Eastern Michigan Athletics
Sunday, December 15
Detroit, Mich.
Noon
Eastern Michigan University
7-1
104
at
96
Detroit
3-8
1
2
F
Eastern Michigan
56
48
104
Detroit
49
47
96
Photo by: EMU Athletics/Randy Mascharka
Eagles Hit Century Mark in Victory Over Detroit
12/15/2013 2:38:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Women's basketball claims 104-96 victory against Titans
Postgame Audio.
DETROIT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com)-- For the third time in the 2013-14 season, Eastern Michigan University's women's basketball team eclipsed the century mark in scoring, as the Eagles secured a 104-96 victory over University of Detroit Mercy inside Calihan Hall, Dec. 15. EMU's 104 points marked the most points scored in the series against Detroit, as the Eagles' previous standard was 91 in a victory over UDM, Nov. 28, 1999.
With the win, the Eagles improve to 7-1 while Detroit falls to 3-8.
The Green and White boasted five players with point contributions in the double-digits, led by freshman Janay Morton (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) and senior Natachia Watkins (South Euclid, Ohio-Brush) with 23 and 21 points, respectively. Redshirt-junior Olivia Fouty (Toledo, Ohio-Sylvania Northview) recorded her fourth double-double of the season after dropping in 18 points and pulling down 13 boards in the victory. Desyree Thomas (Waterford, Mich.-Mott) contributed 17 points and Cha Sweeney (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) added 14 as the duo combined for 12 assists for the Green and White.
For the contest, the Eagles shot 40-for-85 for a 47.1 percent clip and drilled in eight three-pointers. The squad also went 16-of-23 (69.6%) from the free throw line. Defensively, EMU snatched the ball seven times from Detroit and forced an additional six turnovers. The squad also notched five blocks, the most against a Division I opponent during the 2013-14 season. On the boards, the Eagles had a slim edge against the Titans, grabbing 49 rebounds against Detroit's 48.
The Titans made the Green and White work for its victory, as they shot 43.5 percent from the field and hit eight three-point shots, six of which came from a career-high effort from Senee Shearer. Shearer ended the night with 28 points, but Ellisha Crosby proved to be a formidable opponent in the post as she came away with 33 points and 10 rebounds.
The Titans took an early lead off a three-point shot by Shearer and a free throw conversion from Crosby, but the Eagles retaliated with a front led by Watkins, who made a four-point play off a layup followed up by a quick steal off the Titan inbound to score another pair of points, tying up the contest at four points apiece. Aggression on defense led to a handful of turnovers and more points from under the hoop, as Fouty and Watkins made moves in the low post to give the Eagles an 8-6 advantage just two minutes into the matchup.
Crosby continued to be a force under the rim and behind the charity stripe for the Titans, scoring the majority of the points in the first ten minutes by racking up 17-of-31 points. The Eagles continued to score in the paint, but managed to dish it out beyond the arc as Fouty, Thomas, and Jamaica Bucknor (New Haven, Conn.-Weaver (ASA College)) each picked up a triple in the effort. The Titans managed to take the lead, 32-31 going into the third media timeout of the first period, but the Green and White battled back to quickly regain the lead.
A quickly-paced scoring offense spearheaded by Watkins tied up the back-and-forth bout with the Titans, 49-49. A 7-0 run started by back-to-back jumpers by Sweeney gave the Eagles an edge heading into the locker room, capped off by a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Morton to bring the first half score to 56-49.
Two Eagles managed to surpass the double-digit scoring threshold in the opening 20 minutes of play. Watkins led the offense with 14 points while pulling down three rebounds, while Thomas chipped in 11 to go with three assists and a steal. The Green and White shot 49.0 percent from the floor, including 6-of-14 from three-point range, good for 42.9%. The Titans shot a solid 43.2 percent in the first half and were led by Crosby's 19-point effort. Both squads forced turnovers with their defense as the Titans turned over the ball eight times and the Eagles gave up the rock seven times. Eastern's defense was still a strong point, as they swiped the ball five times from the Titans and rejected three shots in the first half.
