Women's Basketball Readies for Wednesday Night Test with Western Michigan

Women's Basketball vs. Western Michigan
Date	Wednesday, Jan. 19 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| George Gervin GameAbove Center
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF)
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Twitter	.@EMUWBB \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- It will be a busy stretch of hoops for the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team as it is set to play four contests, three at home, in a one-week stretch beginning Wednesday, Jan. 19 with a home bout against Western Michigan University. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
    The Eagles (4-7, 1-3 MAC) are looking to get back on track after falling to Kent State University, 83-58, in their Saturday-afternoon matchup with the Golden Flashes, Jan. 15. Meanwhile, Western Michigan (8-4, 2-1 MAC) will be back in action for the first time since Jan. 8, when it fell to Toledo, 76-67.
    The game will be broadcast locally on WEMU 89.1 FM and worldwide on the Varsity Network app where Tom Helmer will have the call. Additionally, the team's official Twitter account, @EMUWBB, will provide live updates throughout the contest.

WELCOME TO THE 1K CLUB: Redshirt senior Areanna Combs made history Saturday, Jan. 15, when she notched 13 points to become Eastern Michigan's 24th 1,000-point scorer. Combs, who has been on court with the Eagles since the 2019-20 season, needed just 55 games to hit the total, an average of more than 18 ppg. Combs joins teammate Courtnie Lewis (1,129 points) as the only active players to have hit the milestone.

TWO GRAND TEAMMATES: Upperclassmen Courtnie Lewis (1,129) and Areanna Combs (1,005) are the first Eagle teammates to share the court as 1,000-point scorers since the 2016 season, when Cha Sweeney (2013-16) and Janay Morton (2013-16) had both hit the milestone.

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 71.9 points per game, the fifth-best average in the Mid-American Conference.

COURTNIE CLIMBS THE LADDER: 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 1,129 career points, surpassing former Eagle Phillis Webb (2013-17) to rank 18th in team history. EMU great Tavelyn James (2008-2012) owns the top spot in program history, having accumulated 2,470 career points.

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 seven setbacks has included a halftime deficit. Most recently, the Green and White found themselves trailing by one at halftime to Kent State, 41-40, ultimately falling 83-58, Jan. 15.
    EMU is 40-15 in games in which it held a halftime lead since the onset of the 2016-17 season, and 17-76 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 44.1 percent (284-of-644) of their shots from the field this season, good for third in the league and 60th 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 8.9 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 35.9 in 11 games this season. In the same stretch last year, the Eagles were hitting just 26.4 percent. The 35.9% mark from beyond-the-arc ranks third in the Mid-American Conference and 29th in the nation. Meanwhile, the team is seventh in the league in three-pointers made per contest at 6.8.
    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.

DEATH, TAXES, DOUBLE DIGITS: If one thing is as certain as can be, it's that Areanna Combs will score 10+ points. Including her 11 performances of the nature this season, Combs has now recorded double-digit scoring efforts in 53 of her 55 career games with the Green and White (96.4%). That number is the highest percentage in the Mid-American Conference.

COOKIES: Redshirt senior Areanna Combs ranks fourth in the MAC in both steals per game (2.6) and total steals (29) this season. Her steals per game average is the 37th-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).

HOT STREAK FOR RAINEY: Redshirt senior guard Danielle Rainey hit a pair of shots from beyond-the-arc at Kent State, Jan. 15. The game was her 10th consecutive contest with multiple triples, the longest streak of anyone on the team.

FIRST HALF FIRE AT KENT: Eastern Michigan scored 23 points in the first quarter of its game at Kent State, Jan. 15, the second most for the team against a Division I opponent this season in the opening frame. The Eagles have now reached 20 first-quarter points four times this season, with a high mark of 24 (accomplished twice).
    The Eagles scored 40 first-half points against the Golden Flashes. That number is the second-best effort of the season against a Division I opponent. EMU's best first-half total was 44, which came against Central Michigan, Jan. 8. Overall, Eastern has scored 40+ in a half three times this season against Division I opponents, including Saturday's first-half effort.

