Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, February 8
Kalamazoo, Mich.
2 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
11-11 (6-5MAC)
83
at
79
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Western Michigan
11-10 (4-6MAC)
1
2
3
4
F
Eastern Michigan
16
13
22
32
83
Western Michigan
8
23
24
24
79
Photo by: Walt Middleton Photography
Eagles Rally From 10 Points Down to Beat Western Michigan
2/8/2020 4:33:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Annecchiarico scores career-high 31 points to lead the Green and White
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Despite facing a 10-point third quarter deficit, the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team rallied on the road to defeat its Mid-American Conference and in-state rival, Western Michigan University, 83-79, today, Feb. 8, inside University Arena.
Down four, 72-68, with just over two minutes remaining in the game, EMU got back-to-back buckets from sophomore point guard Jenna Annecchiarico (Baldwin, N.Y.-Baldwin), and junior Corrione Cardwell (Cleveland, Ohio-New Tech East), which tied the game at 72-all. Although WMU hit a quick triple in its next possession, Annecchiarico answered, tying the game at 75-apiece. After a defensive stop, it was junior Courtnie Lewis (Belton, Mo.-Belton) who hit the biggest bucket of the game, a contested two-point jumper that gave Eastern the lead for good, 77-75, with 47 seconds on the clock.
With the win, Eastern (11-11; 6-5 MAC) picked up its first victory over the Broncos (11-10; 4-6 MAC) in Kalamazoo since the 2015-16 season, and now has a positive overall ledger in conference play.
EMU was led by Annecchiarico, who scored a career-high 31 points on 10-of-23 shooting. The New York native was electric from beyond the arc, where she drained five three-point shots on 10 attempts. She was clutch from the charity stripe as well, going a perfect 6-for-6 to help close out the Broncos. Redshirt junior Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)), added 21 points of her own, extending her double-digit scoring streak to a team-leading 15-straight games.
EMU's offense clicked early as five Eagles registered a bucket by the 4:30 mark in the opening quarter to give the Green and White a commanding 10-point lead, 12-2, at the first media timeout. Redshirt sophomore Juanita Agosto (Seattle, Wash.-Garfield) got the action started with an impressive reverse layup before Combs scored a quick four points with a layup and two free throws of her own. Annecchiarico finished through the lane before fellow underclassman Kiara Johnson (Buffalo, N.Y.-Cardinal O'Hara) banked in a 15-footer to put the Eagles up eight, 10-2. The early run was capped with Eastern's first bench points, which came courtesy of Cardwell. Combs finished the quarter with the hot hand, ending the frame with eight points and helping EMU to take a 16-8 lead into the second quarter.
The second frame saw Eastern continue to build its lead to a game-high 12 points, 24-12, with just over five minutes remaining until the halftime intermission. Although it appeared to have a handle on the lead, Eastern was met by a furious Bronco comeback. The home team closed the half on a 19-6 run, taking its first lead of the game, 29-27, with just 44 ticks remaining. Despite adding another basket before the break, EMU found itself down by a pair, 31-29, heading into the locker room.
Western Michigan retained momentum after the break, eventually building a 10-point lead, 53-43, with just over two minutes remaining in the quarter. Undeterred, EMU continued to fight back, closing the gap to four, 55-51, heading into the fourth. The 8-2 quarter-ending run was highlighted by a pair of deep triples from Lewis. The Belton, Mo. native finished the day with eight points, and has now hit at least two triples in five consecutive contests.
A high-energy fourth quarter from both teams brought a competitive game down to its final seconds before a winner emerged. Despite facing adversity, it was the Eagles who found a way to win, forcing WMU into empty possessions and draining clutch free throws to seal the game, 83-79.
Eastern Michigan will be back on the court Wednesday, Feb. 12, as it travels across the Ohio boarder to face Bowling Green State University. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. inside the Stroh Center. For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU women's hoops, visit EMUEagles.com.
Down four, 72-68, with just over two minutes remaining in the game, EMU got back-to-back buckets from sophomore point guard Jenna Annecchiarico (Baldwin, N.Y.-Baldwin), and junior Corrione Cardwell (Cleveland, Ohio-New Tech East), which tied the game at 72-all. Although WMU hit a quick triple in its next possession, Annecchiarico answered, tying the game at 75-apiece. After a defensive stop, it was junior Courtnie Lewis (Belton, Mo.-Belton) who hit the biggest bucket of the game, a contested two-point jumper that gave Eastern the lead for good, 77-75, with 47 seconds on the clock.
With the win, Eastern (11-11; 6-5 MAC) picked up its first victory over the Broncos (11-10; 4-6 MAC) in Kalamazoo since the 2015-16 season, and now has a positive overall ledger in conference play.
EMU was led by Annecchiarico, who scored a career-high 31 points on 10-of-23 shooting. The New York native was electric from beyond the arc, where she drained five three-point shots on 10 attempts. She was clutch from the charity stripe as well, going a perfect 6-for-6 to help close out the Broncos. Redshirt junior Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)), added 21 points of her own, extending her double-digit scoring streak to a team-leading 15-straight games.
EMU's offense clicked early as five Eagles registered a bucket by the 4:30 mark in the opening quarter to give the Green and White a commanding 10-point lead, 12-2, at the first media timeout. Redshirt sophomore Juanita Agosto (Seattle, Wash.-Garfield) got the action started with an impressive reverse layup before Combs scored a quick four points with a layup and two free throws of her own. Annecchiarico finished through the lane before fellow underclassman Kiara Johnson (Buffalo, N.Y.-Cardinal O'Hara) banked in a 15-footer to put the Eagles up eight, 10-2. The early run was capped with Eastern's first bench points, which came courtesy of Cardwell. Combs finished the quarter with the hot hand, ending the frame with eight points and helping EMU to take a 16-8 lead into the second quarter.
The second frame saw Eastern continue to build its lead to a game-high 12 points, 24-12, with just over five minutes remaining until the halftime intermission. Although it appeared to have a handle on the lead, Eastern was met by a furious Bronco comeback. The home team closed the half on a 19-6 run, taking its first lead of the game, 29-27, with just 44 ticks remaining. Despite adding another basket before the break, EMU found itself down by a pair, 31-29, heading into the locker room.
Western Michigan retained momentum after the break, eventually building a 10-point lead, 53-43, with just over two minutes remaining in the quarter. Undeterred, EMU continued to fight back, closing the gap to four, 55-51, heading into the fourth. The 8-2 quarter-ending run was highlighted by a pair of deep triples from Lewis. The Belton, Mo. native finished the day with eight points, and has now hit at least two triples in five consecutive contests.
A high-energy fourth quarter from both teams brought a competitive game down to its final seconds before a winner emerged. Despite facing adversity, it was the Eagles who found a way to win, forcing WMU into empty possessions and draining clutch free throws to seal the game, 83-79.
Eastern Michigan will be back on the court Wednesday, Feb. 12, as it travels across the Ohio boarder to face Bowling Green State University. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. inside the Stroh Center. For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU women's hoops, visit EMUEagles.com.
Team Stats
EMU
WMU
FG%
.409
.419
3FG%
.438
.381
FT%
.815
.731
RB
43
37
TO
10
11
STL
4
7
Game Leaders
Pts
31
FGM
10
3FGM
5
FTM
6
Pts
21
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
11
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
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