GAME FACTS – The Emory women's basketball team makes its first University Athletic Association road trip of the young season when it battles nationally ranked New York University on Friday (Jan. 15) before taking on Brandeis on Sunday (Jan. 17).
The Jerome Coles Center on the NYU campus will be the site of the 54th meeting between the Eagles and Violets and tip is scheduled for 6:00 pm. On Sunday, the venue shifts to Auerbach Arena at Brandeis for the 54th confrontation between the Eagles and Judges with that contest scheduled for a 1:00 pm start.
THE COACHES – Emory head coach Christy Thomaskutty (Tulane, '96) is in her 13th season in charge of the Eagles. She assumed her current duties prior to the start of the 2003-04 campaign and enters Friday's action with a school and career mark of 168-147. Thomaskutty is assisted by Misha Jackson, Kim Coleman and Corneille Burt Algarra.
Lauren Hall-Gregory (Hofstra, '03) is in her fourth season as the head coach at NYU. During her stint with the Violets, she has compiled a record of 64-26 that includes a pair of both 20-win seasons and trips to the NCAA Tournament. Prior to her current post, Hall-Gregory spent four years as an assistant coach at Division I member Sacred Heart University.
Now in her 29th season in patrolling the sidelines for Brandeis is Carol Simon (Colby, '85). Heading into a Friday match-up against Rochester, Simon has compiled 405 wins including a mark of 186-113 over the past 12 years. She recorded her 400th career win on November 14, 2015, with a 70-54 verdict over Eastern Nazarene.
RECORDS – Emory brings an overall record of 9-3, 0-1 in UAA action, into its meeting against NYU. The Eagles came out on the short end of a 75-68 verdict at home to Rochester this past Saturday, snapping a three-game win streak and representing their first loss at the Woodpec in six outings.
In that game, junior Michelle Bevan led all players with 18 points, sinking seven-of-14 field goal attempts, while senior Ilene Tsao totaled a season-high 14 points to go along with a season-high tying eight assists. Three-point shooting proved to be a determining factor in the outcome with the Yellowjackets converting 47.8 percent (11 of 23) compared to Emory sinking a season-low two triples in 15 tries.
Emory is 5-1 at home and 4-2 in road/neutral settings this season.
New York University, ranked No. 4 nationally by D3hoops.com, entertains Emory with an overall slate of 12-0, 1-0 in the league. The Violets remained undefeated after rolling to a 58-31 victory at Hunter College on Monday night. NYU opened UAA action last Saturday with a 57-46 win at home over Brandeis.
NYU is 6-0 in home games this season and 6-0 in road contests.
Brandeis will take on Rochester with an overall showing of 7-5 (0-1 UAA). The Judges dropped their league opener to NYU last Saturday, 57-46, ending a three-game winning streak. Brandeis is 6-2 at home, 1-3 in road outings.
SERIES RECORDS – NYU holds a 39-14 lead in the all-time series that saw the first game played in January of 1989. The Violets have captured the last four meetings between the schools including last year's 74-62 (at NYU) and 67-60 (at Emory) decisions. NYU has won 21 of the 26 series games that have been contested on its home floor.
Emory enjoys 28-25 edge in the series with Brandeis, which saw the first game played in January of 1989. The teams split the two meetings last season, with the Judges winning on their home court, 68-56, before Emory posted a 67-61 triumph at the Woodruff PE Center. BU is 14-12 against Emory in games played on its home floor.
EMORY DEFENSE RANKS HIGH IN UAA – Despite surrendering a season-high 75 points in the Rochester game, the Eagles still rank among the top teams in the UAA in scoring defense, allowing just 52.9 points per outing, good for the No. 3 spot, just a shade behind league leaders Washington University and NYU, each at 52.8 ppg.
Emory has held nine opponents to less than 40 percent from the floor and has held six foes to less than 50 points (compared to last year's entire total of four).
In addition to its scoring defense average, which ranked 34th among all D-III programs at the start of the week, Emory has been stingy as well in the field goal percentage defense category, allowing opponents just 34.2 percent from the floor, good for the No. 3 position on the league ladder and 75th on the D-III front at the start of the week.
BEVAN PROVIDES SCORING SPARK – Michelle Bevan came through with a pair of big offensive games last week, leading all players with a career-high 21 points in the 70-46 victory over Rhodes before producing a game-high 18 points (second-highest career total) in the Rochester clash.
