YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball fell to Mid-American Conference rival Ball State University, 68-64, Saturday, Jan. 23, inside the Convocation Center. The Eagles, down 17 with 8:30 left to play, came back within one but could not complete the comeback.
In Eastern's (8-6; 5-4 MAC) two games against Ball State (6-5; 4-3 MAC), the victor has been the visitor in each contest. The Eagles are now 4-1 in their past five, with three of the four wins coming on the road.
Eastern Michigan showcased strong numbers across the board, with all five starters registering a block. Leading the offensive effort was Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)) with 19 points. The Oklahoma City product also produced four steals and three rebounds in the contest. Redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Florida International)) collected her eighth double-double of the season, knocking in 14 points and snagging 10 rebounds. Junior Jenna Annecchiarico (Baldwin, N.Y.-Baldwin) and junior Natalia Pineda (Miami, Fla.-John A. Ferguson) added 12 and 11 points, respectively. The 11-point performance from the Miami native marks a season-high in scoring.
Annecchiarico opened up the game with a three-point make on the Eagles' first possession. On the ensuing Ball State possession, Combs picked the pocket of a Cardinal and took it the length of the court for the layup as EMU jumped out to a 5-0 lead less than a minute into the game.
There was a special moment for the Green and White late in the first quarter. Senior Autumn Hudson (Richwood, Ohio-North Union) stepped on the court to record her 100th career game at Eastern Michigan. The Ohio product was strong out of the gate with a physical rebound and defiant block as the Eagles held on to a 17-11 advantage at the 2:15 mark.
Skanes was dominant in the paint early on as she collected six points, five rebounds, and one steal through the first 10 minutes of play. Both teams were stingy on defense as the first quarter ended, 19-14, in favor of the Green and White.
Annecchiarico joined the block party with an athletic rejection in the opening minute of the second period. However the Eagles' offense went stagnant early in the quarter, including shooting 0-for-5 from the field to which Ball State capitalized on. The Cardinals outscored EMU 17-3 over a seven-minute stretch as they built a 28-22 BSU edge with 4:28 remaining in the half. Ball State maintained its advantage, wrapping up the half with a 36-29 lead as the teams entered the locker rooms.
Pineda set the tone for the Eagles to start the second half as she drew a charge and nailed a corner-three with EMU trailing 38-32 at the 8:46 mark. But the energy was short-lived as the Green and White went scoreless for over three minutes with the BSU lead growing to 45-34 with 4:39 on the clock.
Combs and redshirt senior Corrione Cardwell (Cleveland, Ohio-New Tech East) upped their defensive games in the third stanza, each registering a steal that resulted in points on the other end. Hudson reentered the game in the third period, where she wrangled in a rebound between three Cardinals and drew a foul. On the offensive end, Pineda split multiple defenders for the hard-fought lay-in to make it 56-41 BSU as the quarter came to a close
Skanes gave new life to the Eagles in the opening minutes of the fourth as she hit two big free throws and threw a nifty dish to Cardwell. Combs added a pair of free throws to make it a 60-47 game with 6:38 remaining. Moments later, the Eagles cut the deficit to 10, thanks to a triple from Annecchiarico as the clock read 5:40 with BSU holding onto a 60-50 edge.
Eastern continued to claw back, highlighted by an and-one conversion by Combs, which brought the game to 62-55 with 3:39 to play. With 2:27 on the clock, Skanes hit a bucket off the glass to bring EMU to within five, 63-58. On the defensive end, Skanes came up with a steal that resulted in a three-point splash from Pineda as the Eagles only trailed 63-60 with 1:46 remaining.
Combs hit two major free throws with 0:37 left to play as BSU's edge decreased to just one point, 65-64. However, the Cardinals drilled a three-point dagger to make it 68-64 with nine seconds left. Despite outscoring BSU 23-12 in the final stanza, the Cardinals held on to win, 68-64.
The Eagles shot 21-of-59 (35.6%) compared to the Cardinals 24-of 56 (42.9%) from the field. Eastern did outpace Ball State from beyond the arc, going 5-of-16 (31.3%) compared to Ball State's 5-of-17 (29.4%). In addition, the Eagles bested the Cardinals in points off turnovers (22-9), fast break points (16-9), and points in the paint (32-22). Ball State surpassed Eastern in bench points (6-0) and blocks (7-6).
EMU will remain at home as it welcomes Ohio University to the Convocation Center for the first meeting between the teams this season. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27.
For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU women's hoops, visit EMUEagles.com and follow the team on social media at @EMUWBB.
"complete" - Google News
January 24, 2021 at 03:18AM
https://ift.tt/2LXujJL
Women's Basketball Fails to Complete Comeback Against Ball State, 68-64 - EMU Eagles
"complete" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2Fvz4Dj
https://ift.tt/2YsogAP
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Women's Basketball Fails to Complete Comeback Against Ball State, 68-64 - EMU Eagles"
Post a Comment