Women's Basketball Ready for Road Tilt at Northern Illinois

Women's Basketball at Central Michigan
Date	Wednesday, Feb. 23 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	DeKalb, Ill. \| NIU Convocation Center
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF)
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Twitter	.@EMUWBB \| @EMUAthletics

DEKALB, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team is back in action Wednesday, Feb. 23, when it travels to the Land of Lincoln for a midweek bout with Northern Illinois University. Tipoff from the NIU Convocation Center is set for 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET.)
   The Eagles (7-16, 4-12 MAC) are looking for a season-best three-game win streak. EMU defeated Miami, Feb. 16, before taking care of Central Michigan, 83-70, in its most recent game, Feb. 19. Meanwhile, NIU (11-13, 7-8 MAC) is looking to punch its ticket to the MAC Tournament as it is in a heated battle to secure one of the eight available spots in Cleveland, March 9-12.
   The game will be televised on ESPN3. Additionally, the team's official Twitter account, @EMUWBB, will provide live updates throughout the contest.

THE WIN GIVES: EMU's win over CMU gave Eastern three-consecutive victories in the rivalry series for the first time since it won that number between March 8, 2014, and March 7, 2015. Eastern bested the Chips twice at home during that stretch, and once on the road.

A WIN ALSO GAVE: The Eagles victory over the Chips also marked consecutive wins at McGuirk Arena for the first time since the 2006-08 seasons. Eastern defeated CMU, 57-50, Feb. 28, 2007 before following it up with another win in Mount Pleasant, 68-66, Jan. 19, 2008.

DOUBLE-DIGIT CHIP DIP: With an 83-70 win over Central Michigan, Feb. 19, Eastern Michigan has now defeated the Chippewas by double-digits in back-to-back games for the first time since the 2014-15 season.

TURNOVER TOWN: The Eastern Michigan defense forced 18 Central Michigan turnovers, Feb. 19. The game is the 11th in its last 12 contests that the EMU defense has forced 15+ opponent turnovers, the best stretch of the season for the Eagles.

BOARD GAMES: Redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes pulled in a team-high 16 boards against Central, Feb. 19, six of which came on the offensive end. The effort was her 12th of the season with 10+ rebounds, which leads the team. The performance was the 30th time in her career and 14th this season leading EMU in single-game rebounding. Additionally, the 16 rebounds is a season-best for Skanes.

SPREADING THE SCORING: Ten different players got in on the scoring action at Central Michigan, Feb. 19, with each of them recording at least two points. Coming into the contest, EMU had not had 10 different Eagles score in a single Division I game all season. Additionally, Eastern has gotten five-or-more points from seven-or-more players in two of its last four games (at Buffalo, Feb. 9).

CAN'T STOP COURTNIE: Senior guard Courtnie Lewis was electric against the Chippewas. She dropped a team-best 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting in the first half, and finished with 14 points, which ties her season-best. The five made field goals tied her season best for makes in a single game, which she accomplished at Ohio, Feb. 14.

A DISH TO PASS: Eastern Michigan tallied 18 total assists in its game against CMU, Feb. 19, its most against a Division I opponent this season.

GAME OF RUNS: Eastern Michigan put together a 23-0 run between the 2:28 mark in the first quarter and the 6:04 mark in the second quarter against CMU. That propelled EMU to a 22-point, 33-11 lead at that point, which tied for its largest margin of the half. The 23-0 run is a season-best for EMU. Its previous best was a 22-point sprint against Grace Christian, Nov. 18.

BIG FIRST HALF AGAINST CMU: EMU scored 44 first-half points against Central Michigan, which tie the most the team has scored against a Division I opponent this season (44 vs. CMU, Jan. 8). Prior to the contest, Eastern had not hit the 40-point mark in a first half in its last 11 games (at Kent State, Jan. 15). The Eagles have scored 40+ in a first half four times this season and nine times overall in a 20-minute stretch this season.

MORE THAN HALF THE TIME: Redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes finished with 19 points and a season-high 16 rebounds to record her 10th double-double of the season at CMU, Feb. 19. It was her 22nd overall with the Green and White. She has now recorded double-doubles in 22 of her 43 career games at EMU (51%), the best percentage of anyone on the team.

AWESOME AUSTIN: Freshman guard Lachelle Austin set a new personal standard with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting against CMU. Both her total points and field goal makes are career-high marks for the freshman. She previously scored a personal-best 12 points against Binghamton, Dec. 10.

BIG BENCH: The EMU bench has been outstanding in the last two games. Eastern bench players scored 22 points against Central, Feb. 19, which accounted for 26.5 percent of the team's total offensive production.
   Just as good versus Miami, Feb. 16, the Eagles' second unit dropped 20 points and accounted for 28.6 percent of EMU's total scoring effort in the contest.
   The Eagles have scored 15+ bench points in 10 contests this season.

SHARING IS CARING: Areanna Combs currently sits 11th in the Mid-American Conference with 3.7 assists per contest. The guard has dished out 38 dimes in the past seven games, including an eight-assist performance versus Miami, Feb. 16, and five outings with five-or-more-helpers during the span. Combs has recorded eight outings with at least five assists so far in the 2021-22 season.

