Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, November 24
Ann Arbor, Mich.
1 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
1-3,0-0MAC
44
at
80
Michigan
5-1,0-0Big Ten
1
2
3
4
F
Eastern Mich.
12
13
9
10
44
Michigan
24
23
15
18
80
Women's Hoops Falls at Michigan
11/24/2023 2:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Freshman Cali Denson leads Eagles in points
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team saw a 17-point performance from the bench, but fell, 80-44, to the University of Michigan Wolverines on the road Friday, Nov. 24.
Cali Denson (Milwaukie, Ore./Milwaukie Academy of the Arts) led the Eagles (1-3) with nine points and two steals while Tayra Eke (Madrid, Spain/IES Ortega y Gasset) helped out on the defensive end with four blocks. Lachelle Austin (Redford, Mich./Wayne Memorial) was efficient moving the ball, collecting four assists.
Eastern Michigan did a great job disrupting Michigan shots in the contest, coming away with six blocks.
How It Happened
Eastern Michigan struggled out of the gate, falling behind, 24-12, at the end of the first quarter.
The Eagles continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 47-25 halftime deficit.
Michigan continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 58-29 advantage before Eastern Michigan went on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a three from Kyndal Lewis (Belton, Mo./Belton), to trim its deficit to 58-34 with 53 seconds to go in the third. Michigan countered and stretched its lead to 62-34 heading into the fourth. The Green and White played well near the basket, scoring six of its nine points in the paint.
Eastern Michigan came out of the third quarter break clicking on all cylinders, going on a 5-0 run, finished off by ZaNiya Nelson's (Oklahoma City, Okla./Putnam City West) three to shrink the deficit to 62-39 with 8:01 to go in the contest. Michigan responded and outscored the Eagles the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 80-44. Eastern Michigan got a boost from its bench in the period with non-starters scoring four of its 10 total points.
Game Notes
» Olivia Smith () connected on a shot from beyond the arc in the loss to Michigan. It was the third contest this season in which Smith has made a single three-pointer. Last season, the then-rookie led the team in triples recording a single make in 25 total games. Her longest streak of consecutive games with a made triple was 13 (Dec. 17, 2022-Feb. 1, 2023).
» Denson found herself in the starting lineup for the third consecutive game after doing so for the first time in her career in the road game at Georgia Southern University, Nov. 11. Denson has been the only freshman this season to be in the starting five.
» Lewis connected on a shot from the three-point line for just the second time in her career. The last time the junior was successful behind the three was against Ball State University, Feb. 8, 2023, where she went 1-of-3 from beyond the arc.
» Dara Capaldi (East Detroit, Mich./La Lumiere (Ind.) scored her first points in an Eastern Michigan jersey as the sophomore connected on a free throw late in the game.
» Myles led the Eagles in rebounds for the fourth consecutive game with seven.
» Austin finished the game with one made field goal marking the 38th consecutive game in which the junior has registered a single make. Additionally, her one steal marked her ninth consecutive game with a single steal and her four helpers add as her 26th career game with three or more assists in a single contest.
Historical Notes
» EMU and Michigan met for the 26th time Friday. A competitive series, the Wolverines hold a 17-9 all-time edge over the Green and White. Eastern has claimed victory in four of the last nine meetings.
» Eastern Michigan is just 14-49 against Big Ten Conference members all-time, dating back to the 1976-77 campaign. EMU has been most successful against Michigan, posting nine wins against its Washtenaw County foe, but still trails in the series, 17-9. Eastern has also registered wins against Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, and Wisconsin and while the Eagles hold a win in the only contest against Wisconsin, they are level with NU all-time, and they trail in the series with MSU, 1-16, and OSU, 1-2. Meanwhile, EMU is winless against Illinois (0-5), Indiana (0-2), Maryland (0-1), Minnesota (0-1), and Purdue (0-3).
