Celebrate Girls and Women in Sports With Women's Hoops Saturday

Women's Basketball vs. Kent State
Date	Saturday, Feb. 5 \| 2 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) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team will be back in action Saturday, Feb. 5 when it hosts Kent State University inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m.
   The Eagles (5-12, 2-8 MAC) will look to get back on track after being defeated by Buffalo, 69-62, in their most recent contest, Feb. 2. Kent State (11-7, 3-6 MAC) comes into the contest in search of consecutive wins after besting Central Michigan, 68-57, on the same day.           The game will be televised on ESPN+ where Ryan Wooley (play-by-play) and Lexi Ayala (analyst) will have the call. Kristy King will patrol the sideline. Additionally, the team's official Twitter account, @EMUWBB, will provide live updates throughout the contest.

LOTS TO CELEBRATE: EMU will celebrate Girls and Women's in Sports Day Saturday. Festivities will include player video tributes, a 1,000-point ceremony for Areanna Combs, professor recognitions (those who have most impacted players on the women's basketball teams), and more.

A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING: Redshirt senior Areanna Combs recorded 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and six steals versus Buffalo, Feb. 2. The effort marked her third doubled-double of the season and 10th of her career. Combs' rebounding effort was her second in double-digits and fourth leading the team this season.
   The redshirt senior shared the ball effectively as her six assists marked her fourth contest with at least five assists in the 2021-22 season. Combs finished the afternoon with six steals, her fourth-straight game with at least three swipes.

THIRD-QUARTER BOOST: After a 20-point first half against UB, the Eagles came out firing after intermission against the Bulls. EMU scored 26 points, 12 of which came from the charity stripe. For EMU, 26 points is the fourth-most in a single quarter this season. Last week, the Green and White dropped 29 points in the fourth quarter at Miami, Jan. 29.

ROCK COLLECTORS: The Green and White recorded 12 steals versus Buffalo, Feb. 2, tied for the third-most by the team this season. The Eagles have pick-pocketed their opponents 10-or-more times in six outings this season. The 12 swipes are tied for the most Buffalo has allowed in its 2021-2022 campaign.

CAUTION…WET PAINT: Eastern scored 42 of its 62 points (67.7%) against Buffalo in the paint, Feb. 2. The Eagles' production in the paint is the highest by the team this season. EMU has reached the 40-point plateau in the paint a total of three times thus far in the 2021-2022 campaign.

WEARS 10, SCORES 20: Redshirt senior guard Areanna Combs is in the midst of a career-best scoring stretch. The Oklahoma City native notched 24 points on 9-of-28 shooting against Buffalo, Feb. 2. The effort was her seventh of 20+ points this season, and her fifth consecutive game reaching the mark. Her current streak of 20-point efforts is a career-best.
   Combs has scored 85 points across her last three outings for an average of 28.3 ppg.

BIG TIME BLOCKS: EMU has out-blocked its opposition, 28-21, in Mid-American Conference play. The stretch is highlighted by a season-best (tied) six swats against Northern Illinois, Jan. 22. Additionally, there have been five league contests in which Eastern has recorded a block while not having one of its own rejected.

WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE: EMU won the turnover battle against Buffalo, Feb. 2, forcing 22 giveaways while recording just 11 of its own. The game marked the 10th time this season that EMU has led the turnover battle and the seventh time the Eagles have won that battle in MAC play. The Green and White have forced their opponents into committing 20+ turnovers six times this season.

ON THE BOARDS: EMU dominated the offensive glass with 26 offensive boards against the Bulls, Feb. 2. Eastern hauled in 54.2% (26-of-48) of its total rebounds in the contest on the offensive end. Additionally, the Eagles have gotten 30 percent-or-more of its rebounding production on the offensive end of the floor 11 times during the 2021-22 campaign. It is also the second time this season in which the Green and White have recorded more offensive rebounds than defensive. The team ranks fifth in the MAC with a 12.7 ORPG average.

SKANES' SWATS: Redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes has elevated her game near the basket in her last six outings, with nine blocks in the span. Most recently, the forward recorded one rejection at Miami, Jan. 29. Additionally, the Oklahoma City native tied her season-best with three rejections versus Northern Illinois, Jan. 22.
   Skanes currently ranks fourth in the Mid-American Conference in both blocks per game (1.2) and total blocks (22).

BIG TIME BUCKETS: EMU averages 70.0 points per game, the sixth-best average in the Mid-American Conference. The Eagles have scored 70+ points in seven contests this season. Last season, EMU eclipsed 70 points just twice.

STRIPE LIFE: Redshirt senior Areanna Combs has been solid from the charity stripe this season, sinking 99-of-132 (.750) of her attempts. Her percentage from the line ranks 14th in the conference while her 99 makes is the most in the league.

