On The Road Again: Women's Basketball Readies for Matchup at Kent State

Women's Basketball at Kent State
Date	Saturday, Jan. 15 \| 1 p.m.
Venue	Kent, Ohio \| Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF)
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN3
Twitter	@EMU_WBB \| @EMUAthletics

KENT, Ohio. (EMUEagles.com) -- After two games at home, it's back to the ways of the road for the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team, which is set to take on Kent State University, Saturday, Jan. 15. First tip between the Eagles and Golden Flashes is set for 1 p.m. inside the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.
   The Eagles (4-6, 1-2 MAC) are looking to get back on track after falling to Ball State University, 83-73, in their Wednesday-night matchup with the Cardinals, Jan. 12. Meanwhile, Kent State (9-5, 1-4 MAC) is still searching for its footing in conference play after a red-hot, 8-1start to the season.
   The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Additionally, the team's official Twitter account, @EMUWBB, will provide live updates throughout the contest.

1,000 WATCH: Redshirt senior Areanna Combs is eight points away from the 1,000 mark at Eastern Michigan (currently has 992). She is averaging a team-best 17.2 points per game this season and is set to become the 24th member of the 1,000-point club at EMU.
   Senior Courtnie Lewis (1,119 points) hit the mark during the 2019-20 campaign.

ONE AWAY FROM THE TOP: Redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes continues to climb EMU's all-time double-double ladder. Skanes has five double-double outings this season and 16 as a member of the Green and White. She is one behind all-time leaders Sarah VanMetre (2003-07) and Oliva Fouty (2010-14).

BIG TIME BUCKETS: EMU averages 73.3 points per game, the fourth-best average in the Mid-American Conference.

CLOSING IN ON WEBB: Senior Courtnie Lewis, a veteran for the Eagles and 1,000-point club member, is moving up the all-time point list at EMU. Lewis boasts 1,119 career points, good for 20th in program history. She sits just behind former Eagle Phillis Webb, who produced 1,125 points between 2013-17. EMU great Tavelyn James (2008-2012) owns the top spot in program history, having accumulated 2,470 career points.

BEHIND THE LINE: Eastern Michigan hit 40 percent (8-of-20) of its shots from deep against Ball State, Jan. 12. The game was the fourth this season that EMU has hit the 40 percent mark. Last season, Eastern only accomplished the feat one time.

PAINTING THE STAT SHEET: EMU dropped 32 points in the paint on Ball State, Jan. 12, the fifth time this season the team has notched at least 30 paint points in a game.

FOUR CAN SCORE: EMU got 10+ points from four different Eagles in its last contest, Jan. 12. The game was the fifth this season of the sort and second in-a-row for the club.

GIVE ME 50: Eastern shot 50.8 percent (27-for-53) from the floor against Ball State, Jan. 12. The game was the second this season in which EMU shot better than 50 percent (66.7% - vs. Grace Christian, Nov. 18).

TURNING THEM AWAY: EMU forced 18 turnovers against Ball State, Jan. 12. For the Cardinals, 18 turnovers is tied for the second-most in a game this season. The Eagles have been disruptive all season, causing opponents to commit 16 turnovers per game. The game against BSU also marked the seventh time this season Eastern forced 15-or-more turnovers against a Division I team.

THE FIRST 20 MATTERS: Eastern Michigan's first-half play has been largely illustrative of the team's win-loss record this season. All four of Eastern's wins have seen the Eagles take a lead into the intermission, while each of the squad's six setbacks has included a halftime deficit. In the Eagles' 80-60 win over Central Michigan, the Green and White scored 44 points in the first half, their most against a Division I institution this season.
EMU is 40-15 in games in which it held a halftime lead since the onset of the 2016-17 season, and 17-75 in games where it has trailed at the break in that same span.

PLAYING DISCIPLINED: Eastern has been one of the most disciplined teams in the country in the early portion of the 2021-22 season. The Eagles are second in the MAC and rank 38th in the country in fewest fouls (173). Additionally, EMU ranks first in the league and 26th nationally in fewest turnovers (159).

HIGH PERCENTAGE SHOTS: Eastern has been one of the best shooting teams in the nation this season. The Eagles have hit 44.7 percent (264-of-590) of their shots from the field this season, good for second in the league and 47th nationally. EMU's current best mark under Head Coach Fred Castro came in the 2017-18 campaign when the Green and White shot 40.1 percent from the floor for the season.

LIKE BONNIE AND CLYDE: Eastern Michigan's defense has been full of thievery this season. The Green and White are sixth in the league, averaging 9.2 steals per contest. That number is on track to be the second-best mark under Fred Castro (2016-Pres.). The 2017-18 EMU squad racked up 9.7 steals per contest.

JUICE IN JANUARY: January has been a month-of-moving for EMU under Head Coach Fred Castro. The Eagles have picked up 20 wins during the New Year month since 2017, the most in any month for the team during that span. EMU has finished with a winning record (5-3) three times during that stretch (2018, 2020, 2021).
Additionally, the month has been the best for the program as a whole. EMU has 167 total wins in the month of January, more than any other month.

DEEP THOUGHTS: EMU boasts a three-point percentage of 36.1 in 10 games this season. In the same stretch last year, the Eagles were hitting just 26.2 percent. The 36.1% mark from beyond-the-arc ranks second in the Mid-American Conference and 23rd in the nation. Meanwhile, the team is seventh in the league in three-pointers made per contest at 6.9.
   There were only two games last season where the Green and White shot 35 percent-or-better from deep (at Southeast Missouri State, 40.0%, Dec. 6, 2020; vs. Toledo, 39.3%, Feb. 21). So far this season, Eastern has sunk 35 percent-or better in the category in six of 10 games.

