GAME FACTS – The Emory women's basketball team will play its final two road games of the regular season this weekend, starting with a Friday evening battle at Washington University followed by a Sunday afternoon clash against Chicago.
The WU Field House will be the site of the 57th match-up between the Eagles and Bears with tip scheduled for 6:00 pm (CST). The Ratner Center on the Chicago campus will be the backdrop for the 57th encounter between the two programs, and that contest will start at 2:00 pm (CST).
THE COACHES – Emory head coach Christy Thomaskutty (Tulane, '96) is in her 14th season in charge of the Eagles. She assumed her current duties prior to the start of the 2003-04 campaign and enters the weekend with a school and career mark of 185-163. Thomaskutty is assisted by Misha Jackson, Kim Coleman and Savannah Morgan.
Nancy Fahey (Wisconsin, '81) is in her 31st campaign in charge of the Wash U program and will take a school and career record of 729-132 into the Emory game. She has directed the program to 28 NCAA Tournament appearances and has five national titles to her credit. In 2012, she became the first NCAA D-III representative to be inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
In her fifth year guiding the fortunes at the University of Chicago is Carissa Sain Knoche. As it prepares for a Friday home game vs. Rochester, Sain Knoche had recorded a school and career mark of 70-50. She led UC to the UAA crown in 2015.
2016-17 RECORDS – Emory posts an overall record of 13-7, 4-5 in the UAA. The Eagles are coming off a pair of road setbacks, dropping a 61-59 verdict at the buzzer to Brandeis last Friday before falling at NYU on Sunday by a 67-61 margin.
Sophomore Ashley Oldshue and senior Shellie Kaniut tied for the team scoring lead over the two outings, each at 17.0 points per contest. Oldshue paced the scoring effort in the Brandeis game, totaling 15 points while also grabbing a dozen boards en route to her fourth double-double of the campaign. Kaniut led all players with a career-best 27 points in the NYU affair, sinking 10-of-21 field goal opportunities, including three treys in six attempts, and four-of-six free throws.
So far this year, the Eagles are 7-1 at home and 6-6 in road/neutral settings.
Ranked No. 9 in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, Wash U will host Emory with an overall ledger of 18-2, including a 7-2 slate in the conference that ties it for the No. 1 spot. WU has won its last six games and is coming off home wins last weekend over Carnegie Mellon (79-69) and Case Western Reserve (95-66). The Bears have won all nine of their home dates this season.
Chicago heads into a Friday evening home contest against Rochester with a 14-6 overall ledger, 7-2 in the UAA. The Maroons begin the weekend with a three-game win streak that includes decisions over Case Western Reserve (87-74) and Carnegie Mellon (88-39) last weekend. UC stands 8-1 in games that have been played on its home court.
SERIES RECORDS – Wash U has won 50 of the 56 meetings with Emory. The Bears captured the first game of this year's series, posting a 76-65 win in Atlanta back on Jan. 13).
In a series that has its origins in February of 1989, Chicago holds an all-time record of 36-20 vs. Emory. Earlier this year (Jan. 15), Emory rallied from an eight-point deficit with 3:37 remaining to capture a 74-71 win. Shellie Kaniut topped the Eagles' scoring attack with 27 points while Ashley Oldshue contributed 19 points and 10 rebounds. The Maroons have been victorious in 19 of the 27 games vs. Emory that have been played in Chicago.
EMORY TRIO SERVE AS CAPTAINS – Serving as captains of the 2016-17 Emory women's basketball team are seniors Michelle Bevan (Houston, TX), and Shellie Kaniut (Vienna, VA) and Fran Sweeney (Germantown, PA).
KANIUT LIGHTS UP NYU – Shellie Kaniut finished as the Eagles' top point producer for the eighth time this season when she rang up a career-high 27 points in last Sunday's game at NYU. Kaniut sank a career-high tying 10 field goals in 21 attempts, including three-of-six from three-point range, and four free throws in establishing the high-water mark for points by an Emory player this year.
A double-figure scorer on 14 occasions this year, Kaniut is second on the Eagles' score sheet and eighth among UAA players in overall scoring average (13.9 ppg). She has converted 43.9 percent from the floor (116 of 264), placing her 10th on the conference chart. She has recorded four games of 20 or more points. In league play, she is 11th in the conference in scoring (14.2 ppg).
Her output from last weekend upped her career total to 874 points, good for 14th place on the program's all-time list.
OLDSHUE CONTINUES STEADY PLAY – Ashley Oldshue put together two more double-figure scoring efforts this past weekend, totaling a team-high 15 points against Brandeis before contributing 19 points in the NYU contest. Oldshue was successful on 51.8 percent (14 of 27) from the floor and six-of-eight free throws over the two games in extending her double-digit streak to 17 contests. In addition, she was the team's top rebounder with 12 boards vs. BU and tied for the squad's high in that category with six against NYU.
The team's top scorer in seven games this year, she has produced a total of 17 outings with 10 or more points which has helped result in her pacing the club and ranking sixth among UAA performers in overall scoring average with a 16.4 per-game average, good for sixth place on the Eagles' seasonal ladder. She has sank a team-leading 55.4 percent (118 of 213) from the floor with that mark third in the UAA and 28th among all D-III players (through Feb. 5). She has hit 50 percent or higher of her field goal tries in 14 games. One of the UAA's top free throw shooters, her 79.1 percent (91 of 115) effort from the stripe is tops on the team and is fourth in the UAA. In conference action, she finds herself fifth on the league's scoring ladder (17.0 ppg) and is second in field goal percentage (.573, 55 of 96).
