Eastern Michigan Athletics
Wednesday, January 13
Oxford, Ohio
5:30 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Miami
Women's Basketball Ready for Matchup at Miami
1/11/2021 5:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball
EMU looks to move to 3-3 in MAC play
| Women's Basketball at Miami | |
| Date | Wednesday, Jan. 13 |
| Venue | Oxford, Ohio | Millett Hall |
| Preview Info | EMU Notes |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Watch | ESPN+ |
| @EMUWBB | @EMUAthletics | |
OXFORD, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team remains on the road, this time traveling to its bordering state of Ohio, for a Mid-American Conference game at Miami University Wednesday, Jan. 13. Tipoff from Millett Hall is slated for 5:30 p.m.
Eastern (5-5, 2-3 MAC) is looking to get back to even in conference play after knocking off Western Michigan on the road, 67-62, Jan. 10. It will face a Miami (1-8, 0-5 MAC) team that is equally as hungry for a win.
Fans can watch the game on ESPN+. WEMU (89.1 FM) will not carry the game.
Fans are encouraged to continue to follow @EMUWBB on social media and visit EMUEagles.com for the most up-to-date information on all things EMU women's basketball.
APPROACHING 1,000: When combining her 119 career points at Oklahoma State and her 666 points at EMU thus far, redshirt senior guard Areanna Combs is approaching the 1,000-career point mark (785 total). Although she still has 215 points to go, her 20.1 points per game average should help her to hit the mark yet this season. Combs is on pace to score 1,000 points in her EMU career alone as well.
NEARING 100: Seniors Autumn Hudson and Corrione Cardwell are both nearing 100 career games. Hudson has 96 games of experience, while Cardwell has 94. Phillis Webb is Eastern's all-time games leader with 134. Hudson and Cardwell could both break into the top-15 if they are able to reach the 113 mark.
BLOCK PARTY: EMU's defense came ready to play at Western Michigan, Jan. 10, as evidenced by its season-best performance in blocks. EMU totaled seven, two better than its previous high of five, which came in its first game of the season against Southern Illinois, Nov. 25, 2020. The seven stuffs came courtesy of three Eagles; Areanna Combs led the way with three, while Kylee O'Hara and Ce'Nara Skanes each had two. Overall, the seven blocks is the most for EMU in a game since Dec. 30, 2018, when the team recorded nine against Northwood University.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DUO: The Sooner State duo of Areanna Combs and Ce'Nara Skanes recorded another first against Western Michigan on Sunday, Jan. 10, as the pair each recorded a double-double for the first time. The accomplishment, which featured 26 points and 10 boards by Combs and 14 points and 16 rebounds by Skanes, is the first for the Eagles since 2017, when Phillis Webb, Tori Easley, and Micah Robinson all had double-doubles versus Central Michigan, Feb. 4.
WHAT A WEEK: Redshirt sophomore forward Ce'Nara Skanes continues to be a force in Mid-American Conference play, and that was no different in Eastern's two most recent games, against Buffalo, Jan. 6, and at Western Michigan, Jan. 10. She finished the week averaging 19 points, 12 boards, and 2.0 blocks per game.
Skanes led Eastern with an outstanding 24-point, eight-rebound performance in Eastern's first game of the week against the Bulls. Down 16 at halftime, Skanes dominated the second half with 18 points to bring Eastern back within one point in the fourth quarter. The contest was her ninth of the season in double-digits, fourth with 20+ points, second as the EMU scoring leader, and sixth as Eastern's rebounding leader. She was also a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
On the road at Western Michigan to close out the week, Skanes was again unstoppable. She recorded her fifth double-double of the season against the Broncos as she helped lead Eastern from 12 points down to secure the victory, 67-62. She finished with 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Only four individual rebounding performances have been better in the MAC than Skanes' 16 on Sunday and one of those is by Skanes herself, who leads the category with a 23-board performance earlier this season.
Skanes ranks first in the MAC with an impressive 10.8 rebounds per game average. That number also ranks inside the top-20 nationally. Her five double-doubles is also the best of any player in the MAC and is just three games behind the national leader (Akila Smith, Longwood), who has eight games of the sort.
ARE(ANNA) YOU SERIOUS?: Redshirt senior guard Areanna Combs was exceptional in EMU's win over Western Michigan, Jan. 10. The Oklahoma City native recorded 26 points to lead all scorers, and knocked in a team-best four three-point makes. The game is Combs' ninth this season with 10+ points, and her sixth with better than 20 points. She has recorded two double-doubles, and has led EMU is scoring on seven different occasions. Additionally, the game was her fourth as EMU's three-point leader.