STRIPE LIFE: Redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes is best known for her blocks and skill near the rim, however, she is also a threat when sent to the charity stripe. The center has sunk 69-of-90 (73.3%) from the line this season, but in the last nine games, she is a team-leading 30-of-33 (90.9%). Furthermore, she has been perfect from the line in six of those outings.

PLAYING DISCIPLINED: EMU has been tremendous at taking care of the basketball, ranking fifth in the league and 48th nationally in fewest turnovers (330).

THE FIRST 20 MATTERS: All seven of Eastern's wins have seen the Eagles take a lead into the intermission, while 15 of the squad's 16 setbacks have included a halftime deficit.
   Eastern is 43-16 in games in which it held a halftime lead since the onset of the 2016-17 season, and 17-84 in games where it has trailed at the break in that same span.

LIVING AT THE LINE: While Ce'Nara Skanes has been improving at the stripe as of late, redshirt senior guard Areanna Combs has been living at the line in her last 10 outings. The Oklahoma City native has taken 86 free throws in that span (8.6 per game). Combs has converted 71.4 percent of the freebie attempts (60-of-86). For comparison, she went to the line just 76 times in EMU's first 13 games of the season (5.8 per game).
   The 86 attempts are by far the most of any Eagle in the recent 10-game stretch. Skanes is second in attempts during that span, with 38 (-48 compared to Combs).

LIKE BONNIE AND CLYDE: The Green and White are fourth in the league, averaging 9.2 steals per contest. That number is the second-best mark under Fred Castro (2016-Pres.). The 2017-18 EMU squad racked up 9.7 steals per contest.

DEATH, TAXES, DOUBLE DIGITS: If one thing is as certain as can be, it's that Areanna Combs will score 10+ points. Including her 22 performances of the nature this season, Combs has now recorded double-digit scoring efforts in 64 of her 67 career games with the Green and White (95.4%). That number is the highest percentage in the Mid-American Conference.

CAN'T LET THEM SCORE 70: EMU is 1-9 in 2021-22 when allowing 70+ points. Moreover, EMU is 9-65 when allowing 70+ points since the start of the 2016-17 season.

COOKIES: Redshirt senior Areanna Combs ranks fourth in the MAC in total steals (59) and fourth in the league in steals per game (2.6). 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). Additionally, the guard has recorded at least two steals in five-straight outings.

COURTNIE AND COMBS CLIMBING: 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 1,188 career points, which ranks 19th on the scoring list.
   Meanwhile, redshirt senior Areanna Combs, who recently joined the 1,000-point club, sits at 15th in the record book, with 1,250 points in her three seasons donning the Green and White. The guard is averaging 18.7 ppg this season, which puts her on track to crack the top-13 in EMU's scoring laurels by the end of the 2021-22 regular season.
   EMU great Tavelyn James (2008-12) owns the top spot in program history, having accumulated 2,470 career points.

TWO GRAND TEAMMATES: Upperclassmen Courtnie Lewis (1,188) and Areanna Combs (1,250) 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.

BLOCK PART(E): EMU is fourth in the Mid-American Conference in blocks per game (3.4). Redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes leads the team with 28 rejections and is fifth in the MAC with 1.2 blocks per contest while freshman Treasure Thompson is 11th in the league at 0.9 bpg (16 total).
   The Eagles have recorded at least five blocks in seven contests this season. In the 2020-21 campaign, Eastern only recorded five-or-more blocks in a game three times.

ROCK COLLECTORS: The Green and White recorded 11 steals versus Central Michigan, Feb. 19, led by freshman Lachelle Austin with three swipes. The Eagles have pick-pocketed their opponents 10-or-more times in nine outings this season. For Austin, the performance was just her second with three-or-more steals.

ALL-TIME VERSUS NORTHERN ILLINOIS: This will be the 59th meeting between the Eagles and Huskies. NIU holds the series advantage, 38-20.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE HUSKIES: The Eagles produced 24 points in the fourth quarter, but could not complete the comeback, falling at home, 85-76, Jan. 22. Areanna Combs dropped 23 points and dished out four assists in the contest, while Ce'Nara Skanes added 12 points and eight rebounds. EMU was unable to match NIU's production from deep, as the Huskies knocked down 11-of-17 (64.7%) from behind the line.

LAST TIME IN DEKALB: Eastern fell on the road in DeKalb, Ill., 75-66, March 3, 2021. Areanna Combs, Ce'Nara Skanes, and former Eagle Jenna Annecchiarico combined for 65% of the team's scoring. Additionally, Skanes pulled in 10 rebounds to record a double-double. Northern Illinois was efficient from the field, converting on 25-of-53 (47.2%) shots.

SCOUTING NIU: Northern Illinois is first in the Mid-American Conference in rebounds per game at 42.1. The Huskies' A'Jah Harris leads the conference in rebounding as she averages 12.0 rpg. Harris also ranks second in the league in field goal percentage at 48.9 percent (184-of-376).

ON THE HORIZON: Following Wednesday's contest in the Land of Lincoln, EMU will return to Ypsilanti to host the University of Toledo on Saturday, Feb. 26. Tipoff inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center is set for 2 p.m. The day will feature EMU's annual Play4Kay celebration, as well as Senior Day festivities for nine Eagles.

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Players Mentioned

Lachelle Austin

Areanna Combs

Courtnie Lewis

Ce'Nara Skanes

Treasure Thompson

Eastern Michigan Athletics