Eastern Michigan Athletics
Wednesday, March 4
Convocation Center
7 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
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Western Michigan
Women's Hoops Closes Regular Season Home Slate Versus Western Michigan
3/2/2020 3:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Eagles and Broncos each look to improve their MAC tournament stock
| Women's Basketball vs Western Michigan | |
| Date | Wednesday, March 4 | 7 p.m. |
| Venue | Ypsilanti, Mich. | Convocation Center |
| Preview Info | EMU Notes |
| Live Stats | Fan Stats | Media Stats |
| Watch | ESPN+ |
| Listen | WEMU 89.1 FM |
| @EMUWBB | @EMUAthletics | |
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team will play its last regular season home game of the 2019-20 campaign when it welcomes in-state and Mid-American Conference West Division rival, Western Michigan University, to Ypsilanti, Wednesday, March 4. Tipoff between the Eagles and Broncos is slated for 7 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.
Eastern (14-13; 9-7 MAC) looks to make it two in-a-row after it dominated Toledo, 64-46, Feb. 29. Meanwhile, WMU (16-11; 9-7 MAC) is hoping to jump the Eagles in the current MAC tournament seeding. The Broncos are currently sixth, just one spot behind EMU.
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 with Ryan Wooley calling the play-by-play and Tom Helmer offering analysis. WEMU 89.1 FM will also broadcast the contest with Chad Bush controlling the airwaves. Fans can also follow live stats at EMUEagles.com/livestats, or get live updates from the team's Twitter, @EMUWBB.
MISS 1,000: Junior Courtnie Lewis became just the 23rd member of the EMU women's basketball 1,000-point club when she drained a deep triple in the third quarter of EMU's game against Toledo, Feb. 29. She is the first Eagle to reach the milestone since Sasha Dailey did it in 2018 (1,247 career-points).
Lewis scored 435 points during her freshman campaign, 348 as a sophomore, and has registered 218 through just 27 games this season. Just a junior, she is on pace to finish inside the top-15 in program history in total points.
OLD FACES IN NEW PLACES: Western Michigan Head Coach Shane Clipfell spent nine seasons as an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan, and was the acting head coach for most of the 2006-07 season when then-Head Coach Suzy Merchant was on maternity leave. While serving as the acting head coach at EMU for a majority of the 2006-07 season, he guided the Eagles to a 16-13 overall record and a 10-6 finish in the MAC, good for second place in the West Division.
Individually, Sarah VanMetre became the first women's basketball player in program history to be named Academic All-American, Patrice McKinney was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year and Alyssa Pittman was named the MAC Freshman of the Year.
DEATH, TAXES, DOUBLE-DIGITS: Redshirt junior guard Areanna Combs has been outstanding for the Eagles in the 20 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 18.8 points per game, an average that only two players in the MAC have outpaced this season.
Combs scored a team-best 29 points in EMU's game against NIU, Feb. 26. The performance was her 12th of the season in which she led all Eagles in scoring, and her eighth game with 20+ points. She followed that up with 15 points against UT, Feb. 29.
The 20-game streak is currently the second-best in the MAC behind CMU's Micaela Kelly (27 games). The duo is the only pair in the MAC to have scored 10+ points in every game that they have participated in this season.
WHERE WE STAND: A 2OT win by Kent State over Bowling Green, Feb. 29, kept the current MAC tournament standings at a stand-still, for now. As of today, Eastern sits at the No. 5 overall spot. With two games left to play, however, there are still plenty of seeding possibilities. The No. 5-8 seeds are guaranteed a first-round home game, and while not a bye, that is certainly a good consolation.
CONTROLLED BY CORRIONE: Redshirt junior Corrione Cardwell is playing her best basketball at the right time of the season. The Cleveland, Ohio native registered a team-best 19 points in Eastern's win over Toledo, Feb. 29. That number was not only a season-high for Cardwell, but was good for her eighth double-digit scoring effort of the season. The fourth-year Eagle is fifth on the team with an 8.0 ppg scoring average.
UNDER 50, AGAIN: It's been a defense-first mindset for coach Fred Castro and company during the 2019-20 campaign. The Eagles held a team under 50 points for the third time this season when they allowed just 46 points against Toledo, Feb. 29. It should come as no surprise that the Eagles are 3-0 in such games.