Second half action opened up with a pair of successful free throws from Morton, who was fouled fifteen seconds into the start of the period. The Eagles continued to score with steady pace with contributions from Watkins, Fouty, and Sweeney.
Up 10 points on the Titans, Sweeney came away with a steal and found Fouty under the rim, who drew a foul and sank both free throws to give the Eagles the largest lead of the afternoon to that point, 56-54. Back-to-back-to-back threes from Shearer brought the Titans within five points but still trailing the Eagles, yet the Green and White managed to widen the gap once more as Morton dropped in four points and came away with a steal to find Thomas down-court for an easy layup. Crosby ended a nine-point scoring run for the Eagles after earning her first pair of points in the second half at 13:50, and Morton answered back by adding six points to keep Eastern in the lead at 83-72.
Coming off an inbound play, Sweeney tripped up the Titan defenders on a drive down the length of the court, first going around the back and then faking a sideline pass to open up the lane and drop in a pair off a layup, bringing the score to 90-80. Two inside shots from Haley Moore and Fouty brought the Eagles up 14 points on Detroit, but the Titans then went on an 8-0 run led entirely by Crosby to bring the score to 94-88 with four minutes remaining in the contest.
Striving to keep a considerable lead over its opponent, EMU retained a quick pace in its offense. As Watkins made a pair of layups to bring the score to 98-90, the Titans were forced to foul the Eagles in an effort to keep a possible victory within reach. The Green and White was able to quell the Titan strategy as they dropped in six free throws to secure its victory.
The game ended in unusual fashion, as both coaches agreed to cease play with 15 seconds remaining due to excess water on the court. The Eagles came away with a high-scoring victory, closing out the game with a 104-96 edge to earn their seventh win of the season.
The Eagles will head to Stony Brook, NY for tilts against Wagner and Monmouth in the Seawolves Holiday Classic, Dec. 21-22. They return to the friendly confines of the Convocation Center for the final matchup of 2013 when they take on Lawrence Tech Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 1 p.m.
DETROIT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com)-- For the third time in the 2013-14 season, Eastern Michigan University's women's basketball team eclipsed the century mark in scoring, as the Eagles secured a 104-96 victory over University of Detroit Mercy inside Calihan Hall, Dec. 15. EMU's 104 points marked the most points scored in the series against Detroit, as the Eagles' previous standard was 91 in a victory over UDM, Nov. 28, 1999.
With the win, the Eagles improve to 7-1 while Detroit falls to 3-8.
The Green and White boasted five players with point contributions in the double-digits, led by freshman Janay Morton (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) and senior Natachia Watkins (South Euclid, Ohio-Brush) with 23 and 21 points, respectively. Redshirt-junior Olivia Fouty (Toledo, Ohio-Sylvania Northview) recorded her fourth double-double of the season after dropping in 18 points and pulling down 13 boards in the victory. Desyree Thomas (Waterford, Mich.-Mott) contributed 17 points and Cha Sweeney (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) added 14 as the duo combined for 12 assists for the Green and White.
For the contest, the Eagles shot 40-for-85 for a 47.1 percent clip and drilled in eight three-pointers. The squad also went 16-of-23 (69.6%) from the free throw line. Defensively, EMU snatched the ball seven times from Detroit and forced an additional six turnovers. The squad also notched five blocks, the most against a Division I opponent during the 2013-14 season. On the boards, the Eagles had a slim edge against the Titans, grabbing 49 rebounds against Detroit's 48.
The Titans made the Green and White work for its victory, as they shot 43.5 percent from the field and hit eight three-point shots, six of which came from a career-high effort from Senee Shearer. Shearer ended the night with 28 points, but Ellisha Crosby proved to be a formidable opponent in the post as she came away with 33 points and 10 rebounds.
