GAME FACTS – After playing hard-fought contests on the road at the University of Chicago and Washington University last weekend, the Emory women's basketball teams returns home to battle the same two squads. On Friday (Feb. 5), the Eagles entertain Chicago before hosting the nationally ranked Bears of Wash U on Sunday.
The Woodruff PE Center will serve as the venue for the 545h meeting between the Eagles and the Maroons with tip slated for 6:00 pm. Sunday's match-up against Wash U will mark the 55th time the programs have squared off and that contest is slated for a 2:00 start.
LiveStats (http://emoryathletics.com/information/LiveStats) and a video stream (http://emoryathletics.com/information/webcasts) will be provided for both games. Handling the play-by-play will be Justin Hanover.
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 begins the weekend with a school and career mark of 169-152. Thomaskutty is assisted by Misha Jackson, Kim Coleman and Corneille Burt Algarra.
Carissa Sain Knoche (Carnegie Mellon, '05) is in her fourth season as the head coach at Chicago, where she has compiled a record of 52-41. Last season, she directed the program to a conference title with a 12-2 ledger en route to posting an overall mark of 18-7.
Now in her 30th year of calling the shots for Washington University is Nancy Fahey (Wisconsin, '81). Prior to a Friday evening road game at Rochester, Fahey has amassed a school and career record of 703-127. She has seen her teams capture five national crowns and make 27 trips to the NCAA Tournament.
RECORDS – Emory brings an overall record of 10-8, 1-6 in UAA action, into its meeting against Chicago. The Eagles are looking to snap a three-game losing streak that included setbacks last weekend at Chicago (79-73) and No. 10 Wash U (75-68). Emory was in contention in both outings, trailing by just three points with 29 seconds left against Chicago and a similar margin with 2:39 on the clock against Wash U.
Junior Shellie Kaniut and senior Ilene Tsao topped the Emory scoring efforts over the two games, averaging 17.0 and 16.5 points, respectively. Kaniut poured in a season-high 20 points against Wash U, hitting eight-of-10 field goal attempts, including three treys in four tries, while Tsao registered a season-best 20 points in the Chicago game, converting eight of her 11 field goal attempts. Freshman Ashley Oldshue topped the Eagles in rebounding with a 7.0 per-game mark, which included a season-high nine boards vs. the Bears.
Emory is 6-2 at home and 4-6 in road/neutral settings this season.
Chicago comes to town with an overall record of 12-6, and its 4-3 slate in the UAA good for fourth place. After Maroons topped Emory, they defeated No. 7 Rochester on Sunday, 58-56.
Chicago is 8-2 on its home floor, 4-4 in road/neutral games.
Wash U, ranked No. 9 nationally in this week's D3hoops.com top 25 Poll, meets Rochester on Friday with an overall ledger of 15-3, 6-1 in the conference. The Bears are tied with New York University for first place in the league and have won five of their past six contests. Before its win over Emory, WU stymied then No. 7 Rochester, 59-38. WU is 9-1 at home and 6-2 in road/neutral affairs.
SERIES RECORDS – Chicago holds a 36-18 lead in the all-time series with Emory that saw the first game played in February of 1989. The Maroons have captured the last four meetings between the schools. UC has won 17 of the 27 contests against Emory that have been played in Atlanta.
Wash U has won 48 of the 54 contests against Emory.
EMORY DEFENSE RANKS HIGH IN UAA – Heading into the weekend, Emory ranks fourth among UAA squads in overall scoring defense, allowing 56.9 points per game. The Eagles have limited seven opponents to 50 or fewer points (compared to last year's entire total of four). Through games played Jan. 31, Emory ranks 99th among all D-III programs in scoring defense.
Emory has been stingy as well in the field goal percentage defense category, allowing opponents just 36.0 percent from the floor, good for the No. 3 position on the league ladder.
SAYYID MOVING UP EMORY'S CAREER STEALS LADDER – Khadijah Sayyid opened last week's action with one steal in the Chicago contest before seeing a 44-game steals streak come to an end in the Wash U outing.
Sayyid ranks fourth all-time at Emory with 210 steals and is seven shy of tying Mandy Jackson ('91-95) for the No. 3 position.
Sayyid is averaging 2.2 steals per game this year, good for sixth place on the UAA chart.
Entering the upcoming weekend, Sayyid owns 53 career contests of two or more steals, 10 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).
