The Road to a Championship Begins Monday

Women's Basketball vs. Kent State
Date	Monday, March 7 \| 5 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center (8,784)
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN3
Listen	WEMU (89.1 FM)
Twitter	@EMUWBB \| @EMUAthletics
Tickets	Order Tickets Online or call 734.487.2282

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team begins its postseason run Monday, March 7, by hosting Kent State University in the opening round of the 2016 Mid-American Conference Women's Basketball Tournament. Game time is scheduled for 5 p.m. inside the Convocation Center. The game is the first leg of a doubleheader with the EMU men's basketball team, which tangles with the University of Toledo at 7:30 p.m. Both games will be televised on ESPN3 and aired locally on WEMU (89.1 FM).
The Eagles, seeded sixth in the tournament, took the lone regular season meeting with the No. 11-seed Golden Flashes. EMU won 72-51 at the Convo, Jan. 16, for its 10th consecutive victory over Kent State dating back to the 2009-10 campaign.
Coming off a 78-70 setback at Central Michigan University, March 5, the Eagles enter the game with a mark of 19-10 (10-8 MAC) and a 9-4 record this season inside the confines of the Convocation Center. Meanwhile, KSU is 6-22 (3-15 MAC) after falling to the University at Buffalo, 63-47, on the road on the final day of the regular season.
The winner advances to play No. 3 Ball State University Wednesday, March 9, at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Tipoff for the second round contest is scheduled for approximately 7:30 p.m.

#MACTION AT THE CONVO: Eastern is 7-3 all-time in MAC Tournament games played at the Convocation Center. EMU's home postseason setbacks were in 2001 to 10th-seeded Ohio, 80-75, in 2013 to No. 9 Western Michigan, 80-72, and in 2014 to No. 9 Northern Illinois in overtime, 81-76.

EMU SEEKS EIGHTH 20-WIN SEASON: The Eagles need just one more victory in 2015-16 to pick up their eighth 20-win season in the past 13 campaigns. Prior to the 2003-04 year, Eastern Michigan had never won more than 18 games in a single season.

20-WIN SEASONS, MAC SCHOOLS SINCE 2003-04
Bowling Green 11 2004-05-06-07-08-09-10-11-12-13-14
Eastern Michigan 7 2004-05-06-10-11-12-15
Central Michigan 5 2011-12-13-14-16
Kent State 4 2005-06-10-11
Toledo 4 2010-11-12-13
Akron 3 2013-14-15
Miami 3 2004-08-12
Ball State 3 2007-09-16
Ohio 3 2008-15-16
Western Michigan 1 2015

CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT: Each season under Head Coach Tory Verdi the Eagles have taken steps to return to the programs's previous championship form. The 2015-16 squad is no different as the Green and White surpassed 10 Mid-American Conference wins for the second time in four seasons under Verdi. EMU has posted at least 10 victories in MAC play on 10 different occasions. Prior to the 2001-02 season, the Eagles had never won more than nine games in league action.
Eastern Michigan also has a chance to capture 20 victories for the eighth time in program history with another win in 2015-16. The team had consecutive 20-win seasons from 2003-2006 and again from 2009-11.

INSIDE THE SERIES: Monday's matinee meeting between Eastern Michigan and Kent State marks the 61st time the two squads have squared off on the hardwood. The Eagles trail in the all-time series, 34-26, but hold the upperhand as of late. Winners of the last 10 games against the Golden Flashes, EMU has won all six meetings with Head Coach Tory Verdi running the show from the sideline. Kent State's last win over the Green and White came Jan. 31, 2009 at KSU's place. In that game, the Golden Flashes used a 58.8 to 33.3 field goal percentage advantage to down the Eagles, 84-52.

THAT'S A PERFECT 10: EMU captured its 10th consecutive victory over Kent State, Jan. 16, when the two squared off in the Convocation Center. Prior to the current streak, EMU had never posted more than three straight wins over KSU. During the string of dominance the Eagles are winning by an average of 15 points a contest (EMU 73.5, KSU 57.9).
However, this has been a series dominated by lengthy runs as the Golden Flashes under then-Head Coach Bob Lindsay posted 19 triumphs in a-row from March 10, 1992 to Jan. 25, 2003 with an average margin of victory of 19.1 points (EMU 69.6, KSU 88.7).

