Women's Hoops Hosts North Dakota Fighting Hawks

Women's Basketball vs. UND
Date	Sunday, Dec. 4 \| 12 p.m.
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 looks to stretch its five-game winning streak Sunday, Dec. 4, in a meeting with the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. Tip-off is scheduled for noon and will serve as part of a doubleheader with the Eastern men who will face Florida Atlantic University at 2:30 p.m.
    Sunday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Ryan Wooley (pxp) and Claire Dau (analyst) on the call. It will also be broadcast live on WEMU (89.1FM) 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.

THE 5-0 START: With its 73-55 win over North Dakota State University, Dec. 1, Eastern Michigan is off to its first 5-0 start since 2013-14, when the Green and White opened with six straight wins. It is the program's fourth 5-0 start since its inception in the 1976-77 season. Additionally, it is the first five-game win streak for the program since the 2019-20 campaign. In that year, the Eagles went 5-0 between Dec. 10, 2019, and Jan. 8, 2020, taking wins off of Purdue University Fort Wayne, University of Illinois-Chicago, University of Detroit Mercy, Bowling Green State University, and Kent State University.

CASTRO'S BEST START: EMU's 5-0 start is the first for seventh-year Head Coach Fred Castro. It tops the team's consecutive 2-0 starts in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. Additionally, of the nine women's basketball head coaches at Eastern, just four have begun a season with five or more consecutive wins.

EAGLES IN THE MAC: Five Eagles are ranked in the top 10 in various statistical categories throughout the Mid-American Conference. Holding the highest ranking for the Green and White is sophomore Tayra Eke, who sits atop the league in blocks per game (2.2), and in total blocks (11). Additionally, the sophomore ranks 10th in the league in rebounds per game (6.8). Sophomore Lachelle Austin has added her name in the top 10 in five statistical categories, the most by any Eagle this season. Austin is third in the MAC for steals per game (3.3), eighth for assists per game (3.8), eighth in assist/turnover ratio (1.7), eighth in field goal percentage (43.1%), and 10th in points per game (14.2). Senior Natalia Pineda ranks sixth in the league for minutes played per game (33.5), and ninth in assist/turnover ratio (1.4). Rounding out the group is ZaNiya Nelson, who ranks fifth in field goal percentage (48.3%), and Ce'Nara Skanes, who is fourth in the league for rebounds per game (7.8), sixth in steals per game (2.0), and seventh for blocks per game (1.0).

ANOTHER WIN WOULD: If Eastern Michigan comes out of Sunday's contest victorious, the Green and White would have its first six-game win streak since it did so during the 2015-16 season. In that year, the Eagles went 6-0 between Dec. 8, 2015, and Jan. 2, 2016, taking wins off of Harvard University, Monmouth University, Madonna University, the University of Michigan, the University of Detroit Mercy, and the University at Buffalo.
   Moreover, if the team accomplishes the 6-0 feat, it will mark the 11th six-game win streak in program history and just the fourth to begin the season.

LAST TIME OUT (NDSU): Sophomore Tayra Eke recorded her second-consecutive double-double while three of her teammates reached double-figures in scoring to help the team to a 73-55 victory over visiting North Dakota State, Dec. 1. The Eagles (5-0) won the battle between undefeated teams as all players scored at least two points to help Eastern hand the Bison (6-1) their first loss of the season. The Eagles had four players score in double figures, led by sophomore Lachelle Austin, who had 17 points and four steals. Eke added a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds and junior Ce'Nara Skanes helped out with 14 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks off of the bench. Sophomore ZaNiya Nelson rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points on the night.

HOW NICE TO BE HOME: With four already played, the Eagles have three remaining home non-conference games, including Sunday's contest with UND. 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 has topped that record with a 4-0 start at home to begin the 2022-23 campaign. This season marks the fifth in the last 10 years that EMU is 4-0 at home to begin a season.

SCOUTING UND: The Fighting Hawks possess a 3-3 record to start the 2022-23 season. Prior to their contest with the University of Wisconsin-Superior, Friday, Dec. 2, the Fighting Hawks are coming off a 65-59 victory over Manhattan College, Nov. 26, in the Grand Canyon University Thanksgiving Classic. Before the win, North Dakota was on a three-game losing streak, dropping games to Montana State University (77-66), the University of Montana (82-77), and Grand Canyon (73-60). The team is averaging 67.5 points per game, shooting 39.2% from the field and 29.4% from beyond the arc. Additionally, Kacie Borowicz, UND's top scorer, averages 20.3 points per game.
   As a member of The Summit League, UND finished 9-9 in conference last season earning a berth into the tournament. The Fighting Hawks came up short in the quarterfinals, falling to Oral Roberts University, 61-54 to finish the season.

