While most students enjoyed relaxing during their break, the Eastern Michigan women’s basketball team hardly paused from practicing or playing its hardest in the games that took place in the past three weeks.
So, what have the Eagles been up to the past few weeks?
Five games took place during the holiday, and they were a mix of wins and losses for the Eagle. Two of these games took place during the Holiday Hoops tournament in Seattle, Washington.
The first team the Eagles encountered was the University of Detroit Mercy Titans on Dec. 20 in Detroit. Olivia Fouty and Natachia Watkins performed well. Fouty had 17 points and 10 rebounds while Watkins finished with 28 points and nine rebounds.
Though the Eagles were down for most of the game, they were able to tie it up to send the game into overtime. The Eagle’s turnovers and Titan’s free throws eventually lead to a Titan victory, 70-69.
The next stop for the Eagles was Seattle, Wash., for the Holiday Hoops tournament that took place over a period of two days; Dec. 29 and 30.
The Eagles faced the St. Louis Billikins on the 29th. They were able to score easily during the second half due to Desyree Thomas’ steals, which pushed the Eagles to an 11-point win, 66-55. The leading scorer was Tavelyn James with 19 while Fouty had 11 points and eight rebounds.
On the 30th, the Eagles took on the Seattle Redhawks. This game saw the lead constantly flip-flopping between the two. The Eagles could not sink a three-pointer throughout the entire game and the Redhawks took a 75-72 victory. Watkins was the leading scorer with 22 points and Fouty had seven rebounds.
The Eagles defeated the University of Wyoming Cowgirls 65-43 on Jan. 2 at the Convocation Center.
The Eagles kept the lead for most of the second half and were able to use James’ three-pointers to put the game out of reach. Fouty had a career-high 18 rebounds, which beat out her existing record of 10.
The Eagles traveled to Muncie, Ind., to play Ball State University on Thursday. James had 16 points in the first half to give the Eagles the lead, 29-22. However, in the second half, BSU was able to catch up to the Eagles and with a free throw and a basket, BSU was able to take a three point lead.
The Eagles were not able to hit a three-point attempt, and were defeated 54-51. India Hairston had nine rebounds and eight points.
The last game the Eagles played during break was against the Northern Illinois Huskies at the Convocation Center on Sunday. The Eagles held the lead for most of the game, and at halftime, the score was 28-12 in the Eagles favor. Senior Paige Redditt scored 17 and pulled down eight rebounds and blocked two shots.
EMU held a big lead throughout the second half and won 64-52.
The Eagles’ will travel to face Toledo at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
