Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, March 4
Athens, Ohio
1 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Ohio
Back In Action: Women's Hoops Travels to Ohio
3/2/2023 2:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Eagles remain in contention for a berth into the 2023 MAC Tournament
| Women's Basketball at Ohio | |
| Date | Saturday, March 4 | 1 p.m. |
| Venue | Athens, Ohio | Convocation Center |
| Preview Info | EMU Notes (PDF) | Media Guide (PDF) |
| Live Stats | Fan Stats | Media Stats |
| Watch | ESPN3 |
| @EMUWBB | @EMUAthletics | |
ATHENS, Ohio(EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team will close out its regular season Saturday, March 4, in Athens, Ohio, when it faces the Bobcats inside the Convocation Center located on the campus of Ohio University. With only one chance left, the Eagles (14-13, 6-10 MAC) remain in contention for a berth into the 2023 Mid-American Conference Tournament while the Bobcats (6-22, 4-13 MAC) dropped a must-win game to Miami University, March 1, taking them out of the running for the post season. Saturday's game will tipoff at 1 p.m. and will broadcast on ESPN+.Fans can follow the action via live stats at EMUEagles.com/livestats. Additionally, the team's official Twitter account, @EMUWBB, will provide score updates throughout the contest.
A WIN WOULD: A win Saturday would give the Eagles a chance for either the No. 7 or the No. 8 seed going into the MAC Tournament. However, other factors must also happen which are listed below.
IF EMU WINS:
IF EMU LOSES: If the Eagles are unable to capture the last win, EMU will not make it to the MAC tournament.
MOVING UP THE LIST: Ce'Nara Skanes has hit the 1,000-point plateau, becoming EMU's 25th 1,000-point scorer. With that being said, the race to move up the all-time scoring list has begun for the junior. The No. 1 spot in Eastern's all-time scoring list is held by All-American Tavelyn James (2008-12) who finished her EMU career with 2,470 points. Skanes, who has one game left in the 2022-23 regular season and another year of eligibility, is 1,460 points away from No. 1. Her 1,010 points currently sits tied for 24th with Paige Redditt (2008-12).
THE OPENING STANZA: With its 15 points in the opening stanza against the Huskies, March 1, the Green and White have scored at least 15 points in the opening quarter of a contest 15 times in the 2022-23 campaign. Last season, the Green and White accomplished the feat in 17 outings.
DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORERS: EMU saw three players score in double-digit figures against the Huskies, March 1, highlighted by Lachelle Austin's 16, Tayra Eke's 12, and Olivia Smith's 10. The group's 38 collective points accounted for 60 percent of the team's scoring output. Additionally, it was the 20th game in which the Eagles have registered three or more players in double figures, topping last season's 17.
SHARP-SHOOTING SMITH: With her 10 points against NIU, it was freshman Olivia Smith 's 10th career contest hitting the double-digit mark. Additionally, Smith's two makes from beyond the arc marked her 12th game leading the team in triples, the most of any current Eagle and the most since former player Danielle Rainey recorded the feat in 17 outings during the 2021-22 season. To go even further, Smith is the first freshman to lead the team in three's in 12 contests since former Eagle and 1,000th point scorer Courtnie Lewis did it in her rookie season (2017-18).
TURNING 21: Olivia Smith connected on two shots from beyond the three-point line in the game against NIU, March 1. It marked her 49th season make from the three-point line making the rookie just 21 threes 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.
CRASHING BOARDS: Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu led the team with seven rebounds in the setback to NIU, March 1. The senior has led the Green and White in rebounds in seven contests this season totaling 149 rebounds, good for third on the team. Additionally, it marked her 11th performance producing seven or more rebounds for Eastern and the third consecutive.
IRAE'S WALL: Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu blocked four NIU shots in the game, March 1, topping her previous three set against Ohio, Feb. 1. It was just the third time this season in which an Eagle has accomplished the feat of four blocks in a single game with Tayra Eke recording the previous two games, against Sourtern Indiana, Dec. 10, and Ball State, Feb. 8, respectively.
AWESOME AUSTIN: Lachelle Austin recorded a team-leading 16 points against the Huskies, March 1. It marked the 23rd contest in which the sophomore has dropped double-digit points and the ninth leading the Green and White in scoring. Additionally, her eight made field goals tied her career high, set in three other occasions.
EMU IS OUR NAME, BLOCKING IS OUR GAME: In just her eighth game collecting at least one block, Lachelle Austin added a single stop to the team's total five blocks marking the 14th contest in which the Green and White have earned five or more blocks.
A LOOK AT THE STANDINGS: Prior to the Eastern-NIU game, March 1, the Green and White were in the No. 7 spot, with the tie-breaker over Western Michigan and Miami. After the loss, EMU is tied for ninth with Buffalo, making the game against Ohio a must-win contest for the Eagles.
