Eastern Michigan Athletics
Wednesday, January 27
Convocation Center
7 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
9-6,6-4MAC
69
vs
66
Ohio
8-5,6-4MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Ohio
10
15
19
22
66
Eastern Mich.
13
18
16
22
69
Women's Basketball Stifles MAC-Leading Ohio Offense in 69-66 Win Over Bobcats
1/27/2021 9:33:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Cardwell appears in 100th game as an Eagle; EMU wins fourth in last five
Photo Gallery. | Postgame Press Conference. | Postgame Recap Video.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – In a battle of strength versus strength, it was Eastern Michigan University women's basketball's top-ranked defense (61.1 ppg) that prevailed over Ohio University's top-ranked offense (81.1 ppg). The Eagles women's basketball team downed the Bobcats, 69-66, Wednesday, Jan. 27, inside the Convocation Center.
Prior to this matchup, the Green and White had dropped the last two meetings and six of the last seven at the hands of its Athens, Ohio-based foe. The Eagles' (9-6, 6-4 MAC) win ended the Bobcats' (8-5, 6-4 MAC) three-game winning streak and vaulted EMU into the upper half of the MAC standings. Defense paved the way for the Eagles, as they made life difficult on Ohio's two leading scorers. Eastern held Ohio's CeCe Hooks and Erica Johnson to a combined 42 points on 17-of-47 shooting from the field. Hooks and Johnson came into the game as the conference's first and fourth-leading scorers, respectively.
The Eagles were paced by redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Florida International)), who poured in 22 points and collected 16 rebounds to register her ninth double-double of the season. In addition to Skanes, Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)) notched 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds. The Oklahoma City native is now 11 points short of 1000 in her career. Junior Natalia Pineda (Miami, Fla.-John A. Ferguson) had a night for the books, as she went 3-for-5 from deep and notched a season-high 13 points. Junior Terrysha Banner (Surprise, Ariz.-Valley Vista) also produced career-high nine points and seven rebounds to contribute towards the Eastern win.
As the game tipped off, redshirt senior Corrione Cardwell (Cleveland, Ohio-New Tech East) stepped on the court for her 100th game as an Eagle. The Green and White offense emerged sluggish, however, the defense remained tenacious, holding the Bobcats shooting at 3-of-11 efficiency in the first five minutes. The game was tied at six points each, until Pineda drained her first bucket from beyond the arc, and first of the game for the Eagles. That shot gave EMU the 9-6 lead with four minutes left in the first quarter. Combs built on Pineda's momentum as she followed the triple with four points of her own. The Eagles were able to hold reigning MAC Player of the Week, Hooks, to 2-of-8 shooting through the first quarter, nudging the Bobcats into a scoring drought to close the quarter, which allowed EMU to take a 13-10 lead into the second quarter.
The Eagles shot a blistering 61.5 percent from the field in the second quarter, and used the offensive firepower to be even more aggressive on defense. With 4:32 on the clock, Banner snagged an offensive rebound and proceeded to find senior Autumn Hudson (Richwood, Ohio-North Union) in the paint for her first basket of the contest. That action contributed to a 7-1 run over a three minute period, ballooning the Green and White advantage to 31-22. As the first twenty minutes concluded, Skanes snagged a quick rebound, her ninth of the contest. She also finished with eight first-half points and helped EMU to successfully build a 31-25 halftime lead.
Skanes picked up where she left off in the third quarter as she snagged her 10th rebound just two minutes into the second half. The next few minutes displayed an exchange of baskets from both sides, highlighted by a fadeaway jumper from Combs, which anchored the score at 39-32. The Bobcats capitalized on a two-minute Eagle scoring drought to edge within one point, 42-41, with 1:33 showing on the clock. That stimulated Banner on the offensive end as she drained her fifth point of the night and sent a sharp pass to Skanes in the paint for a layup, helping the Eagles cling to a 47-44 lead heading into the final ten minutes.
Combs immediately set the tone in the final quarter with a statement layup, notching her 11th point of the contest. A three-minute scoring drought for the Green and White, which allowed the Bobcats to edge within two, 49-47. Eastern's defense refused to relinquish the lead, as it forced the Bobcats into a scoring drought of their own, courtesy of a gratifying block by Combs. The Bobcats stayed persistent, and we able to take their first lead since the first quarter with five minutes left, 52-51. The lead began to shift back and forth between the two MAC opponents.
When the Eagles needed it most, Pineda drained her third basket from beyond the arc, a shot which matcher her season-high in both points and triples, respectively. That bucket provided the Eagles a four-point cushion with just above three minutes remaining. After the Bobcats closed the gap, it was Banner who knocked in a shot from deep to bring the lead back to four with under two minutes to play. Down the stretch, the Eagles looked to their stars to apply the finishing blow to the Bobcats. Skanes scored three points, while Pineda added two in the final minute to extinguish any chance of a Bobcat comeback.
Eastern will head south to Ohio on Saturday, Jan. 30, to face MAC opponent, Kent State University. The all-time series with the Golden Flashes is currently tied 16-16. Tipoff is slated for noon on ESPN3.
