GAME FACTS – The Emory women's basketball team closes out the 2015-16 season on Saturday (Feb. 27) when it plays at the University of Rochester.
The Louis Alexander Palestra on the UR campus will serve as the venue for the 55th meeting between the Eagles and Yellowjackets and tip is slated for 2:00 pm.
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 172-155. Thomaskutty is assisted by Misha Jackson, Kim Coleman and Corneille Burt Algarra.
Jim Scheible (Clarkson, '88) is in his 17th season as the head coach at Rochester, where he has compiled a record of 322-140. Now in his 25th campaign as a head coach, which includes stops at Clarkson University and Elmira, Scheible checks in with a career ledger of 463-211.
RECORDS – Emory brings an overall record of 13-11, 4-9 in UAA action, into its meeting against Rochester. The Eagles came out on the short end of a pair of UAA road contests last weekend, dropping a 70-62 verdict to Carnegie Mellon before falling to Case Western Reserve, 75-73.
Junior Shellie Kaniut averaged 12.5 points over the two outings, coming off the bench to score a team-high 13 points vs. CMU, and then contributing 12 points in a starting role against Case Western. Kaniut connected on 44.4 percent (8 of 18) from the floor, including 62.5 percent (5 of 8) from three-point range. Senior Ilene Tsao and sophomore Dumebi Egbuna were the Eagles' top rebounders, averaging 6.5 boards per effort.
Emory finished the year with a 9-3 record at home and stands 4-8 in road/neutral settings. The Eagles' 13 wins on the year marks the program's fourth winning season over the past five campaigns.
Rochester, ranked 14th in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, sports an overall record of 19-5. The Yellowjackets have already clinched second place in the UAA and currently stand 9-4 in conference play. UR split a pair of road games last weekend, coming away with a 75-69 overtime win against Case Western, followed by a 95-89 setback to Carnegie Mellon. The Yellowjackets are 10-2 at home this year.
SERIES RECORDS – Rochester holds a 31-23 lead in the all-time series vs. Emory that saw the first game played in January of 1989. The Yellowjackets won the first meeting of this season, 75-68, in Atlanta, UR's fourth straight win in the series. Junior Michelle Bevan paced the Emory scoring attack with 18 points and tied Ilene Tsao for the team lead with eight rebounds. Rochester has won 17 of the 25 games vs. Emory that have been contested on its home court.
EMORY DEFENSE RANKS HIGH IN UAA – Heading into the final game of the year, Emory holds down the No. 3 spot among UAA squads in overall scoring defense, allowing an average of 58.8 points per contest.
The Eagles have limited eight opponents to 50 or fewer points (compared to last year's total of four). Emory has been stingy as well in the field goal percentage defense category, allowing opponents just 37.5 percent from the floor, good for the No. 3 position on the league ladder.
SAYYID MOVING UP EMORY'S CAREER STEALS LADDER – After seeing a 44-game steals streak come to an end at Washington University (Jan. 31), Khadijah Sayyid has come up with steals in five of her past six contests, including two thefts against Case Western.
Heading into the Rochester tilt, Sayyid claims the No. 3 position on Emory's career list with 221 steals. Holding down the No. 2 spot on the chart is Amy Carter (1993-97) with 228 while Selena Castillo (2010-14) ranks as the all-time leader with 229.
Sayyid is averaging 2.1 steals per game this year, good for fifth place on the UAA chart.
Entering the upcoming weekend, Sayyid owns 57 career contests of two or more steals, 14 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).
EMORY TOPS UAA IN THREE-POINT SHOOTING – The Eagles put together a pair of solid three-point shooting efforts last weekend, connecting on 50 percent (16 of 32) of their opportunities from beyond the arc.
After hitting on eight-of-17 triples in the Carnegie Mellon game, Emory converted 53.3 percent (8 of 15) from distance, its second-best mark of the season, vs. Case Western.
Heading into the regular-season finale, Emory paces the UAA with a 34.8 percent showing (148 of 425) in overall three-point shooting, which is currently sixth on the program's seasonal ladder. In UAA play only, Emory ranks second in that category, hitting 35.4 percent (75 of 212) of its three pointers.
Emory has three players who rank among the league's top 10 in overall three-point percentage: Fran Sweeney (5th, .392, 51 of 130); Shellie Kaniut (t-7th, .385, 30 of 78) and Khadijah Sayyid (t-10th, .375, 39 of 104).
