Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
14-13,6-10MAC
Kent State
19-8,11-5MAC
Skanes becomes EMU's 25th 1,000 Point Scorer in 75-67 Loss to Kent State
2/25/2023 2:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Seniors Natalia Pineda and Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu were honored prior to tipoff
Photo Gallery | Senior Acknowledgement | Post Game Press Conference | Video Highlights.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Despite a 60 percent shooting performance from three-point distance, the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team fell to the Kent State University Golden Flashes, 75-67, at home Saturday, Feb. 25, on senior day. The team honored two Eagles prior to the contest in Natalia Pineda (Miami, Fla.-John A. Ferguson) and Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu (London, England-City of London Academy-Robert Morris), who played in their last game hosted inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
The Eagles (14-13, 6-10 MAC) had three players score in double figures, led by Olivia Smith (Fort Wayne, Ind.-South Side), who had 20 points. Tayra Eke (Madrid, Spain-IES Oretega y Gasset-LIU) tacked on 19 points and Ce'Nara Skanes (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West-Florida International) chipped in as well with 10 points.
Eastern Michigan collected 28 rebounds in Saturday's game compared to Kent State's 23, led by 10 boards from Ozzy-Momodu.
How It Happened
After falling behind 4-2, Eastern Michigan went on a 10-0 run with 7:12 left in the first quarter, culminating in a three from Lachelle Austin (Redford, Mich.-Wayne Memorial), to take a 12-4 lead. The Eagles then added one point to that lead by the end of the period and entered the quarter-break with a 22-13 advantage. EMU relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down four shots to account for 12 of its 22 points.
The Eagles could not maintain their lead in the second quarter and entered halftime trailing 37-28.
Eastern Michigan came out of halftime on fire, going on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a three from Skanes, to trim its deficit to 37-33 with 8:54 to go in the third. Kent State countered and stretched its lead to 52-47 heading into the fourth. Eastern Michigan scored five fast break points in the quarter.
The Eagles could not pull any closer in the fourth, losing by a final of 75-67. Eastern Michigan took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 14 of its 20 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» Eastern Michigan scored 22 points in the first quarter against Kent State, Feb. 25. The 22 tallies in the first 10 minutes of play tie the team's season-high set previously against Florida A&M, Nov. 19, and Hillsdale College, Dec. 28, respectively, and is the first this season against a Mid-American Conference member.
» With its 22 points in the opening stanza, the Green and White have scored at least 15 points in the opening quarter of a contest 14 times in the 2022-23 season. It is also the 15th time that EMU has led its opponents after the first quarter and the second in the last six outings. The last time the Eagles led in the first quarter was against Buffalo, when they took a 17-14 lead over the Bulls, Feb. 23.
» 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 against the Golden Flashes, Feb. 25. It marked her 13th 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.
» With her 10 points against the Golden Flashes, Feb. 25, it marked the 19th time this season Skanes has scored in double digits for Eastern and the 56th of her career.
» Smith connected on five shots in the opening half of the contest with KSU, Feb. 25, with two of them coming from the three-point line. Furthermore, her 47 season makes from the three-point line are just 23 shy of cracking EMU's top-10 in single-season three-pointers made. Holding the 10th spot is former Eagle Cha Sweeney who made 70 treys in the 2015-16 season.
» Smith's 20 points from the field ranks as a career-high for the rookie, topping her previous 18 set against Miami, Jan. 4, and then again at Toledo, Feb. 18, respectively. Additionally, it was the freshman's ninth career contest hitting the double-digit mark, and her fifth leading the team in scoring. Furthermore, Smith has led in made three's a total of 11 times this season.
» Ozzy-Momodu led the team with 10 rebounds. The only Eagle to hit double-digit boards in the contest, the senior has collected her fourth double-digit rebounding performance of the season and the 19th of her career. Additionally, she has led the Green and White in rebounds in six contests this season.
» Austin contributed a single triple to the Eagles offense against KSU, Feb. 25. It marked the eighth consecutive contest in which the sophomore has registered a made three-pointer and the 18th this season. Last year, Austin recorded a made three in just 14 outings.
» Eke added another block against KSU, Feb. 25, to bring her season total to 47 in 27 games, a team-best. The sophomore has dominated the MAC in terms of both blocks per game (1.8) and total blocks (47), as she's led the league in both categories for the majority of the season and continues to do so.
» EMU saw three players score in double-digit figures against the Golden Flashes, Feb. 25, highlighted by Smith's 20, Eke's 19, and Skanes' 10. The group's 49 collective points accounted for 73 percent of the team's scoring output. Additionally, it was the 19th game in which the team has registered three or more players in double figures, topping last season's 17.
» Eastern Michigan won the rebounding battle against the Golden Flashes, 28-23. It is the second consecutive game that the Eagles have out-rebounded their opponent.
» The Green and White as a team went 6-for-10 from deep. The 60-percent shooting performance from three marked the team's season-high in terms of three-point percentage, topping its previous 50 percent set against at Toledo, Feb. 18, when the team shot 11-of-22 from the arc. Moreover, it was just the fifth game in which EMU has shot 45 percent or better from three-point land.
Historical Notes
» With her made layup two minutes into the fourth quarter against Kent State, Feb. 23, Skanes became 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).
» Two Eagles played in their last home game inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center in Pineda and Ozzy-Momodu.
» Saturday's matchup marked the 73rd meeting between Eastern and Kent State. KSU leads the all-time series, 45-28, with Kent State coming away with the most recent win prior to todays, Jan. 18, 2023. The Golden Flashes extended their four-game winning streak over the Eagles to five, starting in the 2020-21 shortened season. However, EMU holds its second longest win streak against a MAC member with eleven straight against KSU from 2010-16.
Up Next
With the closing of the regular home season, the Green and White will travel to its opponents just two more times to end the regular season. The Eagles will first visit the Huskies of Northern Illinois for a second time this season, Wednesday, March 1 for a 7 p.m. tip. Fans can live stream the game on ESPN+.