CAN'T LET THEM SCORE MORE THAN 70: EMU went 1-12 in 2021-22 when allowing 70+ points. Moreover, EMU is 10-68 when allowing 70 or more points since the start of the 2016-17 season.
   The Green and White held the Bison to just 55 points in the win, Dec. 1. Including the impressive 73-55 victory, 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 Florida A&M University in the 77-70 victory for the Green and White, Nov. 19. The Bison's 55 points is the second fewest points Eastern has allowed on defense this season, behind IUPUI's 49 points, Nov. 23.

RACK-EM-UP: EMU has scored at least 70 points in all five games this season. Last year, EMU hit that number just nine times in 27 total games and had its longest stretch of three consecutive games of the sort just once. The five consecutive 70+ points for the Eagles surpasses last season's longest streak.

NUMBER ONE REJECTS: The Green and White have tallied 27 total blocks in the 2022-23 campaign (5.4 per game), placing the Eagles atop the entire conference and in the top 25 within the nation. Additionally, Tayra Eke leads the league in blocks per game with 2.2 and in total blocks with 11. The sophomore has now recorded a block in each game so far this season.

SOUND THE ALARM: Eastern's 13 steals on defense against the Bison, Dec. 1, was the most steals EMU has had as a team in the young season, besting a previous high of 12 steals at SIU-Edwardsville, Nov. 13. As a team, the Eagles have posted six or more steals in every game this season. Additionally, the team's 9.2 steals per game ranks third in the league.

TAYRA'S WALL: Sophomore Tayra Eke recorded her team-leading 11th block of the season behind her single stop against NDSU, Dec. 1. Eke has recorded at least one block in five straight contests, the best streak by an Eagle since Ce'Nara Skanes did the same between Jan. 19-29, 2022, against Western Michigan University, Northern Illinois University, Bowling Green State University, the University of Akron and Miami University, respectively.

TURNOVER TOWN: Eastern won the turnover battle 17 times in 27 outings, including 14 times during Mid-American Conference play, one season ago. During league action, EMU had an eight-game span where it forced more turnovers than it gave up.
   Staying true to its 2021-22 trend, the Eagles have now dominated the turnover battle, 98-79, this season. The Green and White forced 19 Bison turnovers while committing 14 themselves in the victory, Dec.1. The team is now 4-0 in games where the opponent turns the ball over more times than Eastern.

SHUT-EM DOWN: Eastern held the Bison to only 32.8% shooting from the field in the 73-55 victory, Dec. 1. It is the third time this season the team has kept its opponent from shooting above 40 percent from the field. In all instances, Eastern has out-shot its competitors.

BATTLE OF THE UNDEFEATED: The Eagles (5-0) won the battle between undefeated teams as all players scored at least two points to help Eastern hand the Bison (6-1) their first loss of the season, Dec. 1.

EKE'S DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Tayra Eke's 15 points and 10 rebounds led her to her second double-double in as many games. Additionally, the Spaniard's 15 points tied her season-high, set against IUPUI, Nov. 23.

AUSTIN-TACIOUS: Sophomore Lachelle Austin opened the night with a bucket from the three-point line against the Bison, Dec. 1. It was her sixth triple of the season, earning the sophomore at least one bucket from beyond the arc in each contest she has participated in thus far. Additionally, Austin tied her career-high of four steals for the third time in her career, the most recent being at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, Nov. 13. She has had a steal in every contest she has appeared in this season.

DEFENSIVE BOARDS: Eastern Michigan won the defensive rebound battle, 30-25, Dec.1. It marked the fourth time in five games that Eastern Michigan out-rebounded its opponents defensively. Additionally, the team's 29.2 defensive rebounds per game ranks third in the league and 54th nationally.

EIGHT IS GREAT: A total of eight players scored all of Eastern's points in the victory over North Dakota State, Dec. 1. With this effort, it was the first game the Eagles have had eight different players score in a single game this season. In their previous four games, the Green and White have had at least seven players score at least one point.

THE EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM: The Eagles scored 18 points in the first quarter against NDSU, Dec.1. It marked the fifth consecutive game that EMU has secured 16 or more points to open play, going 5-0 with the most coming against Florida A&M University, Nov. 19 (22). In the 2021-22 season, Eastern Michigan accomplished the same feat in 14 of the 27 games, going 7-7 in such games.

DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORERS: Eastern Michigan had four players in double digit points against the Bison's defense (Austin, Eke, Skanes, Nelson). It was the fifth consecutive game in which the team has registered three or more players in double-figures. Additionally, it was the third contest with four players in double-digits.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern continues its home stretch Saturday, Dec. 10, by playing host to the Screaming Eagles of the University of Southern Indiana with a 1 p.m. tip. The game, which will be broadcast live on ESPN+, will be played inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.

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

Lachelle Austin

Tayra Eke

ZaNiya Nelson

Natalia Pineda

Ce'Nara Skanes

Eastern Michigan Athletics