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.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – In a battle of strength versus strength, it was Eastern Michigan University women's basketball's top-ranked defense (61.1 ppg) that prevailed over Ohio University's top-ranked offense (81.1 ppg). The Eagles women's basketball team downed the Bobcats, 69-66, Wednesday, Jan. 27, inside the Convocation Center.
Prior to this matchup, the Green and White had dropped the last two meetings and six of the last seven at the hands of its Athens, Ohio-based foe. The Eagles' (9-6, 6-4 MAC) win ended the Bobcats' (8-5, 6-4 MAC) three-game winning streak and vaulted EMU into the upper half of the MAC standings. Defense paved the way for the Eagles, as they made life difficult on Ohio's two leading scorers. Eastern held Ohio's CeCe Hooks and Erica Johnson to a combined 42 points on 17-of-47 shooting from the field. Hooks and Johnson came into the game as the conference's first and fourth-leading scorers, respectively.
The Eagles were paced by redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Florida International)), who poured in 22 points and collected 16 rebounds to register her ninth double-double of the season. In addition to Skanes, Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)) notched 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds. The Oklahoma City native is now 11 points short of 1000 in her career. Junior Natalia Pineda (Miami, Fla.-John A. Ferguson) had a night for the books, as she went 3-for-5 from deep and notched a season-high 13 points. Junior Terrysha Banner (Surprise, Ariz.-Valley Vista) also produced career-high nine points and seven rebounds to contribute towards the Eastern win.
As the game tipped off, redshirt senior Corrione Cardwell (Cleveland, Ohio-New Tech East) stepped on the court for her 100th game as an Eagle. The Green and White offense emerged sluggish, however, the defense remained tenacious, holding the Bobcats shooting at 3-of-11 efficiency in the first five minutes. The game was tied at six points each, until Pineda drained her first bucket from beyond the arc, and first of the game for the Eagles. That shot gave EMU the 9-6 lead with four minutes left in the first quarter. Combs built on Pineda's momentum as she followed the triple with four points of her own. The Eagles were able to hold reigning MAC Player of the Week, Hooks, to 2-of-8 shooting through the first quarter, nudging the Bobcats into a scoring drought to close the quarter, which allowed EMU to take a 13-10 lead into the second quarter.
The Eagles shot a blistering 61.5 percent from the field in the second quarter, and used the offensive firepower to be even more aggressive on defense. With 4:32 on the clock, Banner snagged an offensive rebound and proceeded to find senior Autumn Hudson (Richwood, Ohio-North Union) in the paint for her first basket of the contest. That action contributed to a 7-1 run over a three minute period, ballooning the Green and White advantage to 31-22. As the first twenty minutes concluded, Skanes snagged a quick rebound, her ninth of the contest. She also finished with eight first-half points and helped EMU to successfully build a 31-25 halftime lead.
Skanes picked up where she left off in the third quarter as she snagged her 10th rebound just two minutes into the second half. The next few minutes displayed an exchange of baskets from both sides, highlighted by a fadeaway jumper from Combs, which anchored the score at 39-32. The Bobcats capitalized on a two-minute Eagle scoring drought to edge within one point, 42-41, with 1:33 showing on the clock. That stimulated Banner on the offensive end as she drained her fifth point of the night and sent a sharp pass to Skanes in the paint for a layup, helping the Eagles cling to a 47-44 lead heading into the final ten minutes.
Combs immediately set the tone in the final quarter with a statement layup, notching her 11th point of the contest. A three-minute scoring drought for the Green and White, which allowed the Bobcats to edge within two, 49-47. Eastern's defense refused to relinquish the lead, as it forced the Bobcats into a scoring drought of their own, courtesy of a gratifying block by Combs. The Bobcats stayed persistent, and we able to take their first lead since the first quarter with five minutes left, 52-51. The lead began to shift back and forth between the two MAC opponents.
When the Eagles needed it most, Pineda drained her third basket from beyond the arc, a shot which matcher her season-high in both points and triples, respectively. That bucket provided the Eagles a four-point cushion with just above three minutes remaining. After the Bobcats closed the gap, it was Banner who knocked in a shot from deep to bring the lead back to four with under two minutes to play. Down the stretch, the Eagles looked to their stars to apply the finishing blow to the Bobcats. Skanes scored three points, while Pineda added two in the final minute to extinguish any chance of a Bobcat comeback.
Eastern will head south to Ohio on Saturday, Jan. 30, to face MAC opponent, Kent State University. The all-time series with the Golden Flashes is currently tied 16-16. Tipoff is slated for noon on ESPN3.
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
Ohio
EMU
FG%
.371
.438
3FG%
.273
.200
FT%
.571
.643
RB
40
46
TO
11
15
STL
7
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
10
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballWomen's Basketball Practice Highlights Week of Aug. 4, 2025
Sunday, August 10
Inaugural Bowling with the Eagles Event
Friday, August 08
Women's Basketball Practice Highlights Week of July 28, 2025
Friday, August 08
2025 Women's Basketball Alumni Panel
Wednesday, July 30