Combs currently ranks near the top of the Mid-American Conference in numerous offensive categories, including field goals made (74 – 1st), points (201 – 2nd), and points per game (20.1 – 5th).
DEJA ZOO: EMU erased a double-digit deficit (12) to overcome Western on the road, 67-62, Jan. 10. The comeback, which is Eastern's best of the season (previous best was eight points at SIU, Nov. 25), marked consecutive efforts of the sorts for Eastern inside University Arena. The Eagles came back from 10-down a season ago to beat the Broncos on their home court, Feb. 8, 2020.
SO MUCH FOR STATS: EMU was able to overcome WMU, 67-62, Jan. 10, despite coming up short to the Broncos in numerous statistical categories, including: field goal percentage, three-point percentage, free-throw attempts, and rebounding.
GOOD LUCK SHOOTING IT: EMU's defense has made shooting the ball well a challenge for its opponents. Through 10 games, the Eagles lead the MAC in field goal percentage defense; Eastern's opponents are shooting just 38.4 percent from the floor this season.
BALDWIN BADDIE: Junior guard Jenna Annecchiarico is again proving to be one of the best floor generals in the conference this season. In addition to her 10.6 ppg average, which ranks third on the team, she has been incredible at dishing the rock. The Baldwin, N.Y. native ranks fourth in the conference in assists (42), and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.21). Annecchiarico has led the conference in the latter in each of the previous two seasons.
ELEVATING IN MAC PLAY: As good as Areanna Combs has been, she has been that much better in the games that matter most: conference games. Combs averaged an impressive 16.8 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game, and 2.4 steals per game in Eastern's five non-conference affairs this season. In her five games against MAC opponents, those numbers have all improved. Against league foes, she has put up 23.4 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per contest, and has averaged 4.2 thefts per game. Those averages rank third, ninth, and first, respectively, among all MAC players in conference play this season.
LINE OF IMPROVEMENT: Perhaps the biggest bright spot for the Eagles this season has been their improvement at the charity stripe. The Eagles rank second in the league with a 76.8 percent clip from the line in conference play, and rank eighth overall in the conference with a 71.8 percent mark on the season. Those numbers are impressive given that EMU has finished last in the league in free thrown percentage each of the last two seasons, including a best mark of 61.2 percent in 2019-20.
Individually, the most outstanding jump has come courtesy of senior center Autumn Hudson. A sub-40 percent career free throw shooter entering the season, she has hit 75 percent (6-of-8) of her attempts this season. Hudson has improved at the line in each season with Eastern, starting her career with a 21.4 percent clip in 2017-18 before raising that number to 34.0 and 40.9 percent, respectively, in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
CAN'T LET THEM SCORE 70: Although many factors contribute to the end result of a game, one thing is for certain; 70 is kryptonite for Eastern Michigan. This season, the team is 0-3 when allowing 70 points in a game. Moreover, EMU is 8-31 when allowing 70+ points since the start of the 2016-17 season.
When Eastern scores 70, it is 1-0 this season and 13-7 since the 2016-17 campaign.
KEEP THEM UNDER 60: While a team scoring 70 typically favors EMU's opponent, the Eagles are dominant when holding their competition under 60 points in a game. This season, the team is 3-0 when holding its opponents under the 60-point plateau. Furthermore, Eastern is 19-5 during the Fred Castro era (2016-Pres.) when keeping its competition below 60 points.
FIRST HALF FORTUNES: It is often said that games are won in the second half, but Eastern Michigan's stats disagree. EMU is 3-0 this season when leading at the break, and just 2-5 when attempting a second-half comeback. Since the start of the 2016-17 campaign, the Eagles are 31-14 when holding an intermission lead, and just 16-66 when trailing at the half.
SHOOT WELL, AND YOU WILL WIN: The team that has shot the highest percentage from the floor has emerged victorious in eight of EMU's 10 games this season (EMU 5, opponents 5). That trend holds consistent during the last five seasons; the Eagles are 40-14 when outshooting opponents in that stretch, and are just 10-65 when scoring at a lesser clip than its competition.
PLAY ALL DAY: Junior guard Jenna Annecchiarico is one of the most relied upon players in all of Division I basketball. No player in the MAC has logged more minutes than Annecchiarico this season, who checks in at 378 through 10 games. Her 37.8 minutes per game average is the best in the conference.
DOMINANT DEFENSE: EMU's defensive efforts have been strong through eight games this season. The Eagles are second-best in the conference in the scoring defense category, allowing just 63.4 points per game. Additionally, Eastern is second in the MAC in steals per game (9.2).
