GAME FACTS – After splitting a pair of University Athletic Association home games last weekend, the Emory women's basketball team continues conference play with a pair of road contests. On Friday (Jan. 29), the Eagles venture to the University of Chicago before closing out the month with a Sunday clash against nationally ranked Washington University.
The Ratner Center on the Chicago campus will serve as the venue for the 54th meeting between the Eagles and the Maroons with tip slated for 7:00 pm (EST). The scene will then shift to the Field House on the Washington University campus for the 54th confrontation between Emory and Wash U, which is slated for a 3:00 pm (EST) 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 169-150. 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 50-41. 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). Fahey has had great success, amassing a school and career record of 701-127. She has seen her teams capture five national crowns and make 27 trips to the NCAA Tournament.
RECORDS – Emory brings an overall record of 10-6, 1-4 in UAA action, into its meeting against Chicago. The Eagles defeated No. 20 Carnegie Mellon on Friday, 63-52, before falling to Case Western Reserve, 76-62, on Sunday.
Junior Michelle Bevan topped the Emory scoring effort against CMU, leading four double-figure scorers with a career-high tying 21 points. Junior Shellie Kaniut added 14 points in the victory while sophomore Dumebi Egbuna snatched a career-high 11 rebounds. Kaniut and freshman Ashley Oldshue tied for the club's lead in scoring with 11 points apiece in the Case Western contest, with Oldshue's total representing her second-highest output of the year.
Emory is 6-2 at home and 4-4 in road/neutral settings this season.
Chicago hosts Emory with an overall record of 10-6, 2-3 in the UAA. The Maroons split a pair of home games over the weekend, dropping a 71-55 decision to No. 9 New York University, before handling Brandeis by a 73-59 count on Sunday. Chicago is 6-2 on its home floor, 4-4 in road/neutral games.
Wash U, ranked No. 10 nationally by both D3hoops.com and USA Today Sports, begins the weekend with an overall slate of 13-3, 4-1 in the conference. The Bears split home games last weekend, defeating Brandeis, 66-59, before seeing a four-game win streak snapped when it lost to NYU, 66-64. The Bears will host Rochester on Friday. WU is 7-1 at home and 6-2 in road/neutral affairs.
SERIES RECORDS – Chicago holds a 35-18 lead in the all-time series with Emory that saw the first game played in February of 1989. The Maroons captured both meetings last season, 70-57 in Chicago and 73-52 in Atlanta. UC has won 18 of the 26 contests against Emory that have been played on its home court.
Wash U has won 47 of the 53 contests against Emory. The Bears recorded victories in both of last year's games, 66-59 in Saint Louis and 70-50 at the Woodruff PE Center.
EMORY DEFENSE RANKS HIGH IN UAA – Heading into the weekend, Emory ranks third among UAA squads in overall scoring defense, allowing 54.4 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. 26, Emory ranks 47th among all D-III programs in scoring defense.
Emory has been stingy as well in the field goal percentage defense category, allowing opponents just 35.0 percent from the floor, good for the No. 3 position on the league ladder.
SAYYID MOVING UP EMORY'S CAREER STEALS LADDER – During this past weekend's action, Khadijah Sayyid registered one steal against Carnegie Mellon before posting three in Case Western contest. In the process, she boosted her streak to 43 games with at least one steal to her credit.
Sayyid ranks fourth all-time at Emory with 209 steals and is eight shy of tying Mandy Jackson ('91-95) for the No. 3 position.
Sayyid is averaging 2.4 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).
KANIUT PROVIDES SPARK OFF THE BENCH – Shellie Kaniut averaged 12.5 points in the Eagles' two games last weekend, shooting 47.6 percent from the floor (10 of 21) including 44.4 percent (4 of 9) from beyond the arc.
After ranking second on the team in scoring with 14 points in the win over Carnegie Mellon, Kaniut tied for team honors with 11 points in the Case Western game, her sixth double-figure scoring performance of the campaign, five of which have come over the last eight contests. In addition to her scoring totals, Kaniut was active on the defensive end of the floor, coming up with a season-high five steals vs. CMU before registering four thefts against Case Western.
Kaniut stands second on the team and tied for 20th among UAA players in scoring average (9.1 ppg) and leads the Eagles with 39 steals. Her per-game average of 2.4 thefts is fifth on the league ladder.
SAYYID A LONG-RANGE THREAT – Sayyid has been the Eagles' most efficient three-point shooter, knocking down 40.0 percent (30 of 75) 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. Career-wise, her 87 career three pointers rank eighth on the program's all-time ladder.
NOTES – Junior Shellie Kaniut will enter the Chicago game with 23 career outings of double-figure scoring … Emory has led at halftime on 11 occasions this year and posts a 9-2 won-lost ledger in those contests … Khadijah Sayyid saw her 18-game three-point field goal streak come to an end in the Carnegie Mellon contest – it was the sixth longest streak in program history … Fran Sweeney has recorded 10 games of two or more three-point field goals this year and through Jan. 24, she ranks 13th among UAA players in three-point percentage (.344, 32-of-93) and is tied for No. 4 the conference in triples per game (2.0 tpg) … Sweeney has 78 career three pointers to her credit, good for 10th all-time in program history … Michelle Bevan's 21 points vs. Carnegie Mellon tied her career best set earlier this year vs. Rhodes (Jan. 4) … Bevan, who has led or shared for team scoring honors on four occasions this year, has scored 10 or more points in five of her 11 games this season and in a total of 15 during her career … Ilene Tsao dished out seven assists, her sixth performance of the year of five or more, against Carnegie Mellon … Heading into the weekend, Tsao has 211 career assists, good for 10th place all-time at Emory … Tsao is averaging 4.7 assists per game in overall play, good for second place among UAA players, and her 5.6 per-game effort in league action is good for the top spot … Sophomore Dumebi Egbuna led the Eagles in rebounding for the sixth time during the season when she snatched a career-best11 boards in the Carnegie Mellon game, her third double-figure effort of the year and fourth of her career … Egbuna is averaging a team-best 5.3 caroms per contest, good for a 17th-place tie on the league ladder … Entering the Chicago clash, Egbuna has either led or shared for team rebounding honors on six occasions … Sophomore Mikaila Schmitt has recorded rebounds in all 15 games she has seen action in … The Eagles are averaging 15.9 assists per game, good for the No. 4 spot in the UAA while ranking 41st among all D-III programs through Jan. 26 … Emory has finished with 10 or more steals in 13 games and stands first in the UAA with a 13.3 per-game average, good for 16th place in the D-III ranks (through Jan. 26) … Emory has enjoyed a decided advantage in the points-off-turnover category in seven of the last eight games (one game tied), generating 183 points (22. 8 ppg) in that stretch compared to the opposition's 91 points (11.4 ppg) … Emory has outscored the opposition in 40 quarters while being outpointed in 23 … 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 30.4 points during the first half of action vs. 24.1 for the opposition … Over the final two quarters, the Eagles are averaging 32.9 points to their opposition's 30.2 … The fourth stanza has been Emory's most productive quarter in terms of scoring average (16.9 pts.) while the second quarter has been seen the Eagles post their biggest scoring differential against opponents, 258 (16.1 pts) vs. 189 (11.8 pts.) … Michelle Bevan has led or shared for team honors in rebound in four of the last five and in a total of five games this year, 11 during her career.