TOURNEY FACTS – The Emory women's basketball program will be one of 64 teams vying for the 2019 NCAA Division III national title, and will travel to Crestview Hills, Kentucky and the campus of Thomas More University for opening-round action.
On Friday (Mar. 1), the Eagles will take on Trine University in a 5:00 pm start followed by host Thomas More matching up against Saint Vincent. The two winners advance to Saturday's second round with that affair tipping at 6:30 pm.
The Connor Convocation Center on the TMC campus will serve as the venue for the opening rounds.
The Eagles of head coach Misha Jackson were one of 21 programs to receive an at-large bid to the postseason after concluding the regular portion of the campaign with an overall record of 19-6, including a 10-4 mark in the University Athletic Association that was good for a second-place tie. It represents the fourth-time in program history and first since 2013 that Emory has earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament.
THE COACHES – Head Coach Misha Jackson (Emory, '13) is in her second season at the helm of the Eagles' program. Named Interim Head Coach in October of 2017, she guided the Eagles to a 13-12 slate last season, which included a 7-7 mark in University Athletic Association play, the highest win total in league play since 2013. She then had the Interim tag removed in March of this year.
She enters this weekend with a school and career record of 32-18.
Jackson joined the Eagles' staff as an assistant prior to the start of the 2013-14 season. She played three seasons in an Eagle uniform (2010-11 through 2012-13), seeing action in a total of 78 games, 69 in a starting capacity. She closed out career ranked among the program's top-10 all-time performers in 11 categories.
Jackson is assisted by Sammi Goldsmith and Chuck Melito.
Andy Rang was promoted to head coach of the Trine program in January of this year after beginning the season as interim head coach after serving the previous year as Associate Head Coach. He is in his seventh season with the Thunder program.
Now in his eighth year as the head coach at Thomas More, Jeff Hans (Wilmington College, '99) has guided the Saints' program to a glittering 201-11 won-lost record. During the 2015-16 campaign, Hans called the shots to a 33-0 ledger that was capped off with a D-III national crown. In 2017-18, Thomas More finished 30-2 and advanced to the national semifinals.
Saint Vincent is led by ninth-year Head Coach Jimmy Petruska (Saint Vincent, '04). During his tenure with the Bearcats, Petruska has registered a school and career mark of 173-70.
2018-19 RECORDS – The Eagles' record of 19-6 represents the fourth-highest seasonal win total in the 31-year history of the program. Emory enters the postseason with wins in nine of its last 10 contests including a 78-54 triumph over Rochester last Saturday. The decision over the Yellowjackets allowed the Eagles to close out the conference play at 10-4, good for a second-place tie with Chicago and the fourth-most wins in program annals for league action. Senior Ashley Oldshue paced the Emory effort in the regular-season finale, dialing up a game-high 24 points while grabbing nine rebounds.
Emory stands 10-4 in away/neutral contests and 9-2 on its home floor.
No. 5-ranked Trine squares off vs. Emory owning of an overall record of 25-2. The Thunder take a 15-game winning streak into the Tournament and are coming off a championship effort at the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament, where they bettered Hope College, 70-65 in double overtime, in the finals.
The Saints of Thomas More are ranked No. 1 in the D-III ranks and post a 27-0 won-lost slate. Thomas landed an at-large bid to postseason play after winning the American Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) Tournament last weekend, rolling by Valley Forge, 92-47, in the title game.
Saint Vincent has won its last seven outings, boosting its overall record to 23-4. The Bearcats gained automatic entry to the NCAA Tournament after capturing the President's Athletic Conference Tournament, defeating Washington and Jefferson, 70-48, in the championship.
SERIES RECORDS – Friday's contest against Trine will represent the first-ever meeting between the two schools in basketball.
Thomas More holds an all-time record of 2-0 vs. Emory. The first meeting took place on Jan. 3, 1998, in Maryville, Tennessee, where the Saints registered a 64-51 win. The other game occurred on Nov. 27, 1999, when Thomas More came away with a 69-55 triumph on its home floor.
If Emory were to meet Saint Vincent, that would mark the initial contest of the two schools.
EMORY TRIO TO SERVE AS CAPTAINS – Serving as captains of the 2018-19 Emory women's basketball team are senior Ashley Oldshue (Glenview, IL), and juniors Lindsey Tse (Calabasas, CA) and Erin Lindahl (Yardley, PA).
EMORY IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT (6-3)
Mar. 1, 1995 – Emory 95, Millsaps 77 (H)
Mar. 4, 1995 – Emory 95, Marymount 79 (H)
Mar. 10, 1995 – UW-Eau Claire 88, Emory 51 (N)
Mar. 5, 1997 – Emory 70, Greensboro 51 (H)
Mar. 8, 1997 – Emory 40, Hendrix 36 (H)
Mar. 14, 1997 – Millikin 51, Emory 43 (A)
Mar. 1, 2013 – Emory 72, Whitworth 65 (H)
Mar. 2, 2013 – Emory 88, Huntingdon 62 (H)
Mar. 8, 2013 – Whitman 67, Emory 62 (N)
EMORY DEFENSE STINGY – Heading into this weekend's action, Emory has held 10 opponents to 55 or fewer and seven to 50 or fewer points. The Eagles hold down the No. 1 spot in the UAA and rank 79th in the D-III ranks (through Feb. 24) in scoring defense at 56.3 points per game.