The top eight teams at the end of regular season play will earn berths into the MAC Tournament, which is slated to be held March 8-11, inside the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. Already clenched for the tournament is No. 1 Toledo (24-4, 15-2 MAC), No. 2 Bowling Green (25-4, 14-3 MAC), No. 3 Ball State (23-7, 13-4), No. 4 Kent State (19-9, 11-6 MAC), and No. 5 Northern Illinois (16-12, 8-9 MAC).
LAST TIME AGAINST THE BOBCATS: EMU saw two players score in double figures, led by Ce'Nara Skanes, who had 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and six steals. Kyndal Lewis tacked on a career-high 12 points with her first double-digit scoring game and Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu added seven points, eight rebounds, and three blocks. Ozzy-Momodu pulled down four offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Eastern Michigan, grabbing 19 boards and turning them into 12 second chance points. The EMU defense held Ohio shooters to only 37.9 percent from the field, but could only manage 31.7 percent shooting on its own.
SCOUTING OHIO: Ohio currently sits tied for last place with Central Michigan University in the MAC standings, both sporting a 4-13 record in league play. With only one game left in the regular-season, the Bobcats have been eliminated from making the tournament. The Bobcats rank second in the league in three-point attempts per game, averaging 25.5 attempts and connecting on an average 7.5, ranking fourth in the league. Leading the Bobcats is junior Yaya Felder, who dropped 24 points in 37 minutes in the last meeting against EMU and leads the MAC in multiple stastical categories including points (603) and points per game (21.5).
ALL-TIME VERSUS OHIO: Saturday's matchup will mark the 67th meeting between EMU and Ohio. The Bobcats lead the all-time series, 39-27, with Ohio coming away with the most recent win, Feb. 1. In that game, the Eagles fell, 55-65, at home. EMU looks for its 28th overall win against Ohio and pick up Head Coach Fred Castro's third victory over the Bobcats.
BUILDING A BETTER WALL: EMU has registered a total of 120 blocks in the 28 games played (4.3 blocks per game). A season ago, the team earned 88 blocks in 27 games (3.3 blocks per game). Not only did the Eagles surpass the previous season's total in almost half the amount of games, but they are on pace to have the most successful blocking average in program history.
Prior to this season, the 2009-10 team held the highest blocking average at 4.2 blocks per game. With one game left in the regular season, EMU could uphold its higher blocking percentage which would be good for a program record. Additionally, with 120 total blocks, the Eagles currently sit in the No. 3 spot in team single-season blocked shots in the EMU record book, just nine blocks away from No. 2, held by the 2009-10 team that recorded 129 blocks in 31 games. Holding the top spot with 137 season blocks is the 2010-11 team which did it in 37 games.
LOPSIDED: 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 14 setbacks have come by an average of 13.6 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 decided within that margin.
EAGLES IN THE MAC: Four Eagles rank in various statistical categories throughout the MAC. Holding the highest ranking for the Green and White is sophomore Tayra Eke, who leads the league in total blocks (47) and blocks per game (1.7). Additionally, Eke's 7.1 rebounds per game is good for eighth in the league. Sophomore Lachelle Austin's 1.9 steals per game is good for sixth in the conference. Junior Ce'Nara Skanes' 7.9 rebounds per game ranks her fifth in the league and her 205 total boards ranks her fifth. Additionally, her 44.1 field goal percentage ranks 10th. Lastly, rookie Olivia Smith has made her way back into the top 10 within the league in three-pointers per game with 1.7.
BOARD GAMES: The addition of sophomore Tayra Eke with 500-Rebounds Club member Ce'Nara Skanes has made quite the impact on the defensive rebounds count for Eastern Michigan. This season, the team has recorded 737 defensive boards in 28 games (26.3 drpg), ranking them fourth in the MAC, with help from Eke's 139, and Skanes' 156. Last season, the Green and White collected 685 defensive rebounds in 27 games (25.4 rpg). The Eagles are on pace to top the previous season's defensive rebounding average.
Moreover, EMU is out-rebounding its opponents, 1,046-969, in the 2022-23 campaign. Last season, the Eagles lost the rebounding battle, 1,029-1,008. Additionally, the team has already exceeded last season's total amount of rebounds by 17.
BACK IN #MACTION: Eastern's 2022-23 campaign marks the 42nd season Eastern Michigan has competed as a member of the Mid-American Conference. Playing a league schedule since the 1981-82 campaign, EMU has compiled a 305-402 record against conference opponents all-time.
RING CHASING: Eastern entered league play in search of its first conference championship since 2012. That year, the Eagles captured both the MAC West and MAC Tournament titles.
As a program, EMU has claimed four division crowns (2004, 2006, 2008, 2012) and two tournament championships (2004, 2012).