OLDSHUE MAKES MOST OF STARTING ASSIGNMENTS – Freshman Ashley Oldshue drew her first starting assignments in UAA action last weekend and recorded her most productive back-to-back rebounding totals of her young career.
Oldshue logged a season-long 24 minutes of action against Chicago, and was one of five Eagles to tie for the team lead with five rebounds, four of which came on the offensive end of the floor, leading all players in that department. Oldshue then topped all performers with a season-high nine boards in the Wash U game, with her five offensive caroms pacing all players.
Heading into the weekend, Oldshue, who has seen action in all 18 games, four as a starter, is averaging 13.0 minutes and 3.5 rebounds per contest, good for fourth place on the squad. Her 30 offensive boards is second only to Dumebi Egbuna on the team. In conference play, Oldshue is averaging 2.1 offensive rebounds, good for an eighth-place tie on the league ladder.
KANIUT CONSISTENT OFF THE BENCH – Shellie Kaniut averaged a team-high 17.0 points in the Eagles' two games last weekend, shooting 66.7 percent from the floor (14 of 21) including 75 percent (3 of 4) from beyond the arc.
After ranking second on the team in scoring with 14 points against Chicago, Kaniut paced Emory with a season-high 20 points, her eighth double-figure scoring performance of the campaign,
seven of which have come over the last 10 contests. In addition to her scoring totals, Kaniut was active on the defensive end of the floor, coming up with a pair of steals in both contests.
Kaniut stands second on the team and tied for 16th among UAA players in scoring average (9.9 ppg) and leads the Eagles with 43 steals. Her per-game average of 2.4 thefts is fourth on the league ladder.
In UAA affairs, Kaniut is tossing in 11.0 points per game, tied for second on the squad and 17th in the conference.
NOTES – Junior Shellie Kaniut will enter the Chicago game with 25 career outings of double-figure scoring … Khadijah Sayyid is the team's leading three-point shooter, with her 39 percent mark (30 of 77) from beyond the arc good for seventh place on the UAA chart … Career-wise, Sayyid has 86 three pointers, good for eighth place all-time at Emory … Junior Fran Sweeney has a team-high 36 three pointers to her credit and her average of 2.0 triples per contest is fourth among UAA players … Sweeney, who has registered 11 games of two or more treys this year, been successful on 35 percent (36 of 103) of her triple tries, which ranks 14th on the league list … Heading into the weekend, Sweeney has 82 career three pointers to her credit, good for a ninth-place tie on the program's all-time list … Michelle Bevan's 12 points in the Wash U game represented her sixth double-digit performance of the campaign (16 in her career) in 13 outings … Bevan holds down the top spot on the team in scoring at 10.3 points per game … Emory leads the UAA and is 24th nationally in steals per game (12.4) … The Eagles have totaled 10 or more thefts on 13 occasions this year … Emory has led at halftime on 13 occasions this year and posts a 9-4 won-lost ledger in those contests … Ilene Tsao is averaging 4.6 assists per game in overall play, good for second place in the UAA while her 5.1 per-game mark in league outings is first … Tsao has doled out five or more assists on seven occasions … Heading into the weekend, Tsao has 219 career assists, good for 10th place all-time at Emory … Tsao has scored in double figures in four of her last five and in a total of five games this season … Sophomore Dumebi Egbuna is averaging a team-best 5.1 caroms per contest, good for an 18th-place tie on the league ladder … Entering the Chicago clash, Egbuna has either led or shared for team rebounding honors on six occasions … The Eagles are averaging 15.2 assists per game, good for the No. 4 spot in the UAA while ranking 63rd among all D-III programs through Jan. 31… Emory has enjoyed an advantage in the points-off-turnover category in seven of the last 10 games (one game tied), generating 209 points (20. 9 ppg) in that stretch compared to the opposition's 137 points (13.7 ppg) … Emory has outscored the opposition in 42 quarters while being outpointed in 29 … Emory has won 29 of its last 39 and 45 of its last 58 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 is averaging 31.2 points during the first half of action vs. 25.2 for the opposition … Over the final two quarters, the Eagles are averaging 32.9 points to their opposition's 31.7 … The fourth stanza has been Emory's most productive quarter in terms of scoring average (17.2 pts.) while the second quarter has been seen the Eagles post their biggest scoring differential against opponents, 292 (16.2 pts) vs. 219 (12.2 pts.) … Michelle Bevan has led or shared for team honors in rebound in five of the last seven and in a total of six games this year, 12 during her career.