SWEENEY SHARP FROM BEYOND THE ARC – Junior Fran Sweeney continued her impressive three-point shooting prowess last weekend, hitting 66.7 percent (6 of 9) of her triple tries. Sweeney hit two treys in three attempts vs. Carnegie Mellon before draining four from beyond the arc in six opportuntiies against Case Western, her ninth outing of three or more three pointers this year. Sweeney's efforts boosted her streak to 12 games with at least one trey to her credit, the 11th-longest mark in program history.
Sweeney's season total of 51 three pointers leads the squad and ties for seventh on the program's yearly ladder. She holds down the No. 2 position among UAA players in three pointers per game (2.1). Over her last six contests, Sweeney is hitting at 55.6 percent clip (15 of 27) from long range.
KANIUT SOLID AT BOTH ENDS OF FLOOR – Heading into Saturday, Shellie Kaniut claims the No. 1 spot on the team and is 18th among UAA players in overall scoring average at 9.9 points per game. In addition, she is tied for seventh on the conference list in three-point shooting, converting 38.5 percent (30 of 78) from distance. In league action only, she is scoring at a 10.4 per-game clip (18th in the UAA) and is seventh in three-point shooting (.419, 18 of 43).
Kaniut has been a force on the defensive end of the floor with her 54 steals tops on the team and her 2.3 per-game average in that category fourth in the conference. Tied for 15th on the program's ladder for most steals in a season, she has recorded 16 contests with two or more steals this year.
NOTES – Dumebi Egbuna has scored in double figures in four of her past five games and is averaging 10.3 points per contest in that stretch … On the year, Egbuna leads the team and ranks seventh among UAA players in field goal percentage (.462, 73 of 158) … Egbuna has notched double-figure scoring on nine occasions this year … Emory finished the Case Western game with just five turnovers, the lowest total ever by an Thomaskutty-coached Eagle squad … Michelle Bevan enters the upcoming weekend in the No. 19 spot in scoring with a 9.9 points-per-game average … Bevan's 10 points in both the Carnegie Mellon and Case Western games, giving her nine double-digit efforts on the year in her 19 appearances (7 in UAA games) … Bevan's 45.5 percent showing (76 of 167) from the floor in overall play slots her 11th on conference chart … In league action, Bevan is scoring at 10.1 per-game clip, good for second on the team and 19th on the UAA ladder … Ilene Tsao has recorded five games of seven or more assists this season, and her 4.7 per-game average in overall play is second in the league and 52nd nationally … Tsao paces the conference in assists for league play only with an effort of 5.0 per game … Tsao has amassed 248 assists during career, good for seventh place all-time at Emory … Her 107 assists this year ranks 12th on the program's seasonal ladder … Shellie Kaniut enters the Carnegie Mellon game with 29 career outings of double-figure scoring … Khadijah Sayyid has knocked down 95 career three-point field goals, good for ninth place on the program's all-time ladder … Heading into the weekend, Fran Sweeney has 97 career three pointers to her credit, good for a seventh-place tie with Beth Byron ('00-'04) on the Eagle all-time list … Shellie Kaniut has moved into the school's all-time 15 in treys with her total of 74 ranking 13th … Emory is No. 3 in the UAA and is 56th nationally in steals per game (11.3 spg) … The Eagles have totaled 10 or more thefts on 15 occasions this year and their 270 thefts is the 7h-highest seasonal mark in program history … Emory has led at halftime on 15 occasions this year and posts an 11-4 won-lost ledger in those contests … Emory has enjoyed an advantage in the points-off-turnover category in 11 of the last 16 games (one game tied), generating 314 points (19.6 ppg) in that stretch compared to the opposition's 223 points (13.9 ppg) … Emory has outscored the opposition in 55 quarters while being outpointed in 39 … Emory has won 32 of its last 43 and 48 of its last 62 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 31.7 points during the first half of action vs. 27.1 for the opposition … Over the final two quarters, the Eagles are averaging 33.2 points to their opposition's 31.7 … The fourth stanza has been Emory's most productive quarter in terms of scoring average (18.0 pts.) while the second quarter has been seen the Eagles post their biggest scoring differential against opponents, 388 (16.2 pts) vs. 316 (13.2 pts.).