STEAL THE DEAL: Last season, the Eagles were fantastic at stealing the rock, finishing fourth in the Mid-American Conference with 8.57 steals per game. Redshirt senior Areanna Combs was first on the team and fourth in the MAC with a 2.2 SPG average in 2019-20.
The Eagles appear to be off to a great start on the defensive end of the floor once again in 2020-21. EMU racked up an incredible 11 steals en route to turning Southern Illinois over 18 times on Nov. 25, before nabbing 18 steals against UIC, Nov. 29, and 13 at Ball State, Dec. 2. The 18-steal game is just one behind EMU's top mark in the 2019-20 campaign (19 at UIC, Dec. 18). EMU is second in the MAC in both steals (92) and steals per game (9.2). Combs and junior Jenna Annecchiarico are first and seventh in the MAC with their respective 3.2 and 2.2 steals per game averages. Annecchiarico's eight steals against UIC, Nov. 29, was a career-high.
ALL-TIME AGAINST MIAMI: The Eagles and RedHawks will meet for the 63nd time on Wednesday. A lopsided affair, Miami holds a 42-20 lead in the all-time series, and has won two of the last three matchups. EMU did beat Miami in dominating fashion, 80-53, inside the Convocation Center last season, Jan. 15, 2020.
LAST YEAR'S RECAP: Autumn Hudson recorded a career-high in points (14) and field goal makes (7), while simultaneously tying her career-high in steals with two as EMU defeated Miami, 80-53, Jan. 15, 2020. Her 14-point effort tied for the team lead in scoring, as Areanna Combs also had 14.
Eastern Michigan finished shooting 29-of-68 (42.6%) to Miami's 19-of-57 (33.3%). EMU secured the rock as well, turning the ball over just 13 times while forcing 26 RedHawks' turnovers.
LAST TIME AT MILLETT HALL: Free throws by then-freshman Natalia Pineda and a transition layup by then-redshirt sophomore Corrione Cardwell gave the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team a 56-54 lead with 4:05 to go, but Miami University used a slew of free throws down the stretch to top EMU, 63-56.
Then-sophomore Courtnie Lewis led the way for the Eagles with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including a pair of triples, while Cardwell added 17 points. Cardwell was efficient, finishing 8-for-11 from the floor, while also adding five rebounds and three steals. Then-sophomore Autumn Hudson flirted with a double-double for the second straight game, grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with six points and two blocks.
ON THE HORIZON: EMU returns home for a matchup with the University of Akron Saturday, Jan. 16. Game time is set for 12 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.
Eastern (5-5, 2-3 MAC) is looking to get back to even in conference play after knocking off Western Michigan on the road, 67-62, Jan. 10. It will face a Miami (1-8, 0-5 MAC) team that is equally as hungry for a win.
Fans can watch the game on ESPN+. WEMU (89.1 FM) will not carry the game.
Fans are encouraged to continue to follow @EMUWBB on social media and visit EMUEagles.com for the most up-to-date information on all things EMU women's basketball.
APPROACHING 1,000: When combining her 119 career points at Oklahoma State and her 666 points at EMU thus far, redshirt senior guard Areanna Combs is approaching the 1,000-career point mark (785 total). Although she still has 215 points to go, her 20.1 points per game average should help her to hit the mark yet this season. Combs is on pace to score 1,000 points in her EMU career alone as well.
NEARING 100: Seniors Autumn Hudson and Corrione Cardwell are both nearing 100 career games. Hudson has 96 games of experience, while Cardwell has 94. Phillis Webb is Eastern's all-time games leader with 134. Hudson and Cardwell could both break into the top-15 if they are able to reach the 113 mark.
BLOCK PARTY: EMU's defense came ready to play at Western Michigan, Jan. 10, as evidenced by its season-best performance in blocks. EMU totaled seven, two better than its previous high of five, which came in its first game of the season against Southern Illinois, Nov. 25, 2020. The seven stuffs came courtesy of three Eagles; Areanna Combs led the way with three, while Kylee O'Hara and Ce'Nara Skanes each had two. Overall, the seven blocks is the most for EMU in a game since Dec. 30, 2018, when the team recorded nine against Northwood University.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DUO: The Sooner State duo of Areanna Combs and Ce'Nara Skanes recorded another first against Western Michigan on Sunday, Jan. 10, as the pair each recorded a double-double for the first time. The accomplishment, which featured 26 points and 10 boards by Combs and 14 points and 16 rebounds by Skanes, is the first for the Eagles since 2017, when Phillis Webb, Tori Easley, and Micah Robinson all had double-doubles versus Central Michigan, Feb. 4.
