men will face Western Michigan with a tipoff time slated for approximately 2:30 p.m. For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU women's hoops, visit EMUEagles.com
Team Stats
EMU
BGSU
FG%
.385
.434
3FG%
.421
.250
FT%
.545
.636
RB
49
27
TO
14
14
STL
6
3
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