TOP-TIER SCORE-STOPPERS: EMU's defense has established itself as one of the very best in the league. The unit allows just 65.4 points per game, which ranks second in the MAC. EMU held Toledo to just 46 points on Feb. 29, UT's lowest point total in 25 games (Nov. 9 vs. Dayton).
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 19 times, while picking their pockets 10+ times in nine of their 27 games. EMU's 18.3 forced turnovers per game are the second-most in the MAC.
MOVE OVER PITT, YPSI IS THE STEAL CITY: EMU's defense has been fantastic all season, and that is evidenced by its ability to steal the rock. The Eagles rank third in the Mid-American Conference with 8.78 steals per game, and have racked up 237 total steals this season.
TRIPLE SWIPE NIGHTS: EMU picked NIU's pockets eight times, Feb. 26, en route to the Green and White's 19th game with 15+ forced turnovers. Leading the way was a trio of Eagles that each tallied two steals in the contest: redshirt juniors Areanna Combs and Corrione Cardwell, as well as junior Courtnie Lewis.
The Eagles registered eight more steals against UT, Feb. 29. Combs and Lewis added two once again, while sophomore Jenna Annecchiarico came back from injury to record a pair of her own.
17 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 fifth-best in the conference.
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 ranks third in the league in rebounding offense (41.1 ppg). EMU also holds the second-best rebounding margin in the MAC, at +2.0 per game.
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 10-1 on the season. When it has less attempts or even attempts, the Eagles are just 4-12.
FREE THROW WOES: Free throws are an integral stat for postseason success, and it is an aspect of the game EMU needs to improve on if it hopes to win the MAC title. The Eagles are 12th in the league in free throw percentage (60.9%). The good news? EMU is second in the league in total attempts (550), which means there are points ready to be captured by the Green and White.
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 tied for first in the league, while her 3.4 assists per game ranks ninth. The Baldwin, N.Y. native leads EMU in both categories.
SETTING NEW STANDARDS: With its win over Toledo, Eastern secured its ninth 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.
ALL-TIME AGAINST WESTERN MICHIGAN: The Eagles and Broncos will meet for the 88th time Wednesday, March 4. A favorable series for the Green and White, EMU holds a 50-37 lead in the all-time count between the two schools. The two squads are 3-3 in the last six meetings.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE BRONCOS: Despite facing a 10-point third quarter deficit, Eastern rallied on the road to defeat Western, 83-79, 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 and junior Corrione Cardwell, which tied the game at 72-all. Although WMU hit a quick triple in its next possession, Annecchiarico answered, to tie the game at 75-apiece. After a defensive stop, it was junior Courtnie Lewis 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.
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 heads to Mount Pleasant for its regular season finale against Central Michigan, Saturday, March 7, at 1 p.m.
Eastern (14-13; 9-7 MAC) looks to make it two in-a-row after it dominated Toledo, 64-46, Feb. 29. Meanwhile, WMU (16-11; 9-7 MAC) is hoping to jump the Eagles in the current MAC tournament seeding. The Broncos are currently sixth, just one spot behind EMU.
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 with Ryan Wooley calling the play-by-play and Tom Helmer offering analysis. WEMU 89.1 FM will also broadcast the contest with Chad Bush controlling the airwaves. Fans can also follow live stats at EMUEagles.com/livestats, or get live updates from the team's Twitter, @EMUWBB.
MISS 1,000: Junior Courtnie Lewis became just the 23rd member of the EMU women's basketball 1,000-point club when she drained a deep triple in the third quarter of EMU's game against Toledo, Feb. 29. She is the first Eagle to reach the milestone since Sasha Dailey did it in 2018 (1,247 career-points).
Lewis scored 435 points during her freshman campaign, 348 as a sophomore, and has registered 218 through just 27 games this season. Just a junior, she is on pace to finish inside the top-15 in program history in total points.
OLD FACES IN NEW PLACES: Western Michigan Head Coach Shane Clipfell spent nine seasons as an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan, and was the acting head coach for most of the 2006-07 season when then-Head Coach Suzy Merchant was on maternity leave. While serving as the acting head coach at EMU for a majority of the 2006-07 season, he guided the Eagles to a 16-13 overall record and a 10-6 finish in the MAC, good for second place in the West Division.
Individually, Sarah VanMetre became the first women's basketball player in program history to be named Academic All-American, Patrice McKinney was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year and Alyssa Pittman was named the MAC Freshman of the Year.
