Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
14-12,6-9MAC
Buffalo
9-15,4-11MAC
Eastern Michigan Out-shoots Buffalo in 61-57 Home Victory
2/23/2023 1:56:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Four Eagles recorded double-digit points in the win
Press Conference | Post Game Show
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team out-shot the University at Buffalo Bulls, 27-18, en route to a 61-57 victory inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center Thursday afternoon, Feb. 23.
The Eagles (14-12, 6-9 MAC) had four players record double figures, led by Tayra Eke (Madrid, Spain-IES Oretega y Gasset-LIU), who posted 17 points, six rebounds, and two steals. Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu (London, England-City of London Academy-Robert Morris) added 14 points and nine rebounds while ZaNiya Nelson (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West) chipped in as well with 13 points from the bench. Rounding out the group was Ce'Nara Skanes (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West-Florida International) with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Eastern Michigan pulled down 35 rebounds in Thursday's game compared to Buffalo's 34, led by Ozzy-Momodu's nine boards.
The Green and White forced 13 Bulls turnovers while committing 10 themselves. The Eagles turned those takeaways into 16 points on the other end of the floor. Eke's two steals led the way for Eastern Michigan.
How It Happened
After falling behind 11-9, Eastern Michigan went on an 8-0 run with 3:00 left in the first quarter to take a 17-11 lead. The Eagles then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter-break with a 17-14 advantage. EMU capitalized on five Buffalo turnovers in the period, turning them into seven points on the other end of the floor.
UB rallied to take a 24-23 lead before Eastern went on an 8-0 run starting at the 4:11 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Olivia Smith (Fort Wayne, Ind.-South Side), to take a 31-24 lead, a score that would hold until halftime. The Eagles dominated in the paint, scoring 14 of its 14 points close to the basket.
Following intermission, the Green and White continued to expand its advantage, pushing it to 38-30 before going on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a three from Skanes, to expand its lead further to 43-30 with 3:37 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Bulls had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Eagles still entered the fourth quarter with a 50-39 edge. Eastern Michigan played well near the basket, scoring 14 of its 19 points in the paint.
The Eagles then held on for the victory in the fourth quarter.
Game Notes
» Skanes has added the three-point shot to her repertoire this season and continues to do so as she connected on two shots from beyond the arc in the game against Buffalo, Feb. 23. It marked her 12th contest with a single made three and her eighth with multiple in a single game. Moreover, the Oklahoma City native has knocked down 23 three-pointers in the 2022-23 season after hitting just one in her previous campaigns.
» Additionally, with her 11 points in the contest against UB, Feb. 23, Skanes has been in the double-digit plateau in 17 games this season and 54 in her career, the most by any current Eagle.
» EMU saw four players score in double-digit figures against the Bulls, Feb. 23, highlighted by Eke's 17, Ozzy-Momodu's 14, Nelson's 13, and Skanes' 11. The group's 55 collective points accounted for 90 percent of the team's scoring output with Lachelle Austin (Redford, Mich.-Wayne Memorial) (4), and Smith (2) contributing the other six. Additionally, it was the 18th game in which the team has registered three or more players in double figures, topping last season's 17. Furthermore, it was the seventh game with four Eagles in double-digit points.
» Eke added another block against UB, Feb. 23, to bring her season total to 46 in 26 games, a team-best. The sophomore has dominated the MAC in terms of both blocks per game (1.8) and total blocks (46), as she's led the league in both categories for the majority of the season and continues to do so.
» Eke led the Eagles in scoring for the first time in her career with 17 points. Additionally, her 17 marks a career-high for the sophomore as she topped her previous 15 points, which she scored on three separate occasions.
» Eastern Michigan scored 17 points in the first quarter against the Bulls, Feb. 23. It is the 13th time that the Green and White scored at least 15 points in the opening quarter of a contest in the 2022-23 season. It is also the 14th time that the Green and White led its opponents after the first quarter and the first in the last five outings. The last time the Eagles led in the first quarter was against Central Michigan, Feb. 4, when they took a 15-7 lead over the Chippewas.
» The Eagles did a great job holding its lead over the Bulls, Feb. 23, as the team headed into the locker room with a 31-24 halftime lead. With the lead, it was the 14th time that Eastern has led its opponents at the half.
» With her 14 points against the Bulls' defense, Ozzy-Momodu marked her 10th contest scoring in double-digits.
» Nelson made no hesitation in her first game back from an injury as she scored 13 points, her seventh double-digit performance of the season, and collected two steals for her eighth game collecting multiple cookies.
» Eastern Michigan out-rebounded Buffalo 35-34. The total is the fourth fewest amount of rebounds collected by the Green and White when winning a game this season.
» The Eagles scored a total of 46 of their 61 points in the paint. The total is the third most scoring output Eastern has had in the paint this season. The team's highest-scoring performances from the paint, which were both 48 points, came Jan. 4, against Miami and then at Kent State, Jan. 18.
» Eastern Michigan has been no stranger to lopsided games this year in terms of scoring margin. In Eastern's 14 wins, the Eagles have upended their competition by an average of 10.8 points per contest. Meanwhile, the team's 12 setbacks have come by an average of 13.5 points. With the 61-57 victory over Buffalo, Feb. 23, just four games this season have been decided by five or fewer points (vs. Akron, Feb. 15; vs. Miami, Jan. 4; vs. NIU, Jan. 21). Last season, just four games were also decided within that margin.
» The Eagles held the Bulls to only 35.3 percent (18-of-51) shooting from the field in the game, Feb. 23. It was the 14th time this season the team has kept its opponent from shooting above 40 percent from the field. Eastern has out-shot its competitors in all instances but three. The Green and White are 9-4 in games where its competitors shoot less than 40 percent from the field. Additionally, the Eagles are 13-1 when shooting better than its foe.
» Prior to the Eastern-Buffalo game, the Green and White were in a three-way tie for the No. 7 spot with both Miami University and Western Michigan University, holding the tie-breaker over the two. With the 61-57 win over the Bulls, Feb. 23, the Eagles are now in the No. 6 spot, holding the tie-breaker over Northern Illinois, and Miami.
Historical Notes
» With the win, EMU pushed UB's losing streak to six and ended an eight-game drought for the Eagles against the Bulls. The win also gave Head Coach Fred Castro his first over the New York team, which was the only remaining MAC school in which Castro had not beaten during his tenure.
» With her 11 points against the Bulls, Feb. 23, Skanes is just nine points away from becoming EMU's 25th 1,000-point scorer. Areanna Combs (2019-22) was the last player to eclipse the milestone, finishing her career in the No. 15 spot for all-time scoring at EMU (1,257).
Up Next
The Eagles play host once more in the 2022-23 season, this time to the Golden Flashes of Kent State, Saturday, Feb. 25, as the first part of a women's-men's doubleheader. The contest will serve as both teams' Senior Days, honoring both Natalia Pineda (Miami, Fla.-John A. Ferguson) and Ozzy-Momodu during the start of the women's game and Derek Ballard Jr. in the men's which is scheduled to begin approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of the women's game.
