Eastern Michigan Athletics
Wednesday, March 10
Cleveland, Ohio
11 a.m.
Eastern Michigan University
10-10,7-7MAC
47
vs
63
Bowling Green
19-5,14-4MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Eastern Mich.
18
13
6
10
47
Bowling Green
13
8
20
22
63
First Half Dominance Not Enough for EMU in MAC Tournament Opener
3/10/2021 1:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball
No. 8 EMU fell to No. 1 Bowling Green, 63-47
Postgame Press Conference | Video Highlights.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team fought valiantly, but ultimately came up short in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament today, March 10, inside Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The No. 8 overall seed, EMU held a 31-21 halftime advantage over the tournament's No. 1 seed, Bowling Green State University, but the 10-point cushion was not enough to overcome a strong offensive showing from the Falcons down the stretch, who pulled out a 63-47 win.
With the loss, Eastern's (10-10, 7-7 MAC) 2020-21 season has likely come to a close. The team will be remembered for its tenacious defense, which was the best statistical stoppage unit in the conference heading into the game, both in points allowed (62.2) and field goal percentage defense (37.5%). Bowling Green (19-5, 14-4 MAC) will move on to Friday's semifinal game against either the No. 4-seeded Buffalo Bulls or the No. 5-seeded Kent State Golden Flashes.
As has been said so many times during her short, 44-game EMU career, it was redshirt senior Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)) who led the way for the Green and White in today's quarterfinal game. She finished the game with 10 points and 10 rebounds to notch her third double-double of the season, and 18th game with 10+ points. She finishes her EMU career having scored in double-figures in 42-of-44 career games. Redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Florida International)) led the team with 13 points overall.
Although Bowling Green got on the board first with a flushed triple just 25 seconds into the contest, it was EMU's defense that was the story of the first quarter. In fact, the Green and White's score stoppers held the Falcons offense to 4-of-16 shooting from the field through the first 10 minutes of play, a figure which EMU was able to exploit further on the boards, where it doubled-up the No. 1 overall seed, 12-6. Offensively, it took the Eagles nearly four minutes to get rolling, but once they did, they did not look back. EMU got on the board at the 6:15 mark when it ran a pick and roll action to perfection. The benefactor of a great feed inside, Skanes finished a layup in stride to notch Eastern's first points of the afternoon. Down, 5-4, Eastern took its first lead of the contest at the 5:03 mark in the first quarter when Combs connected on a deep triple try on a precision pass from redshirt senior Corrione Cardwell (Cleveland, Ohio-New Tech East). That bucket, Combs' first of the game, gave EMU a lead it would not relinquish for the remainder of the half. When the clock hit zero at the end of the first, it was Eastern that had the advantage, 18-13.
Eastern's stellar defense continued its dominance in the second quarter. Even better than its first frame effort, the No. 8 seed only allowed four made shots in the second session of action. BGSU shot just 22 percent in the period, while Eastern's offense stayed efficient. EMU shot 40 percent in the second quarter, a number which included a 50 percent mark from deep (3-of-6), to take a 10-point, 31-21, lead into the halftime intermission. Bowling Green's 21 points were the lowest for the team in a first half this season.
One of the most noticeable statistical differences in the first half, in addition to the incredible 50 percent to 24 percent shooting differential, which favored EMU, was the rebounding efforts. Eastern dominated the glass in the first two quarters, where it led, 24-14, at the break.
Up 10 to start the third quarter, 31-21, EMU maintained its high-level of play at the start of the third quarter, and remained up by the halftime margin as much as four minutes into the third set of action. Unfortunately for the Eagles, Bowling Green drastically improved its level of play from that point on. In fact, the Falcons went on a 16-2 run over a six-minute stretch to completely change the trajectory of the contest, and took a stunning 41-37 lead into the fourth and final quarter.
It was all Bowling Green in the fourth quarter, as the 19-5 Falcons needed just two minutes of the frame to expand its lead to 11, 48-37. After shooting 50 percent in the first half, EMU's shooting clip had dropped nearly 15 percent to that point in the fourth, a metric that proved critical in stunting its own comeback efforts. Despite courageous fight from everyone dressed in EMU's alternate black uniforms, Eastern's shooting struggles, along with BGSU's much-improved efficiency, proved too much for the Ypsilanti-based club to overcome.