ON THE HORIZON: As the regular season comes to an end, the Eagles will travel to Cleveland, Ohio for the 2023 MAC tournament, if they are able to earn a berth after Saturday's game.
FOLLOW THE ACTION ALL SEASON LONG: Stay connected with the Eagles all season long by following @EMUWBB and @EMUAthletics on Twitter for all of the latest EMU women's basketball updates. Be sure to also follow the Green and White on Instagram, @EMUWBB.
A WIN WOULD: A win Saturday would give the Eagles a chance for either the No. 7 or the No. 8 seed going into the MAC Tournament. However, other factors must also happen which are listed below.
IF EMU WINS:
| & WMU Wins | & MIA Wins | -- | EMU IS OUT |
| & WMU Wins | & MIA Loses | -- | EMU IS NO. 8 |
| & WMU Loses | & MIA Wins | -- | EMU IS NO. 8 |
| & WMU Loses | & MIA Loses | -- | EMU IS NO. 7 |
| & WMU Loses | & MIA Loses | & AKR Loses | EMU IS NO. 7 |
IF EMU LOSES: If the Eagles are unable to capture the last win, EMU will not make it to the MAC tournament.
MOVING UP THE LIST: Ce'Nara Skanes has hit the 1,000-point plateau, becoming EMU's 25th 1,000-point scorer. With that being said, the race to move up the all-time scoring list has begun for the junior. The No. 1 spot in Eastern's all-time scoring list is held by All-American Tavelyn James (2008-12) who finished her EMU career with 2,470 points. Skanes, who has one game left in the 2022-23 regular season and another year of eligibility, is 1,460 points away from No. 1. Her 1,010 points currently sits tied for 24th with Paige Redditt (2008-12).
THE OPENING STANZA: With its 15 points in the opening stanza against the Huskies, March 1, the Green and White have scored at least 15 points in the opening quarter of a contest 15 times in the 2022-23 campaign. Last season, the Green and White accomplished the feat in 17 outings.
DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORERS: EMU saw three players score in double-digit figures against the Huskies, March 1, highlighted by Lachelle Austin's 16, Tayra Eke's 12, and Olivia Smith's 10. The group's 38 collective points accounted for 60 percent of the team's scoring output. Additionally, it was the 20th game in which the Eagles have registered three or more players in double figures, topping last season's 17.
SHARP-SHOOTING SMITH: With her 10 points against NIU, it was freshman Olivia Smith 's 10th career contest hitting the double-digit mark. Additionally, Smith's two makes from beyond the arc marked her 12th game leading the team in triples, the most of any current Eagle and the most since former player Danielle Rainey recorded the feat in 17 outings during the 2021-22 season. To go even further, Smith is the first freshman to lead the team in three's in 12 contests since former Eagle and 1,000th point scorer Courtnie Lewis did it in her rookie season (2017-18).
TURNING 21: Olivia Smith connected on two shots from beyond the three-point line in the game against NIU, March 1. It marked her 49th season make from the three-point line making the rookie just 21 threes 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.
CRASHING BOARDS: Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu led the team with seven rebounds in the setback to NIU, March 1. The senior has led the Green and White in rebounds in seven contests this season totaling 149 rebounds, good for third on the team. Additionally, it marked her 11th performance producing seven or more rebounds for Eastern and the third consecutive.
IRAE'S WALL: Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu blocked four NIU shots in the game, March 1, topping her previous three set against Ohio, Feb. 1. It was just the third time this season in which an Eagle has accomplished the feat of four blocks in a single game with Tayra Eke recording the previous two games, against Sourtern Indiana, Dec. 10, and Ball State, Feb. 8, respectively.
AWESOME AUSTIN: Lachelle Austin recorded a team-leading 16 points against the Huskies, March 1. It marked the 23rd contest in which the sophomore has dropped double-digit points and the ninth leading the Green and White in scoring. Additionally, her eight made field goals tied her career high, set in three other occasions.
EMU IS OUR NAME, BLOCKING IS OUR GAME: In just her eighth game collecting at least one block, Lachelle Austin added a single stop to the team's total five blocks marking the 14th contest in which the Green and White have earned five or more blocks.
A LOOK AT THE STANDINGS: Prior to the Eastern-NIU game, March 1, the Green and White were in the No. 7 spot, with the tie-breaker over Western Michigan and Miami. After the loss, EMU is tied for ninth with Buffalo, making the game against Ohio a must-win contest for the Eagles.
The top eight teams at the end of regular season play will earn berths into the MAC Tournament, which is slated to be held March 8-11, inside the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. Already clenched for the tournament is No. 1 Toledo (24-4, 15-2 MAC), No. 2 Bowling Green (25-4, 14-3 MAC), No. 3 Ball State (23-7, 13-4), No. 4 Kent State (19-9, 11-6 MAC), and No. 5 Northern Illinois (16-12, 8-9 MAC).
