The Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team found itself in its third overtime game of the season, this time having to go into double-overtime against the Western Michigan University Broncos Saturday afternoon in Ypsilanti. The Eagles were able to hang on 70-66.
For the Eagles, junior guard Cha Sweeney led the way with 21 points in 45 minutes. Junior Sheyna Deans made her first start of the season, along with sophomore Micah Robinson, and contributed 12 points and five rebounds in 34 minutes.
“We’ve got to use this. We have the bye week off so we can decompress a bit,” EMU coach Tory Verdi said. “We can use it to catapult us and finish the MAC season the way it needs to be finished up. We’ve grown up and made a lot of mistakes from it but also we grew from it tonight.”
The Eagles were able to get off to a hot start by going on a 10-2 run within the first five minutes.
In the third quarter, EMU junior forward Phillis Webb scored a layup then on the WMU inbound Sweeney snuck in for a steal for an easy layup. Eastern continued the pressure and Deans grabbed another steal that helped the Eagles regain a 36-34 lead.
With less than a second remaining in the fourth quarter, WMU guard Meredith Shipman hit a three point shot that put the game into overtime.
In a contest against the University of Akron on Jan. 6, the Eagles were in a similar situation and allowed a game tying three point shot as time expired.
“It’s a catch and shoot situation,” Verdi said. “We knew they were going to shoot the three and we switched everything out and unfortunately we didn't get out quick enough and they made a great play.”
In the first overtime, with less than ten seconds left, Sweeney airballed a three but Webb was able to grab the offensive rebound and laid it in at the buzzer pushing the Eagles into double overtime, tying it at 57.
The Eagles relied on Sweeney in the second overtime as she scored nine of her 21 and was able to hit her free throws in the last 30 seconds.
“She was big,” Verdi said. “In the last game against Central, she missed them. She stepped up to the line tonight and made them.”
Looking Forward:
The Eagles will have a week to prepare for their next game as they travel to the University of Miami at Ohio on Saturday Feb. 13. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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