GAME FACTS – Buoyed by its first two University Athletic Association wins of the year, the Emory women's basketball team faces a road weekend, starting on Friday (Jan. 30) at Brandeis followed by a Sunday encounter against nationally ranked and league co- leader New York University. Auberbach Arena on the Brandeis campus will be the setting for the 52nd meeting between the Eagles and Judges, with that game slated to start at 6:00 pm. On Sunday, the Coles Center on the NYU campus will be the venue for the 52nd clash between Emory and the Violets, and that affair is slated for a 2:00 pm tip.
THE COACHES – Emory Head Coach Christy Thomaskutty (Tulane, '96) is in her 12th season in charge of the Eagles. She assumed her current duties prior to the start of the 2003-04 campaign and enters the WU game with a school and career mark of 157-137. Last year, Thomaskutty guided the program to an overall record of 16-9, Emory's third-straight winning season. Thomaskutty is assisted by Misha Jackson, Kim Coleman and Morgan Crawford.
Carol Simon (Colby, '85) is in her 27th campaign in charge of the Brandeis program and has 377 school and career wins to her credit.
In her third season as the head coach of NYU is Lauren Hall-Gregory (Hofstra, '03). Entering a Friday evening home contest vs. Rochester, Hall-Gregory has compiled a school and career ledger of 45-32. Last season, she directed the Violets to a 20-6 record that included a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
2014-15 RECORDS – Emory stands 10-6 overall (2-3 UAA) after registering a pair of home victories last weekend. On Friday, the Eagles bettered Case Western Reserve by a 65-62 count before notching a 62-57 decision over Carnegie Mellon.
Junior Khadijah Sayyid recorded her fifth double-double of the campaign, an 18-point, 11-rebound performance to fuel the win over CWRU, while sophomore Michelle Bevan and freshman Dumebi Egbuna each tallied a career-high 15 points to spark the Eagles against Carnegie Mellon.
Emory is 6-1 at home and 4-5 in road/neutral games this season.
Brandeis sports an overall record of 9-7, 1-4 in the UAA. The Judges have come out on the short end of their last three contests including 67-50 and 77-58 outcomes last weekend against Chicago and Washington University, respectively. Brandeis stands 6-3 in home games, 3-4 in away contests.
NYU, ranked No. 8 nationally by both D3hoops.com and USA Today, heads into the weekend with an overall mark of 15-1, including a 4-1 showing in the league that ties it for first place with Wash U and the University of Chicago. The Violets split a pair of home games last weekend, defeating Wash U, 64-58, before suffering its first setback of the season when it lost to Chicago, 87-73. The Violets are 9-1 in home games, 6-0 on the road.
SERIES RECORDS – Emory holds a 27-24 edge in the all-time series with Brandeis that saw the first game played in January of 1989. The Judges swept both meetings last year, topping the Eagles, 65-61, in Waltham, MA, before coming away with a 75-72 triumph in Atlanta. Brandeis stands 13-12 vs. Emory in games on its home floor.
In a series that started in January of 1989, NYU posts an all-time record of 37-14 against Emory. The Violets won both meetings last season, 77-71 in New York and 82-73 in Atlanta. NYU has captured 20 of the 25 meetings played on its home court.
EMORY TRIO TO SERVE AS CAPTAINS – Serving as captains of the 2014-15 Emory women's basketball team are juniors Khadijah Sayyid (Longmont, CO) and Ilene Tsao (Fremont, CA) and sophomore Shellie Kaniut (Vienna, VA).
SAYYID MOVING UP EMORY'S CAREER STEALS LADDER – Khadijah Sayyid continued her ball-hawking style of play on the defensive end of the floor in the Case Western and Carnegie Mellon games, recording back-to-back efforts of five steals. Sayyid has chalked up five-steal performances in three of the last of the last five and in a total of five contests this year. She starts the weekend with 46 thefts this year, good for 23rd place on the program's seasonal ladder.
Sayyid, the owner of 10 (5 straight) multi-steal outings this year, stands second in the UAA and 65th nationally in steals with a 2.88 per-game average. She ranks as the conference's No. 1 performer in that category in league play with a 4.2 per-game effort.