THE LAST POSTSEASON MEETING WITH KENT STATE: No its not groundhog day but it might feel like it as EMU last clashed with KSU in the opening round of the 2015 Mid-American Conference Tournament. The Golden Flashes carried a one-point lead into the locker room at halftime but a second half comeback gave the Eagles a 70-52 victory. Cha Sweeney scored a game-high 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting, highlighted by a 3-of-6 showing from deep. Janay Morton and Jamaica Bucknor added 16 points apiece while Morton nearly registered a triple double, adding nine rebounds and seven assists.
The Eagles' victory was the team's fourth largest margin of victory in a MAC Tournament game. The team's largest margin of victory came in an 88-51 win over Miami during the 1999-2000 season.

PROGRAM CHANGERS: There is a moment in every program that changes the course of history, and for Kent and Eastern you can maybe circle the date of March 10, 2006. On that date, the Eagles were ousted from the 2006 MAC Tournament by the Golden Flashes, 70-56, at Quicken Loans Arena. KSU outscored the Eagles 49-19 in the second half after trailing by as many as 18 points in the first half. Kent State's Lindsay Shearer, the MAC's Player of the Year, keyed the comeback with a game-high 24 points and 19 rebounds.
Eastern Michigan has dominated Kent State since that game, winning 11 of the last 12 meetings. A larger picture view though is even more impressive with EMU posting a 179-137 record (.566) and KSU going 113-184 (.380) during the same span.

NOW THIS IS MARCH MADNESS: The Green and White has posted a 38-29 record during the month of March over the last 18 years, including an 8-2 mark last season.

JOIN THE TAILGATE IN THE ATRIUM FOR SOME #MACtion: The EMU Department of Athletics invites all fans to a tailgate party inside the Convocation Center's atrium on Monday as a part of the MAC Tournament game. The party will begin at 6 p.m. and will include music, food, giveaways and a cash bar at the event.
For students, EMU will be giving away tickets to a suite for the upcoming Ellie Goulding concert at the Convocation Center. Ten lucky students will win a pair of suite tickets to the May 9 show. In addition to the concert giveaway, fans have the chance at winning the MAC Finals Package. Two fans will be selected to win a weekend trip to Cleveland for MAC Tournament finals weekend. The lucky winners will take home a two-night stay in Cleveland, March 11-12, and a pair of tickets to the MAC men's and women's semifinal and championship games at Quicken Loans Arena. Also, the fraternity and sorority with the highest number in attendance will receive a free customized E-hoodie with its Greek letters.
EMU students will be admitted free with a valid student ID. Fans can purchase green level premium seats for $12, while youth tickets will cost $7. Single-game white level reserved tickets will be $10 and youth seating will be $5. Additionally, courtside seats will be available for $50 per seat. These tickets will be available on a first come, first serve basis.

A LOOK BACK AT SWEENEY'S RECORD-SETTING 2015 MAC TOURNAMENT: Last year, Cha Sweeney set the Mid-American Conference Tournament record with 123 points in the team's five-game run. The previous record, 83, was held by former Eagles guard Tavelyn James. The Toledo, Ohio native also set the tournament record with 39 field goals, surpassing the 36 of Central Michigan's Crystal Bradford.
Sweeney opened her tournament with 21 points in 32 minutes against Kent State. Then at "The Q", she scored 29 in 38 minutes against Toledo; 24 in 29 minutes against Akron; and 25 in 36 minutes of a semifinal against Ball State. In the championship game against Ohio, Sweeney scored 24 but went 7-of-25 from the field in 35 minutes.

THE NEW LAW OF AVERAGES: During Eastern Michigan's sensational run to the 2015 MAC title game a season ago, the Eagle used a relentless offensive attack to take opponents out of games early in the MAC Tournament. By game's end EMU outscored the opposition by a 11.6 margin (EMU 71.6, OPP 60.0).