DEATH, TAXES, DOUBLE-DIGITS: Redshirt junior guard Areanna Combs has been outstanding for the Eagles in the 20 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 18.8 points per game, an average that only two players in the MAC have outpaced this season.
Combs scored a team-best 29 points in EMU's game against NIU, Feb. 26. The performance was her 12th of the season in which she led all Eagles in scoring, and her eighth game with 20+ points. She followed that up with 15 points against UT, Feb. 29.
The 20-game streak is currently the second-best in the MAC behind CMU's Micaela Kelly (27 games). The duo is the only pair in the MAC to have scored 10+ points in every game that they have participated in this season.
WHERE WE STAND: A 2OT win by Kent State over Bowling Green, Feb. 29, kept the current MAC tournament standings at a stand-still, for now. As of today, Eastern sits at the No. 5 overall spot. With two games left to play, however, there are still plenty of seeding possibilities. The No. 5-8 seeds are guaranteed a first-round home game, and while not a bye, that is certainly a good consolation.
CONTROLLED BY CORRIONE: Redshirt junior Corrione Cardwell is playing her best basketball at the right time of the season. The Cleveland, Ohio native registered a team-best 19 points in Eastern's win over Toledo, Feb. 29. That number was not only a season-high for Cardwell, but was good for her eighth double-digit scoring effort of the season. The fourth-year Eagle is fifth on the team with an 8.0 ppg scoring average.
UNDER 50, AGAIN: It's been a defense-first mindset for coach Fred Castro and company during the 2019-20 campaign. The Eagles held a team under 50 points for the third time this season when they allowed just 46 points against Toledo, Feb. 29. It should come as no surprise that the Eagles are 3-0 in such games.
TOP-TIER SCORE-STOPPERS: EMU's defense has established itself as one of the very best in the league. The unit allows just 65.4 points per game, which ranks second in the MAC. EMU held Toledo to just 46 points on Feb. 29, UT's lowest point total in 25 games (Nov. 9 vs. Dayton).
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 19 times, while picking their pockets 10+ times in nine of their 27 games. EMU's 18.3 forced turnovers per game are the second-most in the MAC.
MOVE OVER PITT, YPSI IS THE STEAL CITY: EMU's defense has been fantastic all season, and that is evidenced by its ability to steal the rock. The Eagles rank third in the Mid-American Conference with 8.78 steals per game, and have racked up 237 total steals this season.
TRIPLE SWIPE NIGHTS: EMU picked NIU's pockets eight times, Feb. 26, en route to the Green and White's 19th game with 15+ forced turnovers. Leading the way was a trio of Eagles that each tallied two steals in the contest: redshirt juniors Areanna Combs and Corrione Cardwell, as well as junior Courtnie Lewis.
The Eagles registered eight more steals against UT, Feb. 29. Combs and Lewis added two once again, while sophomore Jenna Annecchiarico came back from injury to record a pair of her own.
17 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 fifth-best in the conference.
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 ranks third in the league in rebounding offense (41.1 ppg). EMU also holds the second-best rebounding margin in the MAC, at +2.0 per game.
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 10-1 on the season. When it has less attempts or even attempts, the Eagles are just 4-12.
FREE THROW WOES: Free throws are an integral stat for postseason success, and it is an aspect of the game EMU needs to improve on if it hopes to win the MAC title. The Eagles are 12th in the league in free throw percentage (60.9%). The good news? EMU is second in the league in total attempts (550), which means there are points ready to be captured by the Green and White.
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 tied for first in the league, while her 3.4 assists per game ranks ninth. The Baldwin, N.Y. native leads EMU in both categories.
SETTING NEW STANDARDS: With its win over Toledo, Eastern secured its ninth 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.
ALL-TIME AGAINST WESTERN MICHIGAN: The Eagles and Broncos will meet for the 88th time Wednesday, March 4. A favorable series for the Green and White, EMU holds a 50-37 lead in the all-time count between the two schools. The two squads are 3-3 in the last six meetings.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE BRONCOS: Despite facing a 10-point third quarter deficit, Eastern rallied on the road to defeat Western, 83-79, 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 and junior Corrione Cardwell, which tied the game at 72-all. Although WMU hit a quick triple in its next possession, Annecchiarico answered, to tie the game at 75-apiece. After a defensive stop, it was junior Courtnie Lewis 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.
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 heads to Mount Pleasant for its regular season finale against Central Michigan, Saturday, March 7, at 1 p.m.
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