Eastern Michigan Athletics
Wednesday, January 13
Oxford, Ohio
5:30 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
6-5,3-3MAC
61
at
41
Miami
1-9,0-6MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Eastern Mich.
16
13
11
21
61
Miami (OH)
17
7
4
13
41
Photo by: Bobby Ellis Photos
RedHawk Down: Defense Dominates as Women’s Hoops Cruises at Miami
1/13/2021 7:47:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Four Eagles scored in double figures; EMU allowed season-low in points
OXFORD, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University Women's Basketball team was dominant on the defensive end of the floor as it forced 30 Miami University turnovers in its 61-41, Mid-American Conference win over the RedHawks tonight, Jan. 13, inside Millett Hall.
With the victory, Eastern (6-5, 3-3 MAC) improves to 6-5 overall on the season, and is back at .500 in league play. The win is the second consecutive for Eastern over Miami (1-9, 0-6 MAC), and is the team's first in Oxford since Jan. 13, 2018. EMU's 41 points allowed is a season-best, as is its 20-point margin of victory.
Eastern was led by a season-best quartet of double-figure scorers as redshirt senior Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)), juniors Jenna Annecchiarico (Baldwin, N.Y.-Baldwin) and Natalia Pineda (Miami, Fla.-John. A Ferguson), and redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Florida International)) all eclipsed the 10-point plateau. Combs led the way with 18; Skanes followed with 11, while Annecchiarico and Pineda had 10 each. Defensively, Annecchiarico had a career night as she was responsible for nine steals. She added five assists in her effort.
Eastern struggled at the start of the game as it gave the ball away three times in the first three minutes of competition. The slow start allowed Miami to race out to an early eight-point edge, 13-5, behind 4-of-8 shooting from the field. EMU hit three of its final four shots before the initial media timeout to get eight points on the board and close its deficit to five, 13-8, with just over four minutes remaining. Despite four turnovers for each team in the first eight minutes of play, the field goal percentages for both squads was impressive as EMU and Miami shot 55.6 percent and 50.0 percent, respectively, to start the contest. EMU went on a 7-0 run over a span of 2:27 to claim the lead, 16-15, with 90 seconds remaining in the frame. The run was part of a larger 11-2 spurt that allowed Eastern to take control of the game. The run was largely fueled by Skanes' seven first-quarter points. Pineda also chipped in five points, including a contested three. The RedHawks did add a bucket before the clock hit zero take a 17-16 lead after one quarter of play.
Eastern's urgency elevated noticeably in the second quarter on both ends of the court. Offensively, EMU scored five points in just two minutes. That push allowed the Eagles to claim the lead once again, 21-19. Overall, six different Eagles registered points in the first half, two of whom came off the bench to contribute.
The most impressive improvement, however, was defensively, where Eastern was clearly locked in. Not only had the Green and White forced Miami into 10 turnovers by the 5:30 mark, but its shooting percentage had dropped to 42 percent, a trend largely due to EMU's swarming defense. The dominance continued through the first seven minutes of the second quarter, as Miami converted just one field goal through that stretch. Although the RedHawks did put together a 5-0 mini-run to pull back within five, 29-24, at the break, it was far from enough to overcome the defensive excellence of the Eagles, who ended the first half having forced a season-high 15 turnovers.
EMU's effort was the same, if not better, to start the second half of play as it held Miami off the board for the first three minutes of the third quarter. That stretch, which included three more RedHawk turnovers, allowed the Eagles to push ahead and convert five unanswered points from Annecchiarico and Combs, respectively. Those buckets helped EMU extend its lead to 10, 34-24, its largest of the game to that point. The effort continued as the clock wound down. Overall, Miami was able to muster just four points on 2-of-14 shooting in the third quarter. Combined with its eight turnovers in the frame, the RedHawks were simply unable to contend with the high-powered EMU lineup.
One notable statistic that illustrates Eastern's dominance was fast break points. Through three quarters, EMU led that category by way of a 7-0 margin (11-2 final in that category). Although Eastern's offense struggled at times, it was still able to record 11 points in the third quarter and build its lead to 12, 40-28, by the end of the quarter.
The Eastern offense made its mark in the game's final frame as the Eagles scored a game-best 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Consistent with the first three frames, however, it was Eastern's defense that proved too overpowering for the RedHawks to contend with in the contest. Miami closed the contest with just 41 points on 12-of-43 shooting, including just four makes in the second half. Eastern finished the game with 30 forced turnovers, its second-highest total of the year (31 vs. UIC, Nov. 29).
Although Miami fought hard, it was far from enough to contend with the Eagles, as Eastern cruised to a 61-41 final score.