In the two games, Bevan was successful on 60.7 percent (17 of 28) from the field and 83.3 percent (5 of 6) from the foul line, as she upped her season scoring average to a team-high 10.4 points per game. In addition, she ranks as the Eagles' top field goal shooter, hitting 55.6 percent (30 of 54) of her attempts.
Heading into the weekend, Bevan has recorded three double-figure scoring contests in seven outings this season and has 13 in her career.
SAYYID MOVING UP EMORY'S CAREER STEALS LADDER – Khadijah Sayyid's one steal in the Rochester game boosted her streak to 39 games with at least one theft to her credit, and upped her career total to 199, good for fifth place on the school's all-time list and just three shy of tying Savannah Morgan ('10-14) for the No. 4 spot.
Sayyid is averaging 2.3 steals per game this year, good for the No. 4 spot on the UAA chart.
Entering the upcoming weekend, Sayyid owns 50 career contests of two or more steals, seven of which have come this season.
EMORY TRIO TO SERVE AS CAPTAINS – Serving as captains of the 2015-16 Emory women's basketball team are seniors Khadijah Sayyid (Longmont, CO) and Ilene Tsao (Fremont, CA) and junior Shellie Kaniut (Vienna, VA).
SAYYID A LONG-RANGE THREAT – Sayyid has been the Eagles' most efficient three-point shooter, knocking down 44.1 percent (26 of 59) from beyond the arc, with that mark good for the No. 5 spot on the UAA ladder.
She has connected on 50 percent or better of her triple tries on seven occasions this year, and she is hitting at a 46.7 percent clip (14 of 30) from distance over the past six games. Career-wise, her 82 career three pointers ties her with Sally Goldberg ('96-99) for eighth place on the program's all-time ladder.
NOTES – Junior Shellie Kaniut will enter the NYU game with 21 career outings of double-figure scoring, four of which have come this season … Fran Sweeney has recorded seven games of two or more three-point field goals this year and through Jan. 12, she ranks 10th among UAA players in three-point percentage (.373, 25-of-67) and is No. 3 the conference in triples per game (2.1 tpg) … Sweeney has 71 career three pointers to her credit, good for 12th all-time in program history … Sayyid owns a 16-game streak with at least one three-point field goal, tying her with Mandy Jackson for the sixth-longest streak in school history … Michelle Bevan's season-high tying eight rebounds vs. Rochester tied her with Ilene Tsao for the team's lead in rebounding, representing the second time this season and eighth in her career that she had led or shared for the squad's lead in that category … Included in Bevan's carom total were a career-high five on the offensive end of the floor … Sophomore Dumebi Egbuna tops the squad in rebounding with a 5.2 per-game showing, good for 21st place on the UAA chart … Egbuna has paced the Eagles in rebounding on five occasions this season including a 10-board afternoon vs. Maryville College that tied her career high and that represented her third career double-figure total in that category … Sophomore Mikaila Schmitt topped the club in rebounding for the second time this season when she snagged a season-high tying six boards against Rhodes … The Eagles are averaging 16.9 assists per game, good for the No. 3 spot in the UAA while ranking 21st among all D-III programs at the start of the week … In addition to her rebound average, Egbuna claims the No. 10 slot in the conference in field goal percentage (.464, 39 of 84) … Emory has enjoyed a decided advantage in the points-off-turnover category in each of the last four games, generating 104 points (26. 0 ppg) in that stretch compared to the opposition's 44 points (11.0 ppg) … Emory has outscored the opposition in 31 quarters while being outpointed in 16 … Emory has won 28 of its last 37 and 44 of its last 56 home games … The Eagles have won their last 18 and are 42-4 during Thomaskutty's tenure as head coach when scoring 80 or more points (2-0 in '15-16; 1-0 in '14-15; 5-0 in 2013-14; and 7-0 in 2012-13) … Emory has finished with 10 or more steals in nine games and stands second in the UAA with a 13.3 per-game average … At the start of the week, Emory ranked 22nd among all D-III program in steals average … Emory has enjoyed an edge in second-chance points in nine of 11 games and is averaging 13.2 points vs. 9.3 for the opposition … Emory is averaging 31.1 points during the first half of action vs. 23.9 for the opposition … Over the final two quarters, the Eagles are averaging 34.5 points to their opposition's 29.0 … The third stanza has been Emory's most productive quarter in terms of scoring average (17.4 pts.) while the second quarter has been seen the Eagles post their biggest scoring differential against opponents, 200 (16.7 pts) vs. 147 (12.2 pts.).