In addition to that statistic, Emory ranks first in the conference in field goal percentage defense (.353), holding nine of its last 10 and a total of 19 foes to less than 40 percent this year. In league action only, the Eagles ranked first in both scoring defense (58.2 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (.363).
LINDAHL CONTINUES HOT STRETCH – Erin Lindahl heads into the Trine game with a seven-game double-figure streak that has seen her average 15.5 points and shoot 52.7 percent (19-of-36) from three-point range.
Lindahl set the pace for the team's scoring attack vs. Carnegie Mellon (Feb. 17), tallying a season-high 21 points (second-highest career total), hitting eight-of-11 from the floor including a career-high tying five treys in seven attempts.
Erin has registered double-figure scoring on 16 occasions this year and her 11.5 points-per-game average ranks 12th on the UAA chart. She holds down the No. 2 spot on the league ladder with a 39.7 percent (46-of-116) in three-point field goal percentage, good for 11th place on the school's seasonal chart.
OLDSHUE CONTINUES CONSISTENCY – Ashley Oldshue heads into the first NCAA Tournament game of her outstanding career with 23 contests of double-figure scoring to her credit this season.
Oldshue paces the club in scoring with a 16.4 points-per-game average, good for fourth place on the UAA ladder and seventh on the program's seasonal chart. She has knocked down a team-best 55.3 percent (163-of-295) of her field goal attempts, tops in the UAA and 30th in D-III (through Feb. 24).
Oldshue has converted 50 percent or better from the floor in 16 contests and is coming off a career-high 12-of-15 performance against Rochester last Saturday. Her 14 points and 11 rebounds vs. Case Western (Feb. 15) represented her seventh double-double of the campaign and 18th of her career.
In addition to her scoring and field goal percentage rankings, Oldshue also finds herself among the UAA's top 10 in rebounding (5th, 8.1 rpg), free throw percentage (5th, .776), blocked shots (2nd, 2.2 bpg) and offensive rebounds (3rd, 3.3 orpg).
Career-wise, Oldshue has produced 68 double-figure scoring contests and has 18 performances of 20 or more points to her credit. She has 649 rebounds and stands sixth on the school's all-time ladder in that category. Ashley also holds the distinction of ranking as the program's all-time leader with 300 free throws, bettering Beth Bergmann's (2003-07) previous standard of 299.
EAGLES SHARP AT THE STRIPE – Emory has been consistent from the foul line this season, converting 70 percent or better of its free throw opportunities in 14 contests (9 games of 80 percent or higher).
On the year, the Eagles are connecting at a 72.4 percent (288-of-398) clip, good for the No. 3 spot in the UAA and 59th nationally. In their 11 home games, the Eagles are shooting 75.4 percent (126-of-167) from the stripe vs. 70.1 percent (162-of-231) in the 14 away/neutral contests.
Allison Chernow paces the team and stands fourth among UAA performers with an 81.0 percent (85-of-105) effort at the stripe while Ashley Oldshue is fifth at 77.6 percent (83-of-107).
REBOUNDING A KEY FOR THE EAGLES – Emory finished with a 38-25 rebounding edge in last Saturday's game vs. Rochester, running its record to 16-0 this year when finishing a game with superior numbers in that department. The Eagles have outrebounded 12 opponents by 10 or more boards and enter the weekend second in the league and 72nd nationally in rebound margin (+5.8).
In the 16 contests that it has outboarded the opposition, Emory shows a 42.4-30.1 per-game edge.
When the Eagles have been outrebounded, they stand 3-5 with a 40.4-34.1 deficit.
EMORY STRONG IN THE SECOND HALF – The Eagles have outscored 20 opponents over the second half of play this year, 11 of those by 10 or more points, including a 43-28 differential vs. Rochester last weekend. Over the last 18 outings, Emory holds a 671-513 (37.3-28.5) scoring advantage over the final two quarters of action. Over the last 14 contests, the Eagles have shot 46.9 percent (241-of-513) from the field in the second half vs. 31.0 percent (169-of-545) for the opposition.
OLDSHUE REACHES 1,000 CAREER-POINT PLATEAU – Ashley Oldshue became the 10th player in program history to reach 1,000 points in a career when she finished the Agnes Scott (Dec. 11) contest with a game-high 14 points.
Needing nine points to reach 1,000, Oldshue joined that exclusive club when she converted a bucket with 7:15 in the second quarter. She closed out the night seven-of-11 from the floor.
Career-wise, she stands 5th on the school's all-time scoring derby with 1,278 points, 24 shy of tying Hannah Lilly (2010-14) for the No. 4 spot.
