Eastern Michigan Athletics
Wednesday, January 20
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
5 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
8-5,5-3MAC
70
at
67
Central Michigan
7-5,5-3MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Eastern Mich.
24
20
13
13
70
Central Mich.
15
21
15
16
67
Fired Up: Women's Basketball Beats Central Michigan in Most Impressive Win of the Season
1/20/2021 7:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Three Eagles put up double-digit performances; EMU has won four-straight
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team is flying high tonight as it defeated its in-state rival and the defending Mid-American Conference regular season champion Central Michigan University, 70-67, tonight, Jan. 20, inside CMU's McGuirk Arena.
The win is the fourth straight for Eastern (8-5, 5-3), its best conference streak since winning five in-a-row during the 2015-16 campaign. Additionally, the victory puts an end to a 13-game win streak for Central Michigan (7-5, 6-3 MAC), who had previously bested Eastern in every matchup between the two schools since 2016-17. Eastern's last win over Central previous to tonight was March 7, 2015, which also came on the road. That night, Eastern beat CMU, 93-86, to close the regular season. The Eagles went on to play in the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game and went three rounds deep into the WNIT.
Eastern was led by incredible performances all around the floor. Individually, three Eagles put up double-figure performances, as redshirt seniors Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)) and Corrione Cardwell (Cleveland, Ohio-New Tech East), along with redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Florida International)) put up 23, 20, and 19 points, respectively. Those efforts secured the 12th and 13th performance of 10+ points this season for Combs and Skanes, respectively. It was the first such performance for Cardwell this season, who now has 36 such games in her career. It was also Skanes' league-leading seventh double-double of the season.
Although each of the efforts were crucial to the victory, it was Cardwell that served as the emotional leader throughout the game. She was also involved in perhaps the two most impactful moments of the game. Up seven, 63-56, with just over four minutes left in the game, Cardwell hit a contested, step-back three-pointer that gave EMU a 10-point advantage, 66-56. That bucket proved absolutely critical, as Central eventually went on a 9-0 run of its own to pull within one, 68-67. Up one, it was Cardwell who got another opportunity to lift her team, this time at the free throw line. She split a pair of attempts to build EMU's lead back to two, 69-67, with under 90 seconds to play. Skanes added the final free throw to seal EMU's win, 70-67.
Eastern redefined the term "ready from the opening tip," in the contest as it needed just 28 seconds to open the game's scoring. After driving the lane and absorbing contact, Cardwell dropped two free throws to give the Eagles the lead, 2-0. Moments later, it was the MAC's steal leader, Combs, who picked up a theft near mid-court and cruised down the floor for the uncontested layup. Momentum continued in CMU's next possession. A missed shot by the Chips allowed Skanes to finish at the other end, before Combs added her second bucket of the night to put EMU up, 8-0, with 8:22 remaining. Central calmed down with a three of its own with 7:45 left, and eventually added an and-one to bring the score back within four, 10-6. As it has been all year, Eastern's defense, which is statistically the best in the conference in numerous categories, was exceptional to start the game. Central was just 3-of-13 by the time to first media timeout occurred at the 3:30 mark. By contrast, EMU was 6-of-13, in large part thanks to its incredible selection of high-percentage shots. The high-caliber defense and efficient offense eventually helped EMU take a 10-point, 21-11 lead, before finishing the quarter with a 24-15 advantage. Eastern's 24 first-quarter points are the most by the team this season.
The fast pace-of-play continued through the second quarter as the two schools combined to score 11 points through the frame's first three minutes. The majority of those scores went to the Chippewas, who opened the quarter on a 7-4 run to cut the Eastern lead to six, 28-22. Central went on to put together a 9-0 run, one which gave it the lead, 31-30, with just over four minutes remaining until halftime. Undeterred, Eastern came right back. Cardwell continued her stellar first half with a triple make from the deep right wing. That bucket, which put her point total at a team-best nine through that point in the game, also gave EMU a 33-31 lead. Tied at 35-apiece with 2:30 left, it was Eastern that seized momentum during the final moments of the first half. The Eagles ended the half on a 10-1 explosion that put them back up eight, 44-36, after two quarters. Eastern's point total is the most by the team in a first half this season.
Just as it did in the first portion of the game, Eastern started the second half in near-perfect fashion, as it raced out to an 11-point lead, 49-38, with just under three minutes gone by in the third quarter. After CMU cut the score to six, 44-38, Combs went to work. She scored the game's next two buckets, a cutting floater through the lane, and a corner triple, to reassert the Eagles' dominance in the game. The quarter proved full of tests for the Green and White, as Central was able to pull within five points of the Eagles on three different occasions. Resilient, Eastern rose to the occasion each time as it never let the Chips get close than three, 54-51. With momentum hanging in the balance as the quarter wound down, it was the Eastern defense that dominated the game yet again and helped Eastern to score once more en route to a six-point edge at the end of the quarter, 57-51.
The fourth quarter began with another Eastern push. This time, it was Skanes who converted a post move on the team's first possession to push EMU's lead to eight, 59-51. Moments later, Skanes came through defensively with a block. Eastern's defense was dominant when it mattered most, as it held the home team off the board for the first 2:30 of the frame. That effort led to smooth offense for Eastern, which used another Skanes layup to push its lead to 10, 61-51, during that stretch. Still, the defending MAC regular season champs did not go away quietly. A corner three cut Eastern's lead back to seven, 61-54, with just over seven minutes left in the game. Up 10, EMU faced an incredible last-minute push from Central. Despite its best efforts to complete the comeback, Central was outmatched by the Eagles, who closed the game in the final seconds to seal the win, 70-67.