TWENTY PIECE: Redshirt senior Areanna Combs remains the Eagles' top-scoring threat as the guard dropped 23 points against Ball State, Jan. 12. For Combs, her performance against the Cardinals marked her second 20-point outing this season and 21st while donning the Green and White.

DEATH, TAXES, DOUBLE DIGITS: If one thing is as certain as can be, it's that Areanna Combs will score 10+ points. Including her 10 performances of the nature this season, Combs has now recorded double-digit scoring efforts in 52 of her 54 career games with the Green and White (96.3%). That number is the highest percentage in the Mid-American Conference.

COOKIES: Redshirt senior Areanna Combs ranks fourth in the MAC in steals per game (2.7) and fifth in total steals (27) this season. Her steals per game average is the 30th-best mark in the nation. Combs set a career-high with 10 steals against Grace Christian, Nov. 18, to help her achieve her first ever triple-double (12 points, 11 assists, 10 steals).

SKILLED SKANES: Redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes has been skilled around the basket this season for the Eagles, leading the Mid-American Conference in field goal percentage 54.9% (50-of-91). Her efficiency this year surpasses her work last year, finishing the 2020-2021 season shooting 49.4% (119-of-241) from the floor. Skanes has shot over 50% from the floor in six outings so far this season, highlighted by a season-best percentage of 70% (7-for-10) against Ball State, Jan. 12.

WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS: EMU has put an emphasis on the three-ball this year, and no one member of the Green and White has been better than redshirt senior Danielle Rainey.
Rainey has hit 32-of-71 (45.1%) from downtown and has hit at least three shots from beyond the arc in eight contests.
The Washington, D.C. native's three-point percentage is No. 2 in the MAC and 16th in the nation. Rainey is third in the league in treys made per game (3.2), good for seventh in the country.

SHARING IS CARING: Redshirt senior Areanna Combs has tallied 39 assists (3.9 per game) this season.
Eleven of Combs' 39 assists came against Grace Christian University, Nov. 18. The 11 dimes against the Tigers tops her previous best, which she set two games prior against Detroit Mercy, Nov. 9 (7).
Most recently, the Green and White dished out 12 assists against Ball State, Jan. 12, five of which came from Combs. Additionally, EMU has recorded 14-or-more assists in three games this season. Eastern achieved 14-or-more assists a total of three times in the entire 2020-21 season.

BLOCK PART(E): EMU is third in the Mid-American Conference in blocks per game (3.8). Through 10 games, the Eagles have recorded 38 blocks, an improvement from their 27 blocks in the same span last season.
Freshman Treasure Thompson leads the team with 13 rejections and is fourth in the MAC with 1.3 blocks per game while redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes sits fifth in the league with 1.2 swats per contest.
The Eagles have recorded at least five blocks in three contests so far this season, rejecting six shots against Detroit Mercy, Nov. 13, Grace Christian, Nov. 18, and FIU, Nov. 27. In the 2020-21 campaign, Eastern only recorded five-or-more blocks in a game three times: Seven, at Western Michigan, Jan. 20, 2021; Six versus Ball State, Jan. 23, 2021; Five at Southern Illinois, Nov. 25, 2020.

CAN'T LET THEM SCORE 70: Although many factors contribute to the end result of a game, one thing is for certain; 70 is kryptonite for Eastern Michigan. Last season, the team went 0-4 when allowing 70 points in a game. The team is 0-4 in 2021-22. Moreover, EMU is 8-60 when allowing 70+ points since the start of the 2016-17 season.

ALL-TIME VERSUS KENT STATE: Eastern Michigan trails in the all-time series with Kent State, 41-28. The Eagles and Golden Flashes have split the last two meetings, however, KSU has won seven of the last eight matchups.

LAST TIME AGAINST KSU: Then-redshirt junior Areanna Combs scored 29 points as the Eagles fell at home, 67-61, Jan. 2, 2021. Additionally, then-redshirt freshman Ce'Nara Skanes recorded a double-double in the game, finishing with 11 points and 14 rebounds.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN FLASHES: Kent State currently ranks third in the Mid-American Conference in points allowed per game (60.1) and defensive field goal percentage (38.7%).        Offensively, KSU tops the conference in three-point field goal percentage (36.9%).

BACK IN #MACTION: The Green and White's 2021-22 campaign marks the 41st season Eastern Michigan will compete as a member of the Mid-American Conference. Playing a league schedule since the 1981-82 campaign, EMU has compiled a 295-373 record against conference opponents all-time.

RING CHASING: Eastern is in search of its first conference championship since 2012. That year, the Eagles captured both the MAC West and MAC Tournament titles.
   As a program, EMU has claimed four division crowns (2004, 2006, 2008, 2012) and two tournament championships (2004, 2012).

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan will not play again until Saturday, Jan. 22, when Northern Illinois comes to town. EMU was scheduled to play at Western Michigan Tuesday, Jan. 19. That game has been rescheduled to February due to COVID-19-related circumstances.

On The Road Again: Women's Basketball Readies for Matchup at Kent State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Areanna Combs

Courtnie Lewis

Danielle Rainey

Ce'Nara Skanes

Treasure Thompson

Eastern Michigan Athletics