TOURNEY FACTS – The No. 14-ranked Emory women's basketball team, looks to continue its run in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament this weekend when it travels to Williams College (MA) for sectional action. On Friday, the Eagles clash with Whitman College starting at 6:00 pm. Following that game, host Williams takes on Ithaca at 8:00 pm. The winners advance to the sectional finals on Saturday with that contest slated for a 7:00 pm start. All of this weekend's games will be held in Chandler Gym on the Williams campus.
Friday, Mar. 8
6:00 pm – Emory University (24-3) vs. Whitman College (22-5)
8:00 pm – Ithaca College (27-2) vs. Williams College (24-5).
Saturday, Mar. 9
7:00 pm – Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
Live Stats and a video stream provided for both games. To access the Live Stats, go to the following link: http://livestats.prestosports.com/williams/ . The video can be accessed by going to http://www.teamline.cc/teampage?teamcode=0126
THE COACHES – Emory Head Coach Christy Thomaskutty (Tulane, '96) is in her 10th 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 131-121. She is assisted by Katherine Menendez, Kim Coleman, Jessica Davis, Chelsea MacDonald and Brittany Graham.
Michelle Ferenz (Eastern Montana) is in her 12th season as the head coach at Whitman.
2012-13 RECORDS – Emory, ranked No. 14 in the Feb. 25 D3hoops.com Poll and 15th in the USA Today Sports Poll, stands 24-3 in overall play. The Eagles advanced to this weekend's action after hosting and winning first- and second-round games last Friday and Saturday. Emory, playing in its first NCAA Tourney game since 1997, defeated Whitworth University, 72-65, in the first round, before topping Huntingdon College, 88-62, the following evening. The squad's 24 victories represents the highest seasonal win total in school history, bettering the previous mark of 21 held by the 1994-95 team.
The Eagles earned the University Athletic Association automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after capturing the league's championship on Feb. 23 with a 65-57 triumph over the University of Rochester which snapped a deadlock between the two schools. It marked Emory's first-ever conference. The Eagles closed out the year with a 16-1 record in home games and post an 8-2 ledger in away contests. The game vs. Whitman on Friday will be Emory's first contest of the year on a neutral court.
A member of the Northwest Conference, Whitman will bring a 22-5 won-lost slate into the Emory tilt. The Lady Missionaries, playing in their first-ever NCAA Tournament, opened the postseason with a 61-37 throttling of Cal Lutheran on Friday before toppling No. 13-ranked Lewis & Clark in the second round by a 66-57 count.
Whitman received an at-large bid to the NCAAs after finishing second during the regular season in the Northwest Conference.
SERIES RECORDS – Friday's bout between Emory and Whitman will represent the first-ever meeting the two schools in women's basketball.
EMORY DUO SERVE AS CAPTAINS – Serving as captains of the 2012-13 Emory
women's basketball team are seniors Misha Jackson (Atlanta, GA) and Danielle Landry (Vienna, VA). The pair also served as captains, along with the graduated Melissa Koike, during the 2011-12 season.
EMORY'S DEFENSE MAKE AN IMPACT – The Eagles hold down the No. 1 spot among UAA teams and rank 79th nationally in scoring defense, surrendering just 54.7 points per game.
In UAA action, Emory allowed 56.3 points per-game, second only to Washington University's mark of 56.1. Emory has held opponents to fewer than 50 points on eight occasions including a Jan. 25 game when the 28 points scored by Brandies tied the seventh-lowest opponent total against an Emory squad.
The high-energy Emory defense forced Whitworth into 18 turnovers in the first-round NCAA win before harassing Huntingdon into 27 miscues. Over the weekend, the Eagles totaled 45 points off of opponent mistakes, 17 against Whitworth and 28 vs. Huntingdon.
Emory has forced the opposition into 20 or more turnovers in 16 of the last 18 and in a total of 23 games this season, including the regular-season finale vs. Rochester when the Yellowjackets finished with 23 miscues. The Eagles are averaging 25.6 points off opponent mistakes while foes are scoring 11.7 points off Emory turnovers. Emory leads the UAA, while ranking 11th among D-III programs, in steals (14.7 spg) and holds down the No. 1 position in the conference (7th nationally) in turnover margin (+9.63).
Emory was especially stingy on the defensive end of the floor in its 17 home outings, allowing the opposition just 51.0 points while limiting foes to just .343 percent from the floor. In their 10 road games, the Eagles have allowed 61.0 points with the opposition connecting on .416 from the field.
JACKSON COMING UP BIG DOWN THE STRETCH – Senior Misha Jackson, named recently to the All-UAA First Team, has been a workhorse on the glass for Emory, leading or sharing for team rebounding honors in four of the last five and in nine of the last 12 outings. Last weekend, the 5-foot-11 Jackson pulled down a game-best nine boards against Whitworth and followed that performance by pacing all players with a dozen caroms in the Huntingdon game, her 11th performance of double figures in that department this season and the 22nd of her career.
