Eastern Michigan Athletics
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Florida International
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Rainey, Combs and Skanes Score Big in Tight Setback at FIU
11/27/2021 4:33:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Skanes is now two double-doubles away from tying the program's all-time best mark
MIAMI, Fla. (EMUEagles.com) -- Redshirt seniors Danielle Rainey (Cedar Park, Texas-Vista Ridge (Florida)) and Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)) along with redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Florida International)) combined to score 49 of Eastern Michigan University's 60 total points, but the Eagles fell to the Florida International University Panthers, 67-60, on the road Saturday, Nov. 27, in the closing game of the FIU Thanksgiving Classic.
The Eagles (2-3) saw three players score in double figures for the fourth-consecutive game, and nearly erased a 19-point second-half deficit, but could not finish the impressive comeback effort.
Eastern Michigan outrebounded Florida International 31-28 in Saturday's game, led by Skanes' 11 boards.
Eastern Michigan did a great job disrupting Florida International shots in the contest, coming away with six blocks. Redshirt junior RayJon Harris (Euclid, Ohio-Euclid) led the way individually for the Eagles with two rejections, which ties her season-best effort. She now has four blocks in her last two games.
How It Happened
Eastern Michigan kept it close in the first quarter, but entered the second frame down 15-14.
The Eagles continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 42-25 halftime deficit.
After intermission, Eastern Michigan cut its deficit to 45-30 before going on a 7-0 run, punctuated by a three from Rainey, to trim its deficit to 45-37 with 6:01 to go in the third. The Eagles continued to reduce the Florida International lead, shrinking it to 51-45 by the end of the third quarter. Eastern Michigan took advantage of six Florida International turnovers in the quarter, scoring nine points off of takeaways.
Florida International kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 52-45 advantage before Eastern Michigan went on a 5-0 run, finished off by Rainey's layup, to shrink the deficit to 52-50 with 8:24 to go in the contest. Florida International responded and outscored the Eagles the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 67-60. Eastern Michigan took advantage of three Florida International turnovers in the quarter, scoring five points off of those takeaways.
Game Notes
» Skanes notched a double-double for the Eagles with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
» The Eagles shot well from three point range, knocking down 6-of-15 long range attempts.
» Rainey, Combs, and Skanes combined to account for 82 percent of the Eagles points.
» The Eagles were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording six blocks as a team.
» Rainey led the team with 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-6 from deep. The effort marks her fourth-consecutive game with 15+ points, and her four makes from three ties her EMU-career-high.
» EMU shot an impressive 75 percent (18-for-24) from the free throw line against the Panthers. The performance ties for the team's best this season in both total makes and overall percentage. EMU shot the same, 18-for-24, in its opening game of the season, Nov. 9 vs. Youngstown State.
» Combs tied for second on the team with her 15-point effort. The Oklahoma City native has now finished with 10+ points in 47 of her 49 career games with Eastern Michigan.
» Skanes finished with yet another double-double in today's contest. Her 15-point, 11-board performance was the third of the season, second-consecutive, and 15th of her career.
» EMU got 10+ points from three different players for the fourth consecutive game.
Historical Notes
» With 15 career double-doubles, Skanes needs just two more to tie for the program's all-time lead in the category. Former Eagle Sarah VanMetre leads the all-time count with 17.
Up Next
The Eagles will enjoy some time off before heading to the Sooner State for a matchup with the Uniersity of Oklahoma, Dec. 7. The game in Norman will tip at 6 p.m. ET.