EMORY ALL-TIME LEADING SCORERS
1. Mandy Jackson (1991-95) 1638 pts.
2. Stephanie Seibert (2000-04) 1339 pts.
3. Lora Turner (2005-09) 1312 pts.
4. Hannah Lilly (2010-14) 1302 pts.
5. Ashley Oldshue (2015-SA) 1278 pts.
6. Alicia Moore (1994-98) 1264 pts.
TSE DIRECTS EMORY OFFENSE – Lindsey Tse has guided the Emory offense with a steady hand this year, ranking first in the UAA and 18th (through Feb. 24) in the D-III ranks with an average of 5.7 assists per game. Tse has dished out seven or more assists on eight occasions this year including a career-high tying 11 vs. Birmingham Southern back on Dec. 8. Tse also holds down the No. 5 position among D-III players in assist/turnover ratio (3.23).
Tse has moved into 3rd place on Emory's career chart with 405 assists, 3 shy of tying Amy Carter (1993-97) for second place, and her 5.41 per-game average ranks as the No. 1 mark in school history.
RIPLEY GIVES BOOST OFF THE BENCH– Sophomore Blair Ripley has been a sparkplug off the bench for the Eagles, averaging 17.2 minutes, 6.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. She is shooting 46.3 percent (63-of-136) from the floor and has been successful on 10-of-23 three-point field goal attempts. She is second on the club with 31 blocked shots and has grabbed six or more rebounds on 13 occasions, leading or sharing for team honors in that category seven times, most recently against Carnegie Mellon (Feb. 17) when she totaled eight boards. She has 10 or more rebounds on three occasions this year, most recently against Chicago (Jan. 13) when she snagged a game-high 11 caroms.
Ripley has produced double-figure scoring on five occasions this year, with her most recent effort in that category an 11-point evening against Washington University on Feb. 8.
In the 70-52 victory at Rochester (Jan. 5), Ripley registered her first career double-double with 15 points and 10 boards.
OLDSHUE EMORY'S ALL-TIME LEADER IN BLOCKED SHOTS – SETS SCHOOL SEASONAL MARK – Ashley Oldshue's career-high tying six blocked shots in the 60-57 win over Chicago (Feb. 10) enabled her to move into the No. 1 position on the school's seasonal list, passing the previous standard of 43 rejections set by her coach, Misha Jackson, during the 2012-13 campaign. Oldshue, who now has increased her total to 54 blocks, has 15 contests this year with two or more rejections.
Oldshue became the program's all-time leader in blocked shots on Jan. 27, vs. NYU, with her two rejections pushing her career total to 105, one better than Alicia Moore's (1994-98) previous standard of 104. Entering the Trine game, she has compiled 121 blocked shots during her career. Oldshue and Moore are the only two players who have cracked the 100-blocks mark during their time as Eagles.
EMORY CAREER THREE-POINT FIELD GOAL LEADERS
6. Savannah Morgan (2010-14) 108
7. Erica Kaplan (2005-08) 102
8. Allison Chernow (2016-SA) 99
9. Beth Byron (2000-04) 97
10. Khadijah Sayyid (2012-16) 96
11. Shellie Kaniut (2013-17) 92
12. Erin Lindahl (2016-SA) 89
CHERNOW A THREE-POINT THREAT – Allison Chernow has knocked down a team-leading 49 three-point field goals and her average of 2.0 treys per game is good for fourth place on the UAA chart. Chernow, who has 15 outings with two or more triples this year, has been successful on 34.8 percent (49-of-141) of her attempts from beyond the arc with that effort slotting her 11th among league players.
Career-wise, Chernow resides in the No. 8 slot on the program's all-time list with 99 three-point field goals, three shy of tying former sharpshooter Erica Kaplan (2005-08) for seventh.
NOTES – Allison Chernow's 49 three-pointers this year places her 10th on the school's all-time seasonal chart while Erin Lindahl's 46 ties for 11th … Lindahl has a 20-game streak of three-point field goals, fifth longest in program history … Lindahl is shooting 61.3 percent (27-of-44) from the floor in her last four games … Allison Chernow checks into the second on the squad and eight among UAA players in scoring average (13.0 ppg) … Chernow is second on the team with 17 double-figure scoring contests … Erin Lindahl has 38 career performances of 10 or more points … Senior Azzairia Jackson-Sherrod has nine games this season (33 in her career) with 10 or more points … Jackson-Sherrod is 12th among UAA cagers in field goal percentage (.416, 87-of-209) … The Eagles have outshot 21 opponents from the floor this year … 14 of Emory's wins have been by 10 or more points and it is No. 1 in the UAA and 70th nationally in scoring margin (+11.7) …The Eagles are doling 16.5 assists per game, with that effort placing them second in the UAA and 33rd among all D-III programs (through Feb. 24) … Emory reserves have scored 20 or more points on eight occasions …The Eagles have recorded 12 or more offensive rebounds in 14 games this year … Emory has fewer turnovers than the opposition in 11 games.