Women's Hoops Heads to Land of Lincoln to Face Northern Illinois

Women's Basketball vs Ball State
Date	Wednesday, Feb. 26 \| 6 p.m. CT
Venue	DeKalb, Ill. \| Convocation Center
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN 3 +
Twitter	@EMUW BB \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team will begin its last four games of the regular season with a matchup against its Mid-American Conference West Division Rival, Northern Illinois, Saturday, Feb. 26. Tipoff between the Eagles and Huskies is set for 6 p.m. CT inside NIU's Convocation Center.
   Eastern (13-12; 8-6 MAC) looks to build off an impressive 61-58 win over Ball State, Feb. 22. Meanwhile, NIU (18-17; 14-10 MAC) is still hoping to slip into the top-eight of the league standings to earn a first-round home game in the MAC tournament. They currently sit at 11th.        The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can also follow live stats at EMUEagles.com/livestats, or get live updates from the team's Twitter, @EMUWBB.

18-FOR-18: Redshirt junior guard Areanna Combs has been outstanding for the Eagles in the 18 games she has played this season. The Oklahoma City native has scored in double-figures in each contest. In all, Combs is averaging a team-best 18.4 points per game, an average that only four players in the MAC have outpaced this season.
   Combs scored a team-best 15 points and hauled in nine rebounds in EMU's game against Ball State, Feb. 22. The performance was her 11th of the season in which she led all Eagles in scoring.
   The 18-game streak is currently the best in the MAC, three games ahead of Erica Johnson's (Ohio) current 15-game mark.

1,000 WATCH: Junior Courtnie Lewis is just 19 points shy of reaching 1,000 for her career. The Belton, Mo. native is averaging 7.9 ppg this season.

BYE BYE BYE: With a 8-6 conference record, EMU is currently in the fourth overall position in terms of MAC tournament seeding. If the Eagles are able to maintain that position over its final six games, it would receive a first-round tournament bye for the first time under Fred Castro, and for the first time since the 2011-12 season.

SETTING NEW STANDARDS: With its win over Ball State, Eastern secured its eighth conference win of the season, which is EMU's best league win total all-time under Fred Castro (four seasons). EMU has finished each of the last two seasons with six conference wins.

TOP-TIER SCORE-STOPPERS: EMU's defense has established itself as one of the very best in the league. The unit allows just 66.2 points per game, which ranks third in the MAC (just 0.1 ppg behind No. 2 Akron). EMU held Ball State to just 58 points on Feb. 22, its lowest point total in 10 games.

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 18 times, while picking their pockets 10+ times in eight of their 25 games. EMU's 18.3 forced turnovers per game are the third-most in the MAC.

CAREER-DAY FOR JUANITA: Redshirt sophomore Juanita Agosto was outstanding in the Eagles' win over BSU, Feb. 22. The Seattle, Wash. Native was fourth on the team with nine points, but set new career-highs in steals (4) and rebounds (12). Both of those numbers led the team in the game. Although she stands at just 5-foot-6, the third-year Eagle has led the team in single-game rebounding on four occasions during the current campaign.

BLOCK PARTY: Although her scoring ability highlights her array of talents on the court, redshirt junior Areanna Combs has displayed the ability to get it done on defense as well. She set a career-high on Saturday, Feb. 22, when she blocked two Ball State shots. She now has five blocks on the season, and is second on the team with a 6.1 rebounds per game average.

THEY'VE GOT BALL STATE'S NUMBER: Eastern's 61-58 win over Ball State, Feb. 22, keeps the Green and White in place for a first-round bye in the Mid-American conference tournament. The win is also EMU's third over Ball State in the last four matchups between the two squads.

BIG TIME BOARDS: EMU has provided itself with an abundance of second-chance opportunities this season. The Eagles are currently second in the conference with 13.7 offensive rebounds per game, and rank third in the league in rebounding offense (41.7 ppg)

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 9-1 on the season. When it has less attempts or even attempts, the Eagles are just 4-11.

16 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 her last 16 contests, dating back to Dec. 7, at Wichita State. She tallied five steals against Ohio, Feb. 5, which tied a season-best and tied her single-game career-high (twice), before adding a pair at BGSU, Feb. 12. She is first on the team with 46 steals, and her 2.0 SPG average is tied for seventh-best in the conference.

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 Ohio, Feb. 5, which marked the third time this season that she racked up five-plus assists in a game. Her 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio is third in the league, while her 3.4 assists per game ranks ninth. The Baldwin, N.Y. native leads EMU in both categories.

ALL-TIME AGAINST NIU: Wednesday's MAC West tilt between Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois will be the 55th meeting between the two squads all-time. EMU holds the edge, leading the series 37-17, but NIU has taken two of the last three meetings.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE HUSKIES: Eastern and Northern Illinois battled tooth-and-nail in a game where no team led by more than seven points, Jan. 25. This conference battle saw 12 lead changes and eight ties through 40 minutes of action. Neither squad shot particularly well from deep (6-21 and 4-23, respectively), therefore, free-throws, second-chance points, and hustle plays were critical. Multiple Eagles stepped up during crucial moments of the game to help the team earn its fourth MAC win.
   Redshirt sophomore Juanita Agosto wrangled in seven rebounds, while sophomore Jenna Annecchiarico helped control the pace of play by recording five assists. The New York-product now has 11 games registering three or more assists. Redshirt junior Corrione Cardwell displayed her defensive strengths nabbing four steals to mark her ninth-straight game with at least one steal.

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 for a rematch of its I-94 rivalry with Western Michigan University Saturday, Feb. 29. Tipoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.

Women's Hoops Heads to Land of Lincoln to Face Northern Illinois

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Players Mentioned

Juanita Agosto

Jenna Annecchiarico

Corrione Cardwell

Areanna Combs

Courtnie Lewis

Eastern Michigan Athletics