Women's Hoops Set to Host IUPUI Jaguars

Women's Basketball vs. IUPUI
Date	Friday, Nov. 23 \| 2 p.m. ET
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| George Gervin GameAbove Center
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF) \| Media Guide (PDF) \| Digital Game Program
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	WEMU (89.1 WEMU-FM) \| The Varsity Network App \| Eastern Insider Podcast
Twitter	@EMUWBB \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team continues a five-game home stretch with a meeting against the Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis Jaguars Wednesday, Nov. 23, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
   The game is scheduled to tip off at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Greg Steiner (pxp) and Alex Jewell (analyst) on the call. It will also be broadcast live on WEMU (89.1) radio and the Varsity Network app with Tom Helmer, the Voice of Eastern Michigan Athletics, on the call. Fans can follow the action via live stats at EMUEagles.com/livestats. Additionally, the team's official Twitter account, @EMUWBB, will provide score updates throughout the contest.

TIC-TAC-TOE-THREE-IN-A-ROW: With its 77-70 win over Florida A&M, Nov. 19, Eastern Michigan is off to its first 3-0 start since the 2014-13 campaign. The Eagles started that season 6-0. It is the program's 12th 3-0 start since its inception prior to the 1976-77 season. Additionally, it is the first three-game win streak for the program since the 2020-21 campaign, when it captured four-straight wins between Jan. 10-20, defeating Western Michigan University, Miami University, the University of Akron, and Central Michigan University along the way.

CAPTURED NO. 200: After the 77-70 victory over Florida A&M, Nov. 19, the Eastern Michigan women's basketball program has racked up 200 total wins inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center (previously known as the Convocation Center) since it opened for play in the 1998-99 season.

RACK-EM-UP: Eastern has scored 70+ points in all three games this season. Last year, EMU hit that number just 10 times in 27 total games, and had a stretch of three consecutive games of the sort just once.

LAST TIME OUT (FAMU): Eastern Michigan out-rebounded Florida A&M, 42-30, led by Ce'Nara Skanes' 12 boards, Nov. 19. The Eagles also grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and scored 15 second-chance points in the 77-70 win. EMU remains undefeated in three all-time matchups with FAMU. The teams first matched up during the 2002 campaign, with EMU defeating the Rattlers, 81-61, Nov. 22. The two met for the second time,Nov. 10, 2017 with Eastern Michigan earning a 83-61 win.
   The Eagles had four players score in double figures, led by ZaNiya Nelson, who had 21 points, six rebounds and three steals. Natalia Pineda added 17 points and Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu chipped in as well with 12 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Along with her 12 rebounds, Skanes put up 10 points going 3-for-6 in field goals.

HOW NICE TO BE HOME: With two already played, the Eagles have five remaining home non-conference games including Wednesday's contest against IUPUI. The seven total non-conference games is the most for the program in a decade, when it played seven non-conference home games during the 2012-13 campaign.
   Eastern Michigan went 3-1 in its non-league home games one season ago and is currently 2-0 at home to begin the 2022-23 campaign. This season marks the seventh in the last 10 years that EMU is 2-0 at home to begin a season.

SCOUTING IUPUI: The Jaguars possess a 3-2 record in the 2022-23 season with their most recent victory coming over MAC member Ohio University, Nov. 20, in a contest decided by a 97-86 outcome. Similar to the Eagles, IUPUI is coming off a three-game win streak, defeating both Butler University, 67-61, and Southern Illinois University, 80-76, prior to its match with the Bobcats.
   Last year, IUPUI finished with an impressive 24-5 overall record and an 18-2 mark in the Horizon League. The Jaguars knocked off Cleveland State University in the KEEPS Horizon League Basketball Championship game, 61-54, to earn a ticket into the NCAA Tournament where IUPUI fell to the University of Oklahoma Sooners, 78-72, in the first round.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE JAGUARS: Wednesday's meeting with the Jags will mark just the third contest between the two schools. Both EMU and IUPUI hold a win over the other with a 1-1 all-time series record, dating back to the first contest, Nov. 23, 1999. The Eagles fell to the Jaguars 66-62, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center before traveling to Indianapolis, Ind., Nov. 22, 2000, and earning a 77-70, road victory to even the playing field.

EARNING HER WINGS: It was a debut day for freshman Sophia Nittinger in the contest between the Eagles and the Rattlers, Nov. 19. Her minute-long stint in the fourth quarter was the first action of her collegiate career.

DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORERS: Four Eagles scored 10+ points in the contest with FAMU, Nov. 19. Additionally, at least three Eagles have hit the mark in each game this season. Four have hit the mark in consecutive contests. Last season, Eastern got 10+ points from three or more players in 17 of its 27 contests (63%), and double-digit points totals from four or more players in just six contests (22%).

NELSON'S CAREER DAY: Sophomore ZaNiya Nelson led the Eagles in points for the second consecutive contest against the Rattlers, Nov. 19. She finished with a career-best 21 points, giving her consecutive 15+-point games for the first time in her career. Additionally, it is her first stretch of back-to-back double-digit games since Nov. 13 and Nov. 18, 2021, when she dropped 12 and 11 points against the University of Detroit Mercy and Grace Christian University, respectively.