EMU will look to cement a three-game winning streak when it welcomes the University of Akron to Ypsilanti for a weekend showdown inside the Convocation Center Saturday, Jan. 16. Tipoff is slated for 12 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU women's hoops, visit EMUEagles.com and follow the team on social media at @EMUWBB.
With the victory, Eastern (6-5, 3-3 MAC) improves to 6-5 overall on the season, and is back at .500 in league play. The win is the second consecutive for Eastern over Miami (1-9, 0-6 MAC), and is the team's first in Oxford since Jan. 13, 2018. EMU's 41 points allowed is a season-best, as is its 20-point margin of victory.
Eastern was led by a season-best quartet of double-figure scorers as redshirt senior Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)), juniors Jenna Annecchiarico (Baldwin, N.Y.-Baldwin) and Natalia Pineda (Miami, Fla.-John. A Ferguson), and redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Florida International)) all eclipsed the 10-point plateau. Combs led the way with 18; Skanes followed with 11, while Annecchiarico and Pineda had 10 each. Defensively, Annecchiarico had a career night as she was responsible for nine steals. She added five assists in her effort.
Eastern struggled at the start of the game as it gave the ball away three times in the first three minutes of competition. The slow start allowed Miami to race out to an early eight-point edge, 13-5, behind 4-of-8 shooting from the field. EMU hit three of its final four shots before the initial media timeout to get eight points on the board and close its deficit to five, 13-8, with just over four minutes remaining. Despite four turnovers for each team in the first eight minutes of play, the field goal percentages for both squads was impressive as EMU and Miami shot 55.6 percent and 50.0 percent, respectively, to start the contest. EMU went on a 7-0 run over a span of 2:27 to claim the lead, 16-15, with 90 seconds remaining in the frame. The run was part of a larger 11-2 spurt that allowed Eastern to take control of the game. The run was largely fueled by Skanes' seven first-quarter points. Pineda also chipped in five points, including a contested three. The RedHawks did add a bucket before the clock hit zero take a 17-16 lead after one quarter of play.
Eastern's urgency elevated noticeably in the second quarter on both ends of the court. Offensively, EMU scored five points in just two minutes. That push allowed the Eagles to claim the lead once again, 21-19. Overall, six different Eagles registered points in the first half, two of whom came off the bench to contribute.
The most impressive improvement, however, was defensively, where Eastern was clearly locked in. Not only had the Green and White forced Miami into 10 turnovers by the 5:30 mark, but its shooting percentage had dropped to 42 percent, a trend largely due to EMU's swarming defense. The dominance continued through the first seven minutes of the second quarter, as Miami converted just one field goal through that stretch. Although the RedHawks did put together a 5-0 mini-run to pull back within five, 29-24, at the break, it was far from enough to overcome the defensive excellence of the Eagles, who ended the first half having forced a season-high 15 turnovers.
EMU's effort was the same, if not better, to start the second half of play as it held Miami off the board for the first three minutes of the third quarter. That stretch, which included three more RedHawk turnovers, allowed the Eagles to push ahead and convert five unanswered points from Annecchiarico and Combs, respectively. Those buckets helped EMU extend its lead to 10, 34-24, its largest of the game to that point. The effort continued as the clock wound down. Overall, Miami was able to muster just four points on 2-of-14 shooting in the third quarter. Combined with its eight turnovers in the frame, the RedHawks were simply unable to contend with the high-powered EMU lineup.
One notable statistic that illustrates Eastern's dominance was fast break points. Through three quarters, EMU led that category by way of a 7-0 margin (11-2 final in that category). Although Eastern's offense struggled at times, it was still able to record 11 points in the third quarter and build its lead to 12, 40-28, by the end of the quarter.
The Eastern offense made its mark in the game's final frame as the Eagles scored a game-best 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Consistent with the first three frames, however, it was Eastern's defense that proved too overpowering for the RedHawks to contend with in the contest. Miami closed the contest with just 41 points on 12-of-43 shooting, including just four makes in the second half. Eastern finished the game with 30 forced turnovers, its second-highest total of the year (31 vs. UIC, Nov. 29).
Although Miami fought hard, it was far from enough to contend with the Eagles, as Eastern cruised to a 61-41 final score.
EMU will look to cement a three-game winning streak when it welcomes the University of Akron to Ypsilanti for a weekend showdown inside the Convocation Center Saturday, Jan. 16. Tipoff is slated for 12 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU women's hoops, visit EMUEagles.com and follow the team on social media at @EMUWBB.
Team Stats
EMU
Miami
FG%
.357
.279
3FG%
.286
.333
FT%
.680
.700
RB
37
34
TO
19
30
STL
16
13
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
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