Eastern will look for its fifth consecutive victory Saturday, Jan. 23, when it hosts Ball State inside the Convocation Center. Tipoff is slated for noon.
For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU women's basketball, visit EMUEagles.com and follow the team on social media at @EMUWBB.
The win is the fourth straight for Eastern (8-5, 5-3), its best conference streak since winning five in-a-row during the 2015-16 campaign. Additionally, the victory puts an end to a 13-game win streak for Central Michigan (7-5, 6-3 MAC), who had previously bested Eastern in every matchup between the two schools since 2016-17. Eastern's last win over Central previous to tonight was March 7, 2015, which also came on the road. That night, Eastern beat CMU, 93-86, to close the regular season. The Eagles went on to play in the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game and went three rounds deep into the WNIT.
Eastern was led by incredible performances all around the floor. Individually, three Eagles put up double-figure performances, as redshirt seniors Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)) and Corrione Cardwell (Cleveland, Ohio-New Tech East), along with redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Florida International)) put up 23, 20, and 19 points, respectively. Those efforts secured the 12th and 13th performance of 10+ points this season for Combs and Skanes, respectively. It was the first such performance for Cardwell this season, who now has 36 such games in her career. It was also Skanes' league-leading seventh double-double of the season.
Although each of the efforts were crucial to the victory, it was Cardwell that served as the emotional leader throughout the game. She was also involved in perhaps the two most impactful moments of the game. Up seven, 63-56, with just over four minutes left in the game, Cardwell hit a contested, step-back three-pointer that gave EMU a 10-point advantage, 66-56. That bucket proved absolutely critical, as Central eventually went on a 9-0 run of its own to pull within one, 68-67. Up one, it was Cardwell who got another opportunity to lift her team, this time at the free throw line. She split a pair of attempts to build EMU's lead back to two, 69-67, with under 90 seconds to play. Skanes added the final free throw to seal EMU's win, 70-67.
Eastern redefined the term "ready from the opening tip," in the contest as it needed just 28 seconds to open the game's scoring. After driving the lane and absorbing contact, Cardwell dropped two free throws to give the Eagles the lead, 2-0. Moments later, it was the MAC's steal leader, Combs, who picked up a theft near mid-court and cruised down the floor for the uncontested layup. Momentum continued in CMU's next possession. A missed shot by the Chips allowed Skanes to finish at the other end, before Combs added her second bucket of the night to put EMU up, 8-0, with 8:22 remaining. Central calmed down with a three of its own with 7:45 left, and eventually added an and-one to bring the score back within four, 10-6. As it has been all year, Eastern's defense, which is statistically the best in the conference in numerous categories, was exceptional to start the game. Central was just 3-of-13 by the time to first media timeout occurred at the 3:30 mark. By contrast, EMU was 6-of-13, in large part thanks to its incredible selection of high-percentage shots. The high-caliber defense and efficient offense eventually helped EMU take a 10-point, 21-11 lead, before finishing the quarter with a 24-15 advantage. Eastern's 24 first-quarter points are the most by the team this season.
The fast pace-of-play continued through the second quarter as the two schools combined to score 11 points through the frame's first three minutes. The majority of those scores went to the Chippewas, who opened the quarter on a 7-4 run to cut the Eastern lead to six, 28-22. Central went on to put together a 9-0 run, one which gave it the lead, 31-30, with just over four minutes remaining until halftime. Undeterred, Eastern came right back. Cardwell continued her stellar first half with a triple make from the deep right wing. That bucket, which put her point total at a team-best nine through that point in the game, also gave EMU a 33-31 lead. Tied at 35-apiece with 2:30 left, it was Eastern that seized momentum during the final moments of the first half. The Eagles ended the half on a 10-1 explosion that put them back up eight, 44-36, after two quarters. Eastern's point total is the most by the team in a first half this season.
Just as it did in the first portion of the game, Eastern started the second half in near-perfect fashion, as it raced out to an 11-point lead, 49-38, with just under three minutes gone by in the third quarter. After CMU cut the score to six, 44-38, Combs went to work. She scored the game's next two buckets, a cutting floater through the lane, and a corner triple, to reassert the Eagles' dominance in the game. The quarter proved full of tests for the Green and White, as Central was able to pull within five points of the Eagles on three different occasions. Resilient, Eastern rose to the occasion each time as it never let the Chips get close than three, 54-51. With momentum hanging in the balance as the quarter wound down, it was the Eastern defense that dominated the game yet again and helped Eastern to score once more en route to a six-point edge at the end of the quarter, 57-51.
The fourth quarter began with another Eastern push. This time, it was Skanes who converted a post move on the team's first possession to push EMU's lead to eight, 59-51. Moments later, Skanes came through defensively with a block. Eastern's defense was dominant when it mattered most, as it held the home team off the board for the first 2:30 of the frame. That effort led to smooth offense for Eastern, which used another Skanes layup to push its lead to 10, 61-51, during that stretch. Still, the defending MAC regular season champs did not go away quietly. A corner three cut Eastern's lead back to seven, 61-54, with just over seven minutes left in the game. Up 10, EMU faced an incredible last-minute push from Central. Despite its best efforts to complete the comeback, Central was outmatched by the Eagles, who closed the game in the final seconds to seal the win, 70-67.
Eastern will look for its fifth consecutive victory Saturday, Jan. 23, when it hosts Ball State inside the Convocation Center. Tipoff is slated for noon.
For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU women's basketball, visit EMUEagles.com and follow the team on social media at @EMUWBB.
Team Stats
EMU
CMU
FG%
.415
.339
3FG%
.273
.154
FT%
.588
.808
RB
38
48
TO
11
12
STL
6
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
3
FGM
1
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
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