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 53.5 percent (54-of-101). Her efficiency this year surpasses her work last year, finishing the 2020-2021 season shooting 49.4 percent (119-of-241) from the floor. Skanes has shot over 50 percent from the floor in six outings so far this season, highlighted by a season-best percentage of 70 percent (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 34-of-75 (45.3%) 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 15th in the nation. Rainey is third in the league in treys made per game (3.1), good for 12th in the country.

JUANITA'S HUSTLE: Redshirt junior Juanita Agosto has done a little bit of everything for the Eagles as of late. Over the past three games, the Seattle, Wash. native has recorded more assists than any Eagle (9), highlighted by tying her career-high of five dimes at Kent State, Jan. 15. Defensively, the 5'6" guard has also collected the second-most rebounds (16) on the team behind redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes (17).
    The veteran had a profound impact on the court versus Central Michigan, Jan. 8. In 23 minutes of play, the guard scored eight points, recorded five rebounds, and had a pair of assists and steals. Moreover, the Seattle, Wash. native was +31 on the afternoon. Her plus-31 outing is the highest of any Eagle against a Division I opponent this season. Additionally, the +31 performance translates to +51.88 per 40 minutes of action.

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 0-5 in 2021-22. Moreover, EMU is 8-61 when allowing 70+ points since the start of the 2016-17 season. The trend continued last Saturday as the Eagles fell to Kent State, 83-58, Jan. 15.

SHARING IS CARING: Redshirt senior Areanna Combs has tallied 39 assists (3.55 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). EMU has recorded 14-or-more assists in three games this season. Eastern achieved 14-ormore 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 (3.55). Freshman Treasure Thompson leads the team with 13 rejections and is fourth in the MAC with 1.2 blocks per game while redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes sits fifth in the league with 1.1 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.

ALL-TIME VERSUS WMU: Wednesday's game will be the 91st meeting between the Eagles and the Broncos. EMU holds the advantage in the all-time series, 51-39. The last eight matchups have been completely even, with Western earning the most recent win, 66-56, Feb. 24, 2021.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE BRONCOS: The Eagles outscored the Broncos in the second half, 32-26, but were unable to overcome a 16-point halftime deficit, falling at home, 66-56, Feb. 24, 2021. Areanna Combs produced 12 points while Terrysha Banner added 10 points and three assists. Defensively, EMU out-rebounded WMU 45-39 in the contest.

SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN: Western Michigan has been solid defensively so far in the 2021-22 season. The team currently ranks second in the Mid-American Conference in points allowed per game at 59.5 and third in defensive field goal percentage at 39.2%. Additionally, the Broncos keep their hands busy, swiping 11 wipes per outing, good for second in the league.

CLOSE CONNECTIONS: Western Michigan Head Coach Shane Clipfell spent nine seasons as an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan, and was the acting head coach for most of the 2006- 07 season when then-head coach Suzy Merchant was on maternity leave. While serving as the acting head coach at EMU for the majority of the 2006-07 season, he guided the Eagles to a 16-13 overall record and a 10-6 finish in the MAC, good for second place in the West Division. Individually, Sarah VanMetre became the first women's basketball player in program history to be named Academic All-American, Patrice McKinney was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year and Alyssa Pittman was named the MAC Freshman of the Year.

BACK IN #MACTION: The Green and White's 2021-22 campaign marks the 41st season EMU will compete as a member of the MAC. 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).

CHASING 200: The Eastern Michigan women's basketball program has racked up 197 total wins inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center (renamed Dec. 11, 2021) since it opened for play in the 1998-1999 season. EMU can get to 200 all-time with seven home wins this season. The Eagles have averaged just over six wins at home each season since 2016-17, but have twice hit nine home wins.

ON THE HORIZON: EMU will remain at home as it welcomes Northern Illinois to town for a Saturday-afternoon showdown, Jan. 22. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

Women's Basketball Readies for Wednesday Night Test with Western Michigan

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Players Mentioned

Juanita Agosto

Terrysha Banner

Areanna Combs

Courtnie Lewis

Danielle Rainey

Ce'Nara Skanes

Treasure Thompson

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