When the final buzzer sounded, it was BGSU that came out on top, 63-47.
EMU will return to the State of Michigan where it will soon begin its offseason schedule. 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.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team fought valiantly, but ultimately came up short in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament today, March 10, inside Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The No. 8 overall seed, EMU held a 31-21 halftime advantage over the tournament's No. 1 seed, Bowling Green State University, but the 10-point cushion was not enough to overcome a strong offensive showing from the Falcons down the stretch, who pulled out a 63-47 win.
With the loss, Eastern's (10-10, 7-7 MAC) 2020-21 season has likely come to a close. The team will be remembered for its tenacious defense, which was the best statistical stoppage unit in the conference heading into the game, both in points allowed (62.2) and field goal percentage defense (37.5%). Bowling Green (19-5, 14-4 MAC) will move on to Friday's semifinal game against either the No. 4-seeded Buffalo Bulls or the No. 5-seeded Kent State Golden Flashes.
As has been said so many times during her short, 44-game EMU career, it was redshirt senior Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)) who led the way for the Green and White in today's quarterfinal game. She finished the game with 10 points and 10 rebounds to notch her third double-double of the season, and 18th game with 10+ points. She finishes her EMU career having scored in double-figures in 42-of-44 career games. Redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Florida International)) led the team with 13 points overall.
Although Bowling Green got on the board first with a flushed triple just 25 seconds into the contest, it was EMU's defense that was the story of the first quarter. In fact, the Green and White's score stoppers held the Falcons offense to 4-of-16 shooting from the field through the first 10 minutes of play, a figure which EMU was able to exploit further on the boards, where it doubled-up the No. 1 overall seed, 12-6. Offensively, it took the Eagles nearly four minutes to get rolling, but once they did, they did not look back. EMU got on the board at the 6:15 mark when it ran a pick and roll action to perfection. The benefactor of a great feed inside, Skanes finished a layup in stride to notch Eastern's first points of the afternoon. Down, 5-4, Eastern took its first lead of the contest at the 5:03 mark in the first quarter when Combs connected on a deep triple try on a precision pass from redshirt senior Corrione Cardwell (Cleveland, Ohio-New Tech East). That bucket, Combs' first of the game, gave EMU a lead it would not relinquish for the remainder of the half. When the clock hit zero at the end of the first, it was Eastern that had the advantage, 18-13.
Eastern's stellar defense continued its dominance in the second quarter. Even better than its first frame effort, the No. 8 seed only allowed four made shots in the second session of action. BGSU shot just 22 percent in the period, while Eastern's offense stayed efficient. EMU shot 40 percent in the second quarter, a number which included a 50 percent mark from deep (3-of-6), to take a 10-point, 31-21, lead into the halftime intermission. Bowling Green's 21 points were the lowest for the team in a first half this season.
One of the most noticeable statistical differences in the first half, in addition to the incredible 50 percent to 24 percent shooting differential, which favored EMU, was the rebounding efforts. Eastern dominated the glass in the first two quarters, where it led, 24-14, at the break.
Up 10 to start the third quarter, 31-21, EMU maintained its high-level of play at the start of the third quarter, and remained up by the halftime margin as much as four minutes into the third set of action. Unfortunately for the Eagles, Bowling Green drastically improved its level of play from that point on. In fact, the Falcons went on a 16-2 run over a six-minute stretch to completely change the trajectory of the contest, and took a stunning 41-37 lead into the fourth and final quarter.
It was all Bowling Green in the fourth quarter, as the 19-5 Falcons needed just two minutes of the frame to expand its lead to 11, 48-37. After shooting 50 percent in the first half, EMU's shooting clip had dropped nearly 15 percent to that point in the fourth, a metric that proved critical in stunting its own comeback efforts. Despite courageous fight from everyone dressed in EMU's alternate black uniforms, Eastern's shooting struggles, along with BGSU's much-improved efficiency, proved too much for the Ypsilanti-based club to overcome.
When the final buzzer sounded, it was BGSU that came out on top, 63-47.
EMU will return to the State of Michigan where it will soon begin its offseason schedule. 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
BGSU
FG%
.375
.305
3FG%
.286
.235
FT%
.556
.793
RB
38
36
TO
23
8
STL
4
13
Game Leaders
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
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