The Eagles defense forced 29 turnovers as the Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team defeated the Miami (OH) University RedHawks, 70-46, Saturday afternoon in Oxford, OH.
Cha Sweeney and the Eagles looked impressive early on as she knocked down her first three baskets of the afternoon, jumping out to an early 11-5 lead in the opening quarter. Sasha Dailey got right to it defensively off the bench, forcing steals and turning them into scores on the fast break – scoring seven points as the Eagles took an 18-13 lead entering the second quarter.
EMU opened the second quarter with a triple by Sweeney taking an eight-point 21-13 lead. The Redhawks struggled offensively with unforced turnovers, which allowed the Eagles to jump out in front taking a 28-18 lead with four minutes left in the first half.
The Eagles scored 20 points off of 15 turnovers by the Redhawks entering the third quarter. Sweeney kept the momentum on EMU’s side, driving to the rim getting layups while also knocking down a triple giving the Eagles a 22-point 49-27 lead.
Sera Ozelci got it going for EMU in the third quarter hitting two three pointers and also getting to the rim as the Eagles would go on an 11-3 run to close the third leading 60-30.
The Eagles were able to keep the game out of reach in the final quarter notching their sixth victory in conference play. Sweeney finished with a game-high 24 points.
Three other Eagles reached double figures in the ball game including Chanise Baldwin’s 13-point eight rebound performance, Ozelci added 10 points and Dailey finished with five steals.
The Eagles finished the game with a strong defensive effort capturing 17 steals. EMU held the RedHawks to only 36 percent (18-49) from the field and 31 percent (6-19) from beyond the arc.
Leah Purvis led Miami (OH) with 14 points and Kendall McCoy recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Looking Forward:
The Eagles will look to win three straight MAC games for the first time all season as they take on the Bulls of Buffalo Wednesday night on the road. The Bulls have lost their last three MAC games.