Up Next
The Eagles will prepare for a longer road trip as the team is slated to head west to North Dakota where the Green and White will face North Dakota State University Friday, Dec. 1, before meeting with the University of North Dakota Sunday, Dec. 3.
Cali Denson (Milwaukie, Ore./Milwaukie Academy of the Arts) led the Eagles (1-3) with nine points and two steals while Tayra Eke (Madrid, Spain/IES Ortega y Gasset) helped out on the defensive end with four blocks. Lachelle Austin (Redford, Mich./Wayne Memorial) was efficient moving the ball, collecting four assists.
Eastern Michigan did a great job disrupting Michigan shots in the contest, coming away with six blocks.
How It Happened
Eastern Michigan struggled out of the gate, falling behind, 24-12, at the end of the first quarter.
The Eagles continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 47-25 halftime deficit.
Michigan continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 58-29 advantage before Eastern Michigan went on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a three from Kyndal Lewis (Belton, Mo./Belton), to trim its deficit to 58-34 with 53 seconds to go in the third. Michigan countered and stretched its lead to 62-34 heading into the fourth. The Green and White played well near the basket, scoring six of its nine points in the paint.
Eastern Michigan came out of the third quarter break clicking on all cylinders, going on a 5-0 run, finished off by ZaNiya Nelson's (Oklahoma City, Okla./Putnam City West) three to shrink the deficit to 62-39 with 8:01 to go in the contest. Michigan responded and outscored the Eagles the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 80-44. Eastern Michigan got a boost from its bench in the period with non-starters scoring four of its 10 total points.
Game Notes
» Olivia Smith () connected on a shot from beyond the arc in the loss to Michigan. It was the third contest this season in which Smith has made a single three-pointer. Last season, the then-rookie led the team in triples recording a single make in 25 total games. Her longest streak of consecutive games with a made triple was 13 (Dec. 17, 2022-Feb. 1, 2023).
» Denson found herself in the starting lineup for the third consecutive game after doing so for the first time in her career in the road game at Georgia Southern University, Nov. 11. Denson has been the only freshman this season to be in the starting five.
» Lewis connected on a shot from the three-point line for just the second time in her career. The last time the junior was successful behind the three was against Ball State University, Feb. 8, 2023, where she went 1-of-3 from beyond the arc.
» Dara Capaldi (East Detroit, Mich./La Lumiere (Ind.) scored her first points in an Eastern Michigan jersey as the sophomore connected on a free throw late in the game.
» Myles led the Eagles in rebounds for the fourth consecutive game with seven.
» Austin finished the game with one made field goal marking the 38th consecutive game in which the junior has registered a single make. Additionally, her one steal marked her ninth consecutive game with a single steal and her four helpers add as her 26th career game with three or more assists in a single contest.
Historical Notes
» EMU and Michigan met for the 26th time Friday. A competitive series, the Wolverines hold a 17-9 all-time edge over the Green and White. Eastern has claimed victory in four of the last nine meetings.
» Eastern Michigan is just 14-49 against Big Ten Conference members all-time, dating back to the 1976-77 campaign. EMU has been most successful against Michigan, posting nine wins against its Washtenaw County foe, but still trails in the series, 17-9. Eastern has also registered wins against Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, and Wisconsin and while the Eagles hold a win in the only contest against Wisconsin, they are level with NU all-time, and they trail in the series with MSU, 1-16, and OSU, 1-2. Meanwhile, EMU is winless against Illinois (0-5), Indiana (0-2), Maryland (0-1), Minnesota (0-1), and Purdue (0-3).
Up Next
The Eagles will prepare for a longer road trip as the team is slated to head west to North Dakota where the Green and White will face North Dakota State University Friday, Dec. 1, before meeting with the University of North Dakota Sunday, Dec. 3.
Team Stats
EMU
Mich
FG%
.333
.492
3FG%
.222
.500
FT%
.500
.750
RB
26
42
TO
27
19
STL
11
15
Game Leaders
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
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