WHAT A WEEK: Redshirt sophomore forward Ce'Nara Skanes continues to be a force in Mid-American Conference play, and that was no different in Eastern's two most recent games, against Buffalo, Jan. 6, and at Western Michigan, Jan. 10. She finished the week averaging 19 points, 12 boards, and 2.0 blocks per game.
Skanes led Eastern with an outstanding 24-point, eight-rebound performance in Eastern's first game of the week against the Bulls. Down 16 at halftime, Skanes dominated the second half with 18 points to bring Eastern back within one point in the fourth quarter. The contest was her ninth of the season in double-digits, fourth with 20+ points, second as the EMU scoring leader, and sixth as Eastern's rebounding leader. She was also a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
On the road at Western Michigan to close out the week, Skanes was again unstoppable. She recorded her fifth double-double of the season against the Broncos as she helped lead Eastern from 12 points down to secure the victory, 67-62. She finished with 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Only four individual rebounding performances have been better in the MAC than Skanes' 16 on Sunday and one of those is by Skanes herself, who leads the category with a 23-board performance earlier this season.
Skanes ranks first in the MAC with an impressive 10.8 rebounds per game average. That number also ranks inside the top-20 nationally. Her five double-doubles is also the best of any player in the MAC and is just three games behind the national leader (Akila Smith, Longwood), who has eight games of the sort.
ARE(ANNA) YOU SERIOUS?: Redshirt senior guard Areanna Combs was exceptional in EMU's win over Western Michigan, Jan. 10. The Oklahoma City native recorded 26 points to lead all scorers, and knocked in a team-best four three-point makes. The game is Combs' ninth this season with 10+ points, and her sixth with better than 20 points. She has recorded two double-doubles, and has led EMU is scoring on seven different occasions. Additionally, the game was her fourth as EMU's three-point leader.
Combs currently ranks near the top of the Mid-American Conference in numerous offensive categories, including field goals made (74 – 1st), points (201 – 2nd), and points per game (20.1 – 5th).
DEJA ZOO: EMU erased a double-digit deficit (12) to overcome Western on the road, 67-62, Jan. 10. The comeback, which is Eastern's best of the season (previous best was eight points at SIU, Nov. 25), marked consecutive efforts of the sorts for Eastern inside University Arena. The Eagles came back from 10-down a season ago to beat the Broncos on their home court, Feb. 8, 2020.
SO MUCH FOR STATS: EMU was able to overcome WMU, 67-62, Jan. 10, despite coming up short to the Broncos in numerous statistical categories, including: field goal percentage, three-point percentage, free-throw attempts, and rebounding.
GOOD LUCK SHOOTING IT: EMU's defense has made shooting the ball well a challenge for its opponents. Through 10 games, the Eagles lead the MAC in field goal percentage defense; Eastern's opponents are shooting just 38.4 percent from the floor this season.
BALDWIN BADDIE: Junior guard Jenna Annecchiarico is again proving to be one of the best floor generals in the conference this season. In addition to her 10.6 ppg average, which ranks third on the team, she has been incredible at dishing the rock. The Baldwin, N.Y. native ranks fourth in the conference in assists (42), and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.21). Annecchiarico has led the conference in the latter in each of the previous two seasons.
ELEVATING IN MAC PLAY: As good as Areanna Combs has been, she has been that much better in the games that matter most: conference games. Combs averaged an impressive 16.8 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game, and 2.4 steals per game in Eastern's five non-conference affairs this season. In her five games against MAC opponents, those numbers have all improved. Against league foes, she has put up 23.4 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per contest, and has averaged 4.2 thefts per game. Those averages rank third, ninth, and first, respectively, among all MAC players in conference play this season.
LINE OF IMPROVEMENT: Perhaps the biggest bright spot for the Eagles this season has been their improvement at the charity stripe. The Eagles rank second in the league with a 76.8 percent clip from the line in conference play, and rank eighth overall in the conference with a 71.8 percent mark on the season. Those numbers are impressive given that EMU has finished last in the league in free thrown percentage each of the last two seasons, including a best mark of 61.2 percent in 2019-20.