Jackson, who has a conference-high eight double-doubles this season (17 in her career), has either led or shared for the team's lead in boards on 19 occasions.
Jackson checks into the Whitman game as the UAA's leading rebounder in overall (9.1 rpg) play and finished off the league portion of the schedule in the No. 1 spot as well with an 8.8 per-game showing. She has registered eight or more caroms on 17 occasions this year. Her 3.4 per-game mark in offensive rebounds is No. 3 in the league and she ranks third in defensive rebounds with a per-game showing of 5.8.
A double-figure scorer in 18 games this season, Jackson finds herself third on the club and ninth among UAA players in scoring average (11.0 ppg) while her team-high 48.8 percent mark (125-of-256) stands sixth on the league ladder. She has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in 13 contests and over the last seven games is connecting at a 62.7 percent (32-of-51) clip. Jackson tops the Eagles and is third in the loop in blocked shots with a 1.5 per-game effort and has rejections to her credit in 13 of the last 16 games, six of which have been multiple-block performances. Her 40 rejections this year are a school seasonal record and on Jan. 11 she tied the school's single-game record with six rejections against Washington University.
Career-wise, Misha is firmly entrenched in a number of school categories including scoring (11th, 887 pts.), field goals (8th, 379), rebounds (t-8th, 615), blocked shots (2nd, 92), and steals (8th, 133).
CASTILLO A THORN FOR THE OPPOSITION -- Junior Selena Castillo has been a key cog in the Emory defensive scheme this season with her 2.9 steals-per-game average good for the top spot in the UAA and 79th nationally. Last weekend, Castillo recorded three thefts in both games against Whitworth and Huntingdon, boosting her yearly total to 78, good for a first-place tie with Amy Carter on the school's seasonal list.
A starter in all 27 games, Castillo's three steals against Huntingdon represented her 22nd effort of multiple thefts this year. In addition, she holds down the No. 3 position on the league chart with a .365 three-point field goal percentage effort (31-of-85). She has notched double-figure scoring on seven occasions during '12-13 including a career-high 17 points at the University of Chicago (Feb. 10) in an 80-65 triumph.
Career-wise, her 144 thefts rank fifth all-time at the school.
LANDRY IN SELECT COMPANY – Danielle Landry is just one of three players in Emory women's basketball history to rank among the program's all-time top 10 in both rebounding and steals.
Landry's 609 career boards are 10th all-time at the school while her 182 steals places her in the No. 3 slot on that list. During her career, Landry owns 13 contests of 10 or more boards, four of which have come this season. The other Emory players to rank among the program's top 10 all-time performers in both rebounds and steals include Alicia Moore (1994-98) and Misha Jackson.
The 6-foot Landry is second on the team behind Misha Jackson and tied for 12th in the league in rebounding (6.0 rpg) in overall play while her 6.3 per-game showing in conference tilts stood 10th. She has either led or tied for the team's lead in rebounding in nine contests during the 2012-13 season. In the scoring department, she is averaging 9.1 points per outing, good for 16th place on the UAA chart. She has produced 14 double-figure scoring contests this year and saw a five-game streak of 10 or more points come to an end last Saturday in the Huntingdon contest. Over the last six games, Landry is averaging 13.0 points
LILLY TABBED AS UAA PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Hannah Lilly was named the UAA Player of the Week for the second time this season and fourth of her career after sparking the Eagles to victories over Whitworth and Huntingdon in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Lilly averaged team highs in points (16.5 ppg), steals (4.0 spg) and three-point field goals (3.5 tpg) in helping the Eagles raised their overall record to 24-3.
Lilly totaled a game-high 17 points in the Eagles' 72-65 decision over Whitworth, sinking six-of-13 from the floor, including a season-high tying five triples, and also contributed six rebounds and two steals. In the following contest, she once again paced all players in scoring with 16 points, while recording a career-high tying six steals, in Emory's 88-62 triumph over Huntingdon.
LILLY A 1,000-POINT SCORER-- Junior Hannah Lilly became the program's eighth-ever 1,000-point scorer in the Chicago (Feb. 10) game and she will head into the Whitman contest with 1,066 career points, five points from moving past Lynn Oberschmidt (2002-06) and into the No. 7 position.
The team leader with 58 three-point field goals, fourth on the school's seasonal chart,
she has produced 17 performances of two or more triples this season. Lilly's 2.2 treys-per-game average is good for second place on the league ladder.
Lilly set a school record with 26 straight games with a three-point field with that streak beginning on Feb. 5, 2012 and ending on Feb. 8, 2013.