LAST TIME AGAINST THE BOBCATS: EMU saw two players score in double figures, led by Ce'Nara Skanes, who had 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and six steals. Kyndal Lewis tacked on a career-high 12 points with her first double-digit scoring game and Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu added seven points, eight rebounds, and three blocks. Ozzy-Momodu pulled down four offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Eastern Michigan, grabbing 19 boards and turning them into 12 second chance points. The EMU defense held Ohio shooters to only 37.9 percent from the field, but could only manage 31.7 percent shooting on its own.
SCOUTING OHIO: Ohio currently sits tied for last place with Central Michigan University in the MAC standings, both sporting a 4-13 record in league play. With only one game left in the regular-season, the Bobcats have been eliminated from making the tournament. The Bobcats rank second in the league in three-point attempts per game, averaging 25.5 attempts and connecting on an average 7.5, ranking fourth in the league. Leading the Bobcats is junior Yaya Felder, who dropped 24 points in 37 minutes in the last meeting against EMU and leads the MAC in multiple stastical categories including points (603) and points per game (21.5).
ALL-TIME VERSUS OHIO: Saturday's matchup will mark the 67th meeting between EMU and Ohio. The Bobcats lead the all-time series, 39-27, with Ohio coming away with the most recent win, Feb. 1. In that game, the Eagles fell, 55-65, at home. EMU looks for its 28th overall win against Ohio and pick up Head Coach Fred Castro's third victory over the Bobcats.
BUILDING A BETTER WALL: EMU has registered a total of 120 blocks in the 28 games played (4.3 blocks per game). A season ago, the team earned 88 blocks in 27 games (3.3 blocks per game). Not only did the Eagles surpass the previous season's total in almost half the amount of games, but they are on pace to have the most successful blocking average in program history.
Prior to this season, the 2009-10 team held the highest blocking average at 4.2 blocks per game. With one game left in the regular season, EMU could uphold its higher blocking percentage which would be good for a program record. Additionally, with 120 total blocks, the Eagles currently sit in the No. 3 spot in team single-season blocked shots in the EMU record book, just nine blocks away from No. 2, held by the 2009-10 team that recorded 129 blocks in 31 games. Holding the top spot with 137 season blocks is the 2010-11 team which did it in 37 games.
LOPSIDED: 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 14 setbacks have come by an average of 13.6 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 decided within that margin.
EAGLES IN THE MAC: Four Eagles rank in various statistical categories throughout the MAC. Holding the highest ranking for the Green and White is sophomore Tayra Eke, who leads the league in total blocks (47) and blocks per game (1.7). Additionally, Eke's 7.1 rebounds per game is good for eighth in the league. Sophomore Lachelle Austin's 1.9 steals per game is good for sixth in the conference. Junior Ce'Nara Skanes' 7.9 rebounds per game ranks her fifth in the league and her 205 total boards ranks her fifth. Additionally, her 44.1 field goal percentage ranks 10th. Lastly, rookie Olivia Smith has made her way back into the top 10 within the league in three-pointers per game with 1.7.
BOARD GAMES: The addition of sophomore Tayra Eke with 500-Rebounds Club member Ce'Nara Skanes has made quite the impact on the defensive rebounds count for Eastern Michigan. This season, the team has recorded 737 defensive boards in 28 games (26.3 drpg), ranking them fourth in the MAC, with help from Eke's 139, and Skanes' 156. Last season, the Green and White collected 685 defensive rebounds in 27 games (25.4 rpg). The Eagles are on pace to top the previous season's defensive rebounding average.
Moreover, EMU is out-rebounding its opponents, 1,046-969, in the 2022-23 campaign. Last season, the Eagles lost the rebounding battle, 1,029-1,008. Additionally, the team has already exceeded last season's total amount of rebounds by 17.
BACK IN #MACTION: Eastern's 2022-23 campaign marks the 42nd season Eastern Michigan has competed as a member of the Mid-American Conference. Playing a league schedule since the 1981-82 campaign, EMU has compiled a 305-402 record against conference opponents all-time.
RING CHASING: Eastern entered league play in search of its first conference championship since 2012. That year, the Eagles captured both the MAC West and MAC Tournament titles.
As a program, EMU has claimed four division crowns (2004, 2006, 2008, 2012) and two tournament championships (2004, 2012).
ON THE HORIZON: As the regular season comes to an end, the Eagles will travel to Cleveland, Ohio for the 2023 MAC tournament, if they are able to earn a berth after Saturday's game.
FOLLOW THE ACTION ALL SEASON LONG: Stay connected with the Eagles all season long by following @EMUWBB and @EMUAthletics on Twitter for all of the latest EMU women's basketball updates. Be sure to also follow the Green and White on Instagram, @EMUWBB.
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