Individually, the most outstanding jump has come courtesy of senior center Autumn Hudson. A sub-40 percent career free throw shooter entering the season, she has hit 75 percent (6-of-8) of her attempts this season. Hudson has improved at the line in each season with Eastern, starting her career with a 21.4 percent clip in 2017-18 before raising that number to 34.0 and 40.9 percent, respectively, in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
CAN'T LET THEM SCORE 70: Although many factors contribute to the end result of a game, one thing is for certain; 70 is kryptonite for Eastern Michigan. This season, the team is 0-3 when allowing 70 points in a game. Moreover, EMU is 8-31 when allowing 70+ points since the start of the 2016-17 season.
When Eastern scores 70, it is 1-0 this season and 13-7 since the 2016-17 campaign.
KEEP THEM UNDER 60: While a team scoring 70 typically favors EMU's opponent, the Eagles are dominant when holding their competition under 60 points in a game. This season, the team is 3-0 when holding its opponents under the 60-point plateau. Furthermore, Eastern is 19-5 during the Fred Castro era (2016-Pres.) when keeping its competition below 60 points.
FIRST HALF FORTUNES: It is often said that games are won in the second half, but Eastern Michigan's stats disagree. EMU is 3-0 this season when leading at the break, and just 2-5 when attempting a second-half comeback. Since the start of the 2016-17 campaign, the Eagles are 31-14 when holding an intermission lead, and just 16-66 when trailing at the half.
SHOOT WELL, AND YOU WILL WIN: The team that has shot the highest percentage from the floor has emerged victorious in eight of EMU's 10 games this season (EMU 5, opponents 5). That trend holds consistent during the last five seasons; the Eagles are 40-14 when outshooting opponents in that stretch, and are just 10-65 when scoring at a lesser clip than its competition.
PLAY ALL DAY: Junior guard Jenna Annecchiarico is one of the most relied upon players in all of Division I basketball. No player in the MAC has logged more minutes than Annecchiarico this season, who checks in at 378 through 10 games. Her 37.8 minutes per game average is the best in the conference.
DOMINANT DEFENSE: EMU's defensive efforts have been strong through eight games this season. The Eagles are second-best in the conference in the scoring defense category, allowing just 63.4 points per game. Additionally, Eastern is second in the MAC in steals per game (9.2).
STEAL THE DEAL: Last season, the Eagles were fantastic at stealing the rock, finishing fourth in the Mid-American Conference with 8.57 steals per game. Redshirt senior Areanna Combs was first on the team and fourth in the MAC with a 2.2 SPG average in 2019-20.
The Eagles appear to be off to a great start on the defensive end of the floor once again in 2020-21. EMU racked up an incredible 11 steals en route to turning Southern Illinois over 18 times on Nov. 25, before nabbing 18 steals against UIC, Nov. 29, and 13 at Ball State, Dec. 2. The 18-steal game is just one behind EMU's top mark in the 2019-20 campaign (19 at UIC, Dec. 18). EMU is second in the MAC in both steals (92) and steals per game (9.2). Combs and junior Jenna Annecchiarico are first and seventh in the MAC with their respective 3.2 and 2.2 steals per game averages. Annecchiarico's eight steals against UIC, Nov. 29, was a career-high.
ALL-TIME AGAINST MIAMI: The Eagles and RedHawks will meet for the 63nd time on Wednesday. A lopsided affair, Miami holds a 42-20 lead in the all-time series, and has won two of the last three matchups. EMU did beat Miami in dominating fashion, 80-53, inside the Convocation Center last season, Jan. 15, 2020.
LAST YEAR'S RECAP: Autumn Hudson recorded a career-high in points (14) and field goal makes (7), while simultaneously tying her career-high in steals with two as EMU defeated Miami, 80-53, Jan. 15, 2020. Her 14-point effort tied for the team lead in scoring, as Areanna Combs also had 14.
Eastern Michigan finished shooting 29-of-68 (42.6%) to Miami's 19-of-57 (33.3%). EMU secured the rock as well, turning the ball over just 13 times while forcing 26 RedHawks' turnovers.
LAST TIME AT MILLETT HALL: Free throws by then-freshman Natalia Pineda and a transition layup by then-redshirt sophomore Corrione Cardwell gave the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team a 56-54 lead with 4:05 to go, but Miami University used a slew of free throws down the stretch to top EMU, 63-56.
Then-sophomore Courtnie Lewis led the way for the Eagles with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including a pair of triples, while Cardwell added 17 points. Cardwell was efficient, finishing 8-for-11 from the floor, while also adding five rebounds and three steals. Then-sophomore Autumn Hudson flirted with a double-double for the second straight game, grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with six points and two blocks.
ON THE HORIZON: EMU returns home for a matchup with the University of Akron Saturday, Jan. 16. Game time is set for 12 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.
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