Entering the upcoming weekend, she has 328 points this year and is just six points from tying the No. 20 position on the school's seasonal chart.
She has been consistent on the boards, pulling down 7.3 caroms per contest, good for sixth on the league list. She has finished with seven or more rebounds in 12 games, and her per-game average of 3.6 offensive rebounds is second in the UAA.
SWEENEY A LONG-RANGE THREAT – Fran Sweeney hit three pointers in the Brandeis and NYU contests last weekend and will head into the Wash U meeting with treys in her last nine games. After sinking a pair of triples vs. NYU, Sweeney has 13 contests with two or more to her credit this season.
Sweeney holds down the No. 2 position on the UAA list in three-point shooting with a 41.3 percent (43 of 104) mark, good for 19th place in the D-III ranks. Her 43 treys are 10th on the Emory's seasonal chart.
Her 2.2 treys per contest is good for the No. 3 spot on the UAA ladder. Career-wise, her 140 three-point field goals ranks fourth all-time in program history.
EMORY STRONG ON THE GLASS – Emory has been formidable when it comes to rebounding, enjoying an edge in that department in 14 games. Heading into Friday's action at Wash U, the Eagles post a 43.0-35.5 per-game advantage, and stand second in the UAA and 42nd in D-III (through Feb. 5) in rebound margin (+7.5).
Emory has finished 10 games with a double-digit advantage on the glass, two of which have come during UAA play.
NUMBERS TO NOTE – Freshman Lindsey Tse continues to lead the UAA in overall assists average (4.5 apg) and is third in conference action (3.4 apg) … Tse's 90 assists rank 18th on the school's seasonal chart … Tse has seven games with five or more assists, and her 2.5 assist/turnover ratio is first in the conference and ninth nationally (through Feb. 5) … Ashley Oldshue's 91 free throws this season rank as the third-highest total in school history, and she is just seven shy of tying Beth Bergmann's No. 1 mark of 98 (2004-05) … Senior Michelle Bevan closed out the Brandeis game with eight rebounds, her 10th performance this season of six or more caroms … Bevan is second on the team and 15th on the league ladder in overall rebound average (6.0 rpg) … In league action, Bevan posts a team-high 7.1 rebounds-per-game effort, tying for eighth on the conference chart … Freshman Erin Lindahl registered six rebounds in the NYU game last Sunday, her ninth effort with six or more boards … Lindahl ranks 20th among UAA players in overall rebound average (4.9 rpg) … Fran Sweeney has 22 career double-figure scoring contests to her credit … Emory shot a season-high 87.5 percent (14 of 16) from the charity stripe in the Brandeis game … The Eagles rank third in the UAA in overall field goal percentage (.438, 570 of 1302) … Michelle Bevan has four double-doubles during her career (three in '16-17) and 25 double-figure scoring performances … Shellie Kaniut has 43 career contests of double-figure scoring to her credit … Kaniut has totaled 89 career treys and is 10th all-time at the school … In addition, Kaniut has been a force at the defensive end of the floor with her 41 steals leading the team, while her 2.1 per-game average in that department is tied for fourth in the UAA … Kaniut has two or more thefts to her credit in 12 games this season … Career-wise, Kaniut is No. 8 all-time at Emory with 160 steals … Emory has held four opponents to less than 30 percent field goal shooting and enter the weekend in the No. 4 slot in the UAA in field goal percentage defense (.377) … Freshman Allison Chernow came off the bench in last Friday's Brandeis game to lead all reserves with 11 points, hitting three-of-eight from three-point range along with a pair of free throws … Chernow has five double-figure scoring contests … Emory holds down the No. 3 position in the UAA in overall scoring defense (61.1 ppg) … The Eagles grabbed 15 offensive boards in the NYU, high for a league game this year and 18th contest in double figures … Emory has doled out 20 or more assists in five games this season … The Eagles are No. 2 in the UAA and 15th in the D-III ranks in assists (17.5 apg) … Emory has enjoyed an edge in field goal shooting in 13 games and stands 12-1 in those affairs … The Eagles are averaging 72.4 points and surrendering 59.2 points in their eight home games … In its 12 road/neutral contests, Emory is averaging 75.8 points and allowing 62.2 points … Emory is connecting at 34.0 percent (101 of 297) from three-point range in overall play, good for third in the league and 45thamong all D-III programs (through Feb. 5) … Emory is averaging 78.5 points and shooting 45.6 percent (396 of 869) from the floor in its 13 victories vs. 66.9 points and 40.2 percent from the field in its seven setbacks … Emory has outscored the opposition in 45 quarters while being outpointed in 28 – seven quarters have been tied … The Eagles have attempted more free throws than their opposition in 15 games … The Eagles have won their last 22 and are 46-4 during Thomaskutty's tenure as head coach when scoring 80 or more points (4-0 in '16-17; 2-0 in '15-16; 1-0 in '14-15; 5-0 in 2013-14; and 7-0 in 2012-13) ... Emory has won 39 of its last 51 and 55 of its last 70 home games … Emory has finished with an advantage in second-chance points in 13 games.