The Emory University women's basketball team begins the final stretch of the regular season with road tilts against Carnegie Mellon University and Case Western Reserve. Tip off against the Tartans is set for 6:00 PM EST Friday evening with the matchup against the Spartans concluding the weekend at 2:00 PM EST on Sunday.
Coverage
-Carnegie Mellon: Live Stats | Video
-Case Western Reserve: Live Stats | Video
Emory Eagles (16-6, 7-4 UAA)
The Eagles put their 6-4 road record to the test as the team begins their three-game road swing to close out the regular season. Heading into the weekend against CMU and CWRU, the Eagles remain in the hunt for the UAA crown, sitting one game back of standing leaders NYU and Chicago with three games to play. Emory is also positioned in this week's second batch of NCAA regional rankings released on Wednesday, sitting eighth in the south, down one spot from the initial rankings.
Through 22 games, Emory has averaged 67.8 points per game while limiting the opposition to an average of 55.8 and has shot 41.7% overall from the floor, including a 31.8% tally from behind the three-point line. Four Eagles still average double figures in points per game, led by the senior duo of forward Erin Lindahl (11.7 ppg) and guard Allison Chernow (11.4 ppg). Junior center Blair Ripley (10.9 ppg) is third on the team in scoring and is coming off back-to-back double-doubles. In addition, Ripley has been a monster defensively, averaging 3.28 blocks over her last seven games and is four rejections away from tying Ashley Oldshue's program record of 55 in a single season. Sophomore forward Tori Huggins ranks fourth in scoring at 10.4 PPG and enters the weekend third in the UAA with 8.6 rebounds per game.
Emory is under the leadership of Head Coach Misha Jackson who owns an overall record of 48-25 during her three seasons at the helm. She is joined on staff by Sammi Goldsmith and Chuck Melito.
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (10-12, 3-8 UAA)
After facing the Eagles on January 24th, the Tartans have gone on a 3-5 slide and sit in last in the UAA with a 3-8 league mark. As a team, CMU is averaging 61.8 points per game with three players checking in at over 10.0 PPG. Senior guard Makayla Filiere leads the charge with her 12.0 PPG average while the sophomore tandem of Leah Weslock and Caitlyn Clendenin own averages of 10.1 and 10.0, respectively. Clendenin is also one of the top ball controllers on the squad, leading the Tartans with 7.5 rebounds per game and 3.0 assists.
The Tartans are led on the sidelines by Jacquie Hullah who is in the middle of her ninth season with the team. Hullah owns a career record 277-264 in her 21-year coaching career and is 120-109 during her time with CMU. She is joined on the coaching staff by Samantha Crough.
Case Western Reserve Spartans (10-12, 5-6 UAA)
The Spartans are averaging 66.7 points per game this season, while shooting 39.2% from the floor and 28.7% from three-point range. Defensively, CWRU has yielded an average of 70.1 points per game to their opponents. The Spartans have been led by sophomore guard/ forward Abbey Lawrence, who has a team-high 16.9 points per game, to go along with 4.3 rebounds per contest. Melissa Heath is averaging 9.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, while first-year guard/ forward Isabella Mills has scored 9.5 points per game and added a team-high 7.2 rebounds per contest. The team is an unblemished 7-0 when playing this season at Horsburgh Gymnasium.
The Spartans are under the leadership of Head Coach Jennifer Reimer, who currently holds a 306-273 record over her 23 years as a head coach, with 149 of her victories coming during her 13 seasons at CWRU. Reimer is assisted by Kelly Muffley, and former Spartan standouts Erin Gdaniec and Kara Hageman.
Series Records
With five straight wins in the series, the Eagles have boosted the all-time ledger to 41-21 all-time and are 17-14 in Pittsburgh. Emory won the first matchup this season, a 55-43 verdict on January 24th.
The Eagles snapped a two-game slide against CWRU with their 74-50 win on January 26th, pushing the all-time series to 28-25 in favor of the Spartans. In games, played in Cleveland, CWRU holds the 17-10 edge.