Eastern Michigan Athletics
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Eastern Michigan Falls to Detroit Mercy in Season Opener
11/6/2023 9:33:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Freshman Cali Denson led the way with nine points in her collegiate debut
Highlight Video | Post Game Press Conference | Photo Gallery.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team got a 13-point performance from the bench, but fell, 68-38, to the University of Detroit Mercy Titans Monday, Nov. 6, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti, Mich.
Freshman Cali Denson (Milwaukie, Ore./Milwaukie Academy of the Arts) led the Eagles in points as she finished with nine coming off the bench. Kennedi Myles (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills/Illinois/Marquette) led the Eagles defensively with 11 rebounds and four steals.
Myles pulled down four offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second-chance opportunities for Eastern Michigan, grabbing 12 boards and turning them into seven second-chance points.
How It Happened
The Green and White struggled out of the gate, falling behind 20-7 at the end of the first quarter.
The Eagles continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 34-19 halftime deficit.
Detroit Mercy continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 38-22 advantage before Eastern Michigan went on a 5-0 run to trim its deficit to 38-27 with 6:15 to go in the third. The Titans countered and stretched its lead to 51-29 heading into the fourth. EMU played well near the basket, scoring eight of its 10 points in the paint.
Eastern could not pull any closer in the fourth, losing by a final of 68-38. Eastern Michigan took advantage of nine Detroit Mercy turnovers in the quarter, scoring four points off of those takeaways.
Game Notes
» The Eastern Michigan bench made an impact by adding 13 points to its scoring output. Last season, the Eagles earned 13 or more bench points in 15 outings.
» EMU forced 21 Detroit Mercy turnovers while committing 14 themselves. The Eagles turned those takeaways into nine points on the offensive end of the floor.
» Eastern Michigan cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 12 offensive boards in the game.
» Denson earned her first collegiate appearance in the setback as the rookie entered the game early in the first half, securing her first collegiate basket with a made layup. Additionally, the rookie led the team in points (9), made field goals (3), and was one of just two Eagles to make a three-pointer while going 2-for-2 from the charity stripe.
» Myles dominated the glass for Eastern Michigan in her Eagle debut, tallying a team-leading 11 rebounds and four steals in the loss. Myles had just two double-digit rebound games during her time at Marquette University and 17 while at the University of Illinois.
» Tayra Eke (Madrid, Spain./IES Ortega y Gasset) also had a good game on defense for Eastern Michigan, notching two blocks in the loss against the Titans. During the 2022-23 season, the junior had 17 games with multiple blocks.
» Ashley Hassett (Hershey, Neb./Hershey) scored two points in her Eastern Michigan debut. She was one of eight players who scored at least two points for Eastern Michigan.
» Dara Capaldi (East Detroit, Mich./La Lumiere (Ind.)) checked in for Eastern Michigan toward the end of the second half. It was the first time the sophomore has seen action in her EMU career after suffering a season-ending injury as a rookie.
Historical Notes
» The contest marked the 31st all-time meeting between Eastern Michigan and Detroit Mercy. The Titans now lead the all-time series, 16-15, having split the first 30 meetings at 15 games apiece.
» Beginning their 48th season of play, Eastern Michigan suffered their 16th loss in a season opener. It is the second season opener the Eagles have lost in the last three seasons.
» The contest was also the eighth time in 10 seasons that the Green and White opened the season at home.
Up Next
Eastern Michigan will hit the road for what will be the first road game of the season when it travels to Georgia Southern University for the first part of the MAC-SBC Challenge. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, in Statesboro, Ga., and can be streamed on ESPN+.