TAYRA'S WALL: Sophomore Tayra Eke recorded her team and Mid-American Conference-leading 13th block of the season with 5:12 remaining in the first quarter of the game between the Eagles and the Rattlers, Nov. 19. Eke has now recorded at least one block in three consecutive contests, the best streak by an Eagle since the 2021-22 campaign, when Ce'Nara Skanes recorded the same streak in three games between Feb. 12-16 against the University of Akron, Ohio University, and Miami University, respectively.

THE OPENING QUARTER: Eastern Michigan scored 22 points in the first 10 minutes of play against the Rattlers, Nov. 19. It was the highest opening-quarter point total for the Eagles since it put up the same number in a game against Northern Illinois University, Jan. 22, 2022. Additionally, the Green and White scored 20 or more points in the first quarter only six times in the 2021-22 campaign (22%).

10 POINT LEADS: Eastern Michigan led FAMU, 22-12, at the end of the first quarter, Nov. 19. Eastern has now held a lead of 10 points in consecutive contests. The last time EMU led opponents by 10+ points after the first quarter in consecutive games was during the 2019-20 campaign, when Eastern built first-quarter leads of 15 and 17 points in consecutive games against Olivet College, Nov. 8, and Youngstown State University, Nov. 16, respectively.

ALONE AT THE TOP: In just her second year as an active member of the team in 2021-22, Ce'Nara Skanes became the program's all-time leader in double-doubles with 23 following a 21-point, 10-rebound effort at Miami, Jan. 29.
   After her 10 points and 12 rebounds against FAMU, Nov. 19, the forward has now recorded double-doubles in 24 of her 51 career games at EMU (47%), the best percentage of anyone on the 2022-23 roster. Prior to the most recent season, former Eagles Sarah VanMetre and Olivia Fouty tied for the most double-doubles in EMU history with 17.

A DAY TO REMEMBER: In just her second collegiate contest, freshman Elena Cabello had a moment to remember with 4:37 remaining in the second quarter when she netted Eastern's fourth three-pointer of the game. Additionally, the bucket was the first of her collegiate career. She finished the contest with six points on two-of-three shooting.

HALFTIME LEADERS: The Eagles built a 15-point lead by halftime in Saturday's game, Nov. 19. It marked three consecutive games to begin the season in which the Eagles have led by 10+ points after 20 minutes of play.

LAST YEAR, BEST YEAR: Senior Natalia Pineda finished Saturday's contest against the Rattlers with a career-high 17 points on 3-of-5 shooting. Effective from beyond the arc, she knocked down a season-high two from deep. It was her first game with two three-point makes since Feb. 23, 2022 in a game against NIU. Pineda also hit a career-high nine free throws for the Green and White. Her previous best was four, vs. Miami, Jan. 15 2020. The senior's 76.9 percent free throw average is good for ninth in the league.

THE OFFENSIVE GLASS: Eastern Michigan has collected 13 or more offensive boards in all three of its games, thus far. The team earned 13 offensive rebounds against the Rattlers, Nov. 19 after earning 13 against SIUE, Nov. 13, and a season-high 16 against Lindenwood, Nov.7. Leading the Green and White in offensive rebounds in the contest was Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu with five. The senior also tabbed on three defensive boards in the win.
   Additionally, Ozzy-Momodu's 8.0 total rebound percentage is good for fourth in the Mid-American Conference and tops the Green and White.

CAN'T LET THEM SCORE MORE THAN 70: EMU went 1-12 in 2021-22 when allowing 70+ points. Moreover, EMU is 9-68 when allowing 70 or more points since the start of the 2016-17 season.
   The Eagles defense has done a great job at limiting its opponents to below 70 in the 2022-23 season thus far. The only opponent to reach 70 against the Eagles was the FAMU Rattlers in the 77-70 victory for the Green and White, Nov. 19.

NUMBER 1 REJECTS: The Green and White have tallied 17 total blocks in the 2022-23 campaign (5.7 per game). The 5.7 blocks per game average places the Eagles atop the entire conference and in the top 25 within the nation, taking the 25th spot out of 347 teams ranked. Additionally, sophomore Tayra Eke leads the league in blocks per game with 2.33 as well as in total blocks with seven.

WIZARD OF OZZY: Senior Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu has made quite the impact on the Green and White in her three contest in an Eastern jersey. The international leads EMU in rebounds (24) and has recorded a single double-double against SIUE, Nov. 13. Furthermore, Ozzy-Momodu ranks in the top ten within the MAC for blocks per game (1.0) in the eighth spot, field-goal percentage (53.6) in sixth, and fourth in rebounds per game (8.0).

ON THE HORIZON: After a week-long Thanksgiving break, the Eagles will continue their home stretch Thursday, Dec. 1, when they play host to the North Dakota State University Bison inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. The contest is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

FOLLOW THE ACTION ALL SEASON LONG: Stay connected with the Eagles all season long by following @EMUWBB and @EMUAthletics on Twitter for all of the latest EMU women's basketball updates. Be sure to also follow the Green and White on Instagram, @EMUWBB.

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Players Mentioned

Elena Cabello

Tayra Eke

ZaNiya Nelson

Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu

Natalia Pineda

Ce'Nara Skanes

Eastern Michigan Athletics