Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
11-7,3-4MAC
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Western Michigan
9-9,4-3MAC
Defensive Effort Leads Eastern Michigan Past Western Michigan
1/26/2023 10:26:00 AM | Women's Basketball
EMU held WMU to just 29 percent shooting for the contest
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) --The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team held Western Michigan University to just 15.8 percent (3-of-19) from deep in a 3-for-19 shooting performance on the way to a 63-51 win on the road Wednesday, Jan. 25, at University Arena.
The Eagles (11-7, 3-4) had three players score in double figures, led by ZaNiya Nelson (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West), who had 12 points and six rebounds. Olivia Smith (Fort Wayne, Ind.-South Side) tacked on 12 points and three steals and Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu (London, England-City of London Academy-Robert Morris) helped out with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Eastern Michigan grabbed 43 rebounds in Wednesday's game compared to Western Michigan's 27, led by nine boards from Tayra Eke (Madrid, Spain-IES Ortega y Gasset-LIU).
Eastern Michigan's defense held Western Michigan to only 15.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc and 29.1 percent from the field. The Eagles also limited Maddie Watters to 1-of-7 shooting from downtown and six points in the game. The Broncos did not have much luck cleaning up their misses on the offensive glass either, as they finished with eight offensive rebounds and managed six second-chance points while Eastern Michigan cleared 35 defensive rebounds.
How It Happened
Eastern Michigan started off strong, putting together a 19-17 lead heading into the second quarter. Eastern Michigan did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 18 of its 19 points close to the basket.
Eastern Michigan kept its first-quarter lead intact before going on a 10-0 run starting at the 7:30 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Lachelle Austin (Redford, Mich.-Wayne Memorial), to increase its lead to 29-17. The Eagles proceeded to tack on five points to that lead and enjoyed a 42-25 advantage heading into halftime. Eastern Michigan forced six Western Michigan turnovers in the period and turned them into six points.
Eastern Michigan continued to preserve its halftime lead before going on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a three from Smith, to expand its lead further to 49-27 with 7:12 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Broncos had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Eagles still entered the fourth quarter with a 57-38 edge. Eastern Michigan knocked down two three-pointers in the quarter to score six of its 15 total points.
The Eagles then held on for the victory in the fourth quarter. Eastern Michigan pulled down four offensive rebounds to score two second-chance points out of six total in the period
Game Notes
» Smith continues to impress as she knocked down four triples in the game against Western Michigan, Jan. 25. The rookie has at least one three-point make in all but one contest this season. Additionally, with her four buckets from the three, the freshman guard has recorded three or more triples in six of her 18 collegiate games (33%), with yesterday's performance marking her third contest with four makes.
» The Eagles held the Broncos to only 29.1 percent shooting from the field in EMU's victory, Jan. 25. It was the eleventh time this season the team has kept its opponent from shooting above 40 percent from the field. In all instances but two, Eastern has out-shot its competitors. The Green and White are 9-2 in games where its competitors shoot less than 40 percent from the field.
» Eastern Michigan had a stellar day defensively, holding Western Michigan to 16 percent from three-point land on 19 attempts. This number mark's the second-lowest three-point percentage against the EMU defense this season. The Eagles held NIU to 15.8 percent (3-of-19) from beyond the arc in its 66-61 overtime victory, Jan. 21. Moreover, this was the first time this season in which Eastern Michigan has held its opponent to 20% or worse from the three in consecutive games. Last season, the team held its competitors to 20% or worse in just one contest. In that game, the Eagles faced Grace Christian University, allowing them to shoot 20 percent from the three (4-of-20) in the 133-45 victory for EMU, Nov. 18, 2021.
» The Eastern Michigan bench came alive by adding 26 points to its scoring output in the win over WMU, Jan. 25. The 26 nods rank as the team's third-highest scoring total from the bench this season after the team dropped 28 against James Madison University, Dec. 20, and then its season-high 33 points at Kent State University, Jan. 18. Those 33 bench points are the most for the team since it recorded 34 in a game at Kent State, Jan. 8, 2020. Additionally, with its 428 total points so far, the Eastern Michigan bench has produced 288 of them, accounting for 67 percent of all EMU points this season. Last year, the bench produced 454 of the team's 1,804 total points, just over 25 percent.
» Eastern Michigan had a 43-27 edge on the boards in the win, Jan. 25. It was the ninth contest this season that the Eagles have won the rebounding battle. Additionally, the 16 boards margin ties for the team's third highest marginal difference in terms of rebounds matching the 46-30 (+16) battle against Lindenwood University, Nov. 7, the 44-27 (+17) battle over Hillsdale College, and the team's high 43-20 (+23) set against Wright State University.
Historical Notes
» Yesterday's matchup marked the 93rd meeting between Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan. EMU leads the all-time series, 52-41, after its 63-51 victory.
» After coming off a 79-66 road setback at Kent State, Jan. 18, the Eagles have bounced back, earning consecutive conference wins. The stretch of two began with a 66-61 overtime victory against NIU, Jan. 21, and was followed by yesterday's 63-51 road win at Western Michigan. The last time the Green and White were victorious in back-to-back conference games was when it defeated Miami University, 70-61 at home and then turned around and beat Central Michigan University, 83-70, on the road. Additionally, the victory in Kalamazoo, Mich. broke a three-game losing streak against the Broncos and gave Head Coach Fred Castro his fifth win over one of his in-state rivals.
Up Next
The Eastern Michigan women's basketball team will return home in time to host the University of Toledo, Saturday, Jan. 28, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