NO MATTER THE CIRCUMSTANCES: Tory Verdi's 2014-15 Eagles were the fourth team in MAC Tournament history to win four games. In addition, the EMU squad was the first No. 6 seed to make it to the final.

ALL-TIME AGAINST TEAMS IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT: The Eagles sport a 22-20 mark in 22 trips to the conference postseason and are making their fourth under Head Coach Tory Verdi. The Eagles have faced Bowling Green (2-5) the most times of any squad in the tournament. Eastern is 5-1 against Toledo, 2-3 versus Ohio, 2-3 against Kent State and 2-2 versus Miami. EMU is 2-1 in postseason play versus Ball State and 1-2 against Northern Illinois. The Green and White are 2-0 against Buffalo, 1-0 versus Central Michigan, 1-1 against Akron and winless against Western Michigan. EMU was 2-0 versus Marshall in tournament play before the Thundering Herd departed for Conference USA.

SEEKING MAC TITLE NUMBER THREE: The Eagles advanced to the championship game of the MAC Tournament in 2004, 2011, 2012 and 2015. EMU is 2-2 all-time in the contest that decides the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. The Green and White defeated BGSU, 65-56, in the 2004 finale, March 13, and then fell to the Falcons, 51-46, in the 2011 title game, March 12. One year later, EMU defeated CMU 72-71 thanks to a Paige Redditt layup with 1.8 seconds left in the contest. Last season, the Eagles saw its eight-game winning streak come to a close in the finals as No. 1-seeded Ohio claimed a 60-44 victory at Quicken Loans Arena.

MAC TOURNAMENT SEEDING FACTS: In the 34 years of the tournament, the top seed has won the title 22 times. In 2015, the No. 6 Eastern Michigan Eagles became the highest seed to ever advance to the tournament championship game. Western Michigan, a No. 4 seed in 2003, is the highest seed to ever win the title. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds have met 15 times in the championship game, with the top seed winning 13 times.

EIGHTH POSTSEASON TRIP FOR EMU: Playing in late March has become a regular tradition for Eastern Michigan, as the Eagles have participated in the postseason eigh times in the past 12 years. Prior to the 2003-04 campaign, EMU had never participated in the postseason. However, all that changed when EMU won the 2004 MAC Tournament and earned the automatic bid to the program's first NCAA Tournament.
The Green and White has since followed it up with appearances in the 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011 and 2015 WNIT. EMU again returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2012 after winning the MAC Tournament and in 2014 hosted two rounds of the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI).

EMU AT THE 'Q': Eastern Michigan is very familiar with the Quicken Loans Arena floor, as the school has posted a 13-9 record, including capturing the 2004 and 2012 championships.

STAT YOU VERY MUCH: For the seventh consecutive season the EMU Athletic Media Relations Office will be called upon to serve as the official statistics crew of the 2016 MAC Tournament. Under the direction of Greg Steiner, the office worked the 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 tournament logging more than 60 hours over a four day span at Quicken Loans Arena. The office has also worked as the stat crew for the past eight Marathon MAC Football Championship games and the previous nine MAC Baseball Tournaments. The this year's MAC basketball crew consists of Greg Steiner, Sean Hostetter, Chris Puzzuoli, Katie Gonzales, Mark Panhorst, Dan Whitaker and Ken Dewey.

NOW THIS IS MORE LIKE IT!: EMU has won six of its last eight games and now looks more like the team that was the league's West Division preseason favorite. During the current stretch, the Eagles have poured in an average of 68.5 points per game while shooting 40.2 percent (207-of-515) from the floor. Despite being out-rebounded by more than seven boards a contest, EMU has limited the opposition to 37.3 percent shooting (175-for-469) and 58.8 ppg.
Even more impressive has been the team's ability to cause havoc on defense, as the team managed a streak of four consecutive games that it did not trail for even a second of game action. With the team forcing 163 turnovers and blocking 21 shots, Cha Sweeney has been able to chip in 19.0 points while Chanise Baldwin is averaging 12.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks a game as well.

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Players Mentioned

Chanise Baldwin

Jamaica Bucknor

Janay Morton

Cha Sweeney

Eastern Michigan Athletics