THE FIRST 20 MATTERS: All five of Eastern's wins have seen the Eagles take a lead into the intermission, while each of the squad's 12 setbacks has included a halftime deficit.
   The trend continued as the Green and White fell behind to Buffalo, 34-20, at the half and ultimately falling 69-62, Feb. 2.
   EMU is 41-15 in games in which it held a halftime lead since the onset of the 2016-17 season, and 17-81 in games where it has trailed at the break in that same span.

THREE-POINT WOES: Despite boasting a team three-point mark of over 30 percent, the Eagles have been cold from deep in the past three games. Through the first 13 games of the season, EMU shot 20%-or-lower from deep just twice (vs. Binghamton, Dec.10, 2-of-16; vs. Western Michigan, Jan. 19, 5-of-25). In the last five outings, the Eagles shot 20 percent-or-less from deep three times
   EMU shot 0-for-6 from deep in the first half against the Bulls, Feb. 2. The Eagles finished 3-for-15 (.200) from beyond-the-arc.

PLAYING DISCIPLINED: Eastern has been one of the most disciplined teams in the conference in the early portion of the 2021-22 season. Currently, the Eagles are seventh in the MAC in fewest fouls (283). Additionally, EMU has been tremendous at taking care of the basketball, ranking first in the league and 36th nationally in fewest turnovers (243).

LIKE BONNIE AND CLYDE: The Green and White are fifth in the league, averaging 9.1 steals per contest. That number ties for the second-best mark under Fred Castro (2016-Pres.). The 2017-18 EMU squad racked up 9.7 steals per contest.

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 1,145 career points, sitting 19th all-time behind former Eagle Reeshema Wood (1989-93) who tallied 1,158 points.
   Meanwhile, redshirt senior Areanna Combs, who recently joined the 1,000-point club, sits at 20th in the record book, with 1,142 points in her three seasons donning the Green and White. The guard is averaging 18.9 ppg this season, which puts her on track to crack the top-15 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.

HIGH PERCENTAGE SHOTS: The Eagles have hit 41.1 percent (427-of-1039) of their shots from the field this season, good for eighth in the league. 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.

DEEP THOUGHTS: EMU boasts a three-point percentage of 31.6 (101-for-320) in 17 games this season. In the same stretch last year, the Eagles were hitting 27.0 percent (88-for-326). The 31.6 percent mark from beyond-the-arc ranks seventh in the Mid-American Conference.
   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 sank 35 percent-or-better in the category in seven of 15 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 16 performances of the nature this season, Combs has now recorded double-digit scoring efforts in 58 of her 61 career games with the Green and White (95.1%). That number is the highest percentage in the Mid-American Conference.

COOKIES: Redshirt senior Areanna Combs ranks second in the MAC in total steals (47) and steals per game (2.8). 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). Most recently, Combs swiped six balls versus Buffalo, Feb. 2, her fourth-straight game with at least three swipes.

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 0-7 in 2021-22. Moreover, EMU is 8-63 when allowing 70+ points since the start of the 2016-17 season.

BLOCK PART(E): EMU is fourth in the Mid-American Conference in blocks per game (3.47). Redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes leads the team with 21 rejections and is fourth in the MAC with 1.2 blocks per contest while freshman Treasure Thompson rounds out the top-10 in the league at 0.8 bpg (15 total).
   The Eagles have recorded at least five blocks in five contests this season. In the 2020-21 campaign, Eastern only recorded five-or-more blocks in a game three times.

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 as the only active players to have hit the milestone.

TWO GRAND TEAMMATES: Upperclassmen Courtnie Lewis (1,145) and Areanna Combs (1,142) 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.

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 297-380 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).

ALL-TIME VERSUS KENT STATE: Eastern Michigan trails in the all-time series with Kent State, 42-28. The Golden Flashes have won the last two contests and are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE GOLDEN FLASHES: Eastern was held to just nine points in both the third and fourth quarters at KSU, falling to the Golden Flashes, 83-58, Jan. 15. Kent State got 32 points out of their bench, hit 90.5 percent (19-of-21) of its shots from the line, and knocked down 10 three-pointers to keep the game out of reach. Redshirt senior Areanna Combs led the way for the Eagles with 13 points, while classmate Danielle Rainey added 12, shooting 2-for-4 from deep.

SCOUTING KENT STATE: Kent State ranks second in the MAC in both 3PT% (35.5) and FG% defense (38.), and third in scoring defense (60.4 ppg). Defensively, the Golden Flashes' Nila Blackford currently sits third in the league with 9.6 rebounds per game. On offense, Casey Santoro owns the third-best three-point percentage in the MAC with a 42.3 clip.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern hits the road to take on Buffalo Wednesday, Feb. 9. Tipoff from upstate New York is set for 7 p.m.

Celebrate Girls and Women in Sports With Women's Hoops Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Areanna Combs

Courtnie Lewis

Danielle Rainey

Ce'Nara Skanes

Treasure Thompson

Eastern Michigan Athletics