The Titans took an early lead off a three-point shot by Shearer and a free throw conversion from Crosby, but the Eagles retaliated with a front led by Watkins, who made a four-point play off a layup followed up by a quick steal off the Titan inbound to score another pair of points, tying up the contest at four points apiece. Aggression on defense led to a handful of turnovers and more points from under the hoop, as Fouty and Watkins made moves in the low post to give the Eagles an 8-6 advantage just two minutes into the matchup.
Crosby continued to be a force under the rim and behind the charity stripe for the Titans, scoring the majority of the points in the first ten minutes by racking up 17-of-31 points. The Eagles continued to score in the paint, but managed to dish it out beyond the arc as Fouty, Thomas, and Jamaica Bucknor (New Haven, Conn.-Weaver (ASA College)) each picked up a triple in the effort. The Titans managed to take the lead, 32-31 going into the third media timeout of the first period, but the Green and White battled back to quickly regain the lead.
A quickly-paced scoring offense spearheaded by Watkins tied up the back-and-forth bout with the Titans, 49-49. A 7-0 run started by back-to-back jumpers by Sweeney gave the Eagles an edge heading into the locker room, capped off by a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Morton to bring the first half score to 56-49.
Two Eagles managed to surpass the double-digit scoring threshold in the opening 20 minutes of play. Watkins led the offense with 14 points while pulling down three rebounds, while Thomas chipped in 11 to go with three assists and a steal. The Green and White shot 49.0 percent from the floor, including 6-of-14 from three-point range, good for 42.9%. The Titans shot a solid 43.2 percent in the first half and were led by Crosby's 19-point effort. Both squads forced turnovers with their defense as the Titans turned over the ball eight times and the Eagles gave up the rock seven times. Eastern's defense was still a strong point, as they swiped the ball five times from the Titans and rejected three shots in the first half.
Second half action opened up with a pair of successful free throws from Morton, who was fouled fifteen seconds into the start of the period. The Eagles continued to score with steady pace with contributions from Watkins, Fouty, and Sweeney.
Up 10 points on the Titans, Sweeney came away with a steal and found Fouty under the rim, who drew a foul and sank both free throws to give the Eagles the largest lead of the afternoon to that point, 56-54. Back-to-back-to-back threes from Shearer brought the Titans within five points but still trailing the Eagles, yet the Green and White managed to widen the gap once more as Morton dropped in four points and came away with a steal to find Thomas down-court for an easy layup. Crosby ended a nine-point scoring run for the Eagles after earning her first pair of points in the second half at 13:50, and Morton answered back by adding six points to keep Eastern in the lead at 83-72.
Coming off an inbound play, Sweeney tripped up the Titan defenders on a drive down the length of the court, first going around the back and then faking a sideline pass to open up the lane and drop in a pair off a layup, bringing the score to 90-80. Two inside shots from Haley Moore and Fouty brought the Eagles up 14 points on Detroit, but the Titans then went on an 8-0 run led entirely by Crosby to bring the score to 94-88 with four minutes remaining in the contest.
Striving to keep a considerable lead over its opponent, EMU retained a quick pace in its offense. As Watkins made a pair of layups to bring the score to 98-90, the Titans were forced to foul the Eagles in an effort to keep a possible victory within reach. The Green and White was able to quell the Titan strategy as they dropped in six free throws to secure its victory.
The game ended in unusual fashion, as both coaches agreed to cease play with 15 seconds remaining due to excess water on the court. The Eagles came away with a high-scoring victory, closing out the game with a 104-96 edge to earn their seventh win of the season.
The Eagles will head to Stony Brook, NY for tilts against Wagner and Monmouth in the Seawolves Holiday Classic, Dec. 21-22. They return to the friendly confines of the Convocation Center for the final matchup of 2013 when they take on Lawrence Tech Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 1 p.m.
Team Stats
EMU
UDM
FG%
.471
.435
3FG%
.320
.364
FT%
.696
.737
RB
49
48
TO
9
13
STL
7
4
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
9
Pts
21
FGM
10
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
4
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