Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
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North Dakota
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Smith Scores 21 Points in EMU's Loss to North Dakota
12/3/2023 4:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Eagles play Dec. 7 at Lindenwood University
,GRAND FORKS, N.D. (EMUEagles.com) -- Olivia Smith (Fort Wayne, Ind./Southside) collected a career-high 21 points, but the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team fell to the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, 64-56 on the road Sunday, Dec. 3.
Smith added two steals to her 21 point game to lead the Eagles (1-5). Tayra Eke (Madrid, Spain./IES Ortega y Gasset) helped out with eight points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks, while Kennedi Myles (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills/Illinois/Marquette) chipped in with six points and nine rebounds.
The Eastern Michigan defense held North Dakota shooters to only 38.3 percent from the field.
How It Happened
EMU struggled out of the gate, falling behind 19-12 at the end of the first quarter.
The Eagles continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 32-22 halftime deficit.
North Dakota continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 52-33 advantage before Eastern Michigan went on a 5-0 run to trim its deficit to 52-38 with 1:38 to go in the third. North Dakota countered and stretched its lead to 56-40 heading into the fourth. The Green and White took advantage of four North Dakota turnovers in the quarter, scoring six points off of takeaways.
Eastern kept the Fighting Hawks from increasing their lead before going on a 9-0 run, finished off by Smith's three, to shrink the deficit to 58-51 with 5:42 to go in the contest. North Dakota responded and outscored the Eagles the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 64-56. Eastern Michigan fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down four shots to account for 12 of its 16 points.
Game Notes
» Smith led the Eagles with a career-high 21 points in the game, topping her previous high of 20 against Kent State University, Feb. 25. The 20 piece marked just the second 20-point game of the sophomore's career and the first of the season.
» Denson found herself in the starting lineup for the fifth 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.
» Smith connected on four shots from beyond the arc in the loss to UND. It was the fifth 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).
» The Eagles shot well from three point range, knocking down seven attempts for a team season high.
» The Eagles held the Fighting Hawks to only 38.3 percent shooting from the field.
» The Eastern Michigan defense forced 19 turnovers.
» Eastern Michigan cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
Up Next
The Eagles continue their road slate as the team is scheduled to travel to St. Charles, Mo., next to face the Lions of Lindenwood University, Thursday, Dec. 7.