A double-figure scorer in 19 games this year, she paces the team and is fourth in the UAA in scoring (13.2 ppg). She is also sixth in the conference in three-point percentage (.354, 58-of-164) and 13th in assists (2.3 apg). Over the last four games, she is averaging 14.3 points and shooting 47.8 percent (22-of-46) from the floor, including 44.0 percent (11-of-25) from three-point range.
The owner of the No. 7 spot on the school's career list with 400 field goals, she is firmly entrenched in the No. 2 position with 173 three-point field goals. So far during her two-plus year career at Emory, she has recorded 55 games of double-digit point production and claims 13 contests of 20 or more points.
MORGAN DIRECTS THE ATTACK – Savannah Morgan, one of three Emory players to garner First Team All-UAA acclaim this season, heads into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament in the No. 2 spot in the UAA and 19th on the national ladder in assists with a 5.1 per-game average. Morgan doled out eight assists in the Whitworth contest and followed that with an 11-point, three-assists showing against Huntingdon.
Morgan resides in the No. 2 slot on the squad and sixth on the UAA chart in scoring (11.7 ppg) and has totaled 16 contests of double-digit scoring this year including a career-high 27 point effort at LaGrange (Nov. 20). Morgan also came through with a 20-point performance vs. Rochester (Feb. 23) in the regular-season finale that helped the Eagles to clinch the UAA title outright.
She has doled out seven or more assists in eight contests this season and enters the upcoming weekend tied for first in the league with a 1.7 mark in assist/turnover ratio. After establishing a school season record with 142 assists last year, Morgan has compiled 139 so far this year 'in '12-13, good for second place on the Emory seasonal list.
Her 762 points ranks 18th on the Emory career scoring chart, and she stands third all-time at the school with 386 assists and is sixth in steals (141).
EMORY LANDS THREE ON ALL-UAA FIRST TEAM – Emory had three players earn First Team All-UAA honors, junior Hannah Lilly, senior Misha Jackson and junior Savannah Morgan. It was the first time in the history of the program that Emory was represented by three players on the first team.
It is Lilly's second straight first-team nod after garnering second-team recognition as a freshman. For Jackson, it marks her initial berth on the first team after being tabbed as a second-team pick her sophomore and junior seasons.
NOTES – Emory played six games against four teams that made this year's NCAA Tournament, compiling a 3-3 record … Emory's 169 three-point field goals is the second-highest seasonal mark in school annals, behind only the 175 triples that the '11-12 team recorded … The Eagles are averaging a league-leading 6.3 three-point field goals per game and have converted seven or more treys in 13 contests this season … Emory's 10 three-pointers against Carnegie Mellon (Feb. 17) was the fourth time this year it finished in double digits … Danielle Landry's 10 free throws in the Rochester game (Feb. 23) is the high-water mark by an Emory player during the season and tied the 11th-high individual game total in school history … Landry has been exceptional from the stripe over the last three games, converting 90.9 percent of her attempts (20-of-22) … The Eagles' 14.7 steals per game currently stands as a school seasonal mark, bettering the 12.2 per-game effort by the 2010-11 club … During its current six-game win streak, the Eagles are outscoring the opposition by a 73.8-60.8 per-game margin … In the last four games, the Eagles are averaging 29.0 points off opponent turnovers … Emory has set a school record for most steals in a season with its 396 thefts surpassing the previous standard of 305 set by the 2010-11 squad … The Eagles turned the ball over a season-low six times in the Chicago game (Feb. 10) , the best effort recorded by a Thomaskutty-coached Eagle team … Emory has enjoyed an edge in the points-off-turnover category on 24 occasions with the opposition finishing with the advantage in two contests (one game tied) … Emory ended its home schedule shooting .330 from three-point range in home (112-of-339) games compared to a .317 mark (57-of-180) on the road … Emory's +16.9 scoring margin paces the UAA and is good for 19st place among D-III programs … Emory is averaging 35.9 points during the first half of action and 34.6 points during the second half … Opponents are averaging 25.8 points in the first half and 28.0 in the second stanza … The Eagles are 34-4 during Thomaskutty's tenure as head coach when scoring 80 or more points (7-0 in 2012-13) ... Emory has outshot 18 foes from three-point range … Khadijah Sayyid is fifth in the UAA in steals with a 2.2 per-game effort … Sayyid has 17 performances of two or more steals to her credit including a five-thefts performance in the win over Huntingdon in the NCAA Second Round… Sayyid's 59 thefts place ties for 7th on the school's seasonal chart … Sophomore O'Dez Oraedu has recorded rebounds in all 27 games off the bench and has five or more boards on 11 occasions while averaging 14.9 minutes per outing … Freshman Ilene Tsao is averaging 7.0 points and 16 minutes over the last four games …