Career-wise, Sayyid has 152 thefts, good for the No. 7 spot on the Eagles' all-time list, and has totaled 37 contests of two or more steals.
Sayyid has been a catalyst in helping Emory average 10.9 steals per game in overall action, good for second place among UAA teams.
KANIUT BOOSTS EMORY'S OFFENSE – Shellie Kaniut has a three-game double-figure scoring streak after picking up 10 points against Case Western followed by an 11-point outing against Carnegie Mellon. Kaniut now has seven games this year of 10 or more points.
Heading into Friday, Kaniut stands 15th in the UAA in scoring for league contests with a 9.0 per-game average. She has converted 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from beyond the arc in conference play, good for second place on the UAA chart.
Kaniut heads into the Brandeis game with the team-long four-game streak of three-point field goals to her credit.
EGBUNA MAKING PRESENCE FELT – After scoring a season-high 13 points in the Case Western game, Dumebi Egbuna bettered that mark with a team-high tying 15 points, sinking five-of-nine from the floor and five free throws in seven attempts. Egbuna paced the team in scoring over the weekend, tossing in 14.0 points while shooting 55.0 percent (11-of-20) from the field. She ranked as the squad's No. 2 rebounder (6.5 rpg), snatching seven boards against CWRU before tying Khadijah Sayyid for team honors with six caroms against Carnegie Mellon.
Egbuna is fourth on the team and 24th in the UAA in overall scoring average (8.1 ppg) and is the league's No. 2 freshman in that department. She has scored in double figures in five of the last seven and in a total of seven games this year. Other UAA categories that Egbuna finds herself ranked include field goal percentage (.458, 12th) and rebounding (4.6 rpg, 19th).
In league action only, Egbuna jumps up to 12th on the scoring average list (10.2 ppg) , is third in field goal percentage (.541, 20-of-37) and tied for 13th in rebounding (5.6 rpg).
NOTES – Michelle Bevan's career-high 15 points vs. Carnegie Mellon was her fifth double-figure scoring outing of the year and seventh of her career … Bevan is third on the club and18th in the UAA in overall scoring average (9.0 ppg) … In addition, Bevan is shooting a team-high 47.4 percent (45-of-95) from the floor with that mark 10th among conference players … Khadijah Sayyid stands third on the league's overall scoring ladder at 14.9 points per game… Sayyid has 12 double-figure scoring contests to her credit including five outings of 20 or more points … She has either led or shared for team scoring honors on 11 occasions this year … Emory shot a season-high 81.0 percent (17-of-21) from the foul line against Carnegie Mellon … The Eagles have recorded 10 or more steals in 12 games this year … Emory is averaging 14.8 offensive rebounds per contest in overall play, good for the No. 2 spot in the UAA … Sayyid paces Emory and is third in the UAA in rebounding (8.8 rpg) … She is fourth on the league ladder in offensive rebounds (3.0 orpg) … Emory has outrebounded nine of its 16 foes while being outboarded in six contests … Ilene Tsao leads the UAA in assists with a 4.1 per-game average … Tsao has five games of five or more assists this year … Tsao has been Emory's leading rebounder in four games and sports a 4.6 per-game average heading into the weekend …Emory has 10 or more offensive rebounds in 15 contests …Emory is 8-0 when outshooting its opposition from the floor, 2-6 when being outshot … Emory reserves have scored 20 or more points in six games this year … Emory has won 22 of its last 26 and 38 of its last 45 home games … The Eagles have won their last 16 and are 40-4 during Thomaskutty's tenure as head coach when scoring 80 or more points (1-0 in '14-15, 5-0 in 2013-14, and 7-0 in 2012-13) … Emory is averaging 31.4 points in the first half of play and 32.6 points over the final 20 minutes of action … Opponents are averaging 28.7 points in the first half and 31.0 in the second half … Opponents have turned the ball over more than Emory in nine games with the Eagles standing 7-2 in those affairs … Emory has attempted more free throws than the opposition on five occasions while opponents have attempted more in 10 contests (one game is a tie) … Emory has outscored opponents in 18 of 32 halves.