GAME FACTS – The Emory women's basketball team concludes a seven-game road swing this weekend when it tackles a pair of conference foes. On Friday (Jan. 16), the Eagles will battle nationally ranked Washington University before meeting the University of Chicago on Sunday. The WU Field House will be the site of the 52nd clash between the Bears and Emory with tip slated for 7:00 pm (EST). The Ratner Center on the Chicago campus serves as the venue for the 52nd contest between the Eagles and Maroons with that game slated to start at 3:00 pm (EST).
THE COACHES – Emory Head Coach Christy Thomaskutty (Tulane, '96) is in her 12th season in charge of the Eagles. She assumed her current duties prior to the start of the 2003-04 campaign and enters the WU game with a school and career mark of 155-135. Last year, Thomaskutty guided the program to an overall record of 16-9, Emory's third-straight winning season. Thomaskutty is assisted by Misha Jackson, Kim Coleman and Morgan Crawford.
Nancy Fahey (Wisconsin, '81) is in her 29th campaign in charge of the Wash U program and posts a school and career record of 675-121. She has guided the Bears to five NCAA D-III Championships, most recently during the 2009-10 campaign. In 2012, she became the first D-III representative to be inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
In her third season as the head coach of Chicago is Carissa Sain Knoche. Sain Knoche enters a Friday evening home date vs. Rochester with a 28-34 school and career slate. Last season, she directed the Maroons to a 15-10 record.
2014-15 RECORDS – Emory saw a two-game win streak snapped and its overall record slip to 8-4 after dropping its UAA opener at Rochester on Saturday by a 66-42 margin. The Eagles couldn't get their offense untracked with its point total representing a season low while its 25.6 percent showing the floor the team's second-lowest effort of the campaign. Junior Ilene Tsao led Emory in scoring with 11 points, her third double-figure scoring performance of the year, while grabbing a team-best seven rebounds. Junior Khadijah Sayyid totaled team highs with six assists and five steals, and tied sophomore Patricia Mook for the No. 2 position on the squad with six rebounds.
Emory is 4-1 at home and 4-3 in road/neutral games this season.
Wash U, ranked No. 4 nationally by D3hoops.com, welcomes Emory to Saint Louis with a perfect 12-0 record. The Bears opened the league portion of their schedule on Saturday with a 65-52 decision over Chicago. Wash U stands 5-0 at home and all 12 of its victories have been by double figures.
Chicago battles Rochester with a 6-6 record. The Maroons' loss to Wash U ended a three-game winning streak and left its home record at 3-2.
SERIES RECORDS – Washington University commands a 45-6 lead in that all-time series vs. Emory that saw the first game played in February of 1989. The Bears have won 11 of the last 12 encounters between the two schools.
In a series that started in February of 1989, Chicago posts an all-time record of 33-18 against Emory. The two programs split last year's meetings with the Eagles winning on their home floor by an 86-78 count before the Maroons registered an 85-76 triumph in the Windy City.
EMORY TRIO TO SERVE AS CAPTAINS – Serving as captains of the 2014-15 Emory women's basketball team are juniors Khadijah Sayyid (Longmont, CO) and Ilene Tsao (Fremont, CA) and sophomore Shellie Kaniut (Vienna, VA).
SAYYID MOVING UP EMORY'S CAREER STEALS LADDER – Khadijah Sayyid's season-high tying five steals in the Rochester game enabled her to move past former Eagle and current assistant coach Misha Jackson into ninth place on the school's all-time list with 136 thefts.
Sayyid's effort against the Yellowjackets represented her third outing of five steals this season and sixth contest of multiple thefts. Entering Friday's action, Sayyid is tied with Wash U's Katybeth Biewen for the No. 2 position on the UAA chart with an average of 2.5 steals per game. Sayyid has 33 career contests of two or more steals.
Sayyid has been a catalyst in helping Emory average 10.8 steals per game, good for the No. 3 spot among UAA teams.
BEVAN'S RETURN TO LINEUP BOOSTS EMORY – After missing the first four games of the season with an injury, sophomore Michelle Bevan has made the most of her return to the Emory lineup. Bevan finds herself in the No. 3 slot on the team in scoring with a 9.4 per-game average while her 4.7 per-game showing in rebounding is fourth. A double-figure scorer on four occasions, Bevan has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in six games and will enter Friday's contest against Wash U hitting at a 50.8 percent (32-of-63) on the year.
Over her last four performances, Bevan is averaging 10.7 points while connecting on 50 percent (19-of-38) of her field goal attempts.
NOTES – Freshman Whitney Carmack (Poolesville, MD) logged a season-long 26 minutes in the Rochester game and finished with season highs with six points and three steals … Sophomore Fran Sweeney (Norristown, PA) returned to the lineup vs. Rochester after missing the previous four games and logged a nine-minute stint … While she saw a four-game double-figure scoring streak snapped in the Rochester game, Khadijah Sayyid still ranks No. 4 in the UAA in scoring with a 15.2 points-per-game mark … Sayyid has nine double-figure scoring games, including four games of 20 or more points, to her credit this year … Sayyid has grabbed a team-high 38 offensive rebounds this year and her 3.2 per-game average in that category is sixth among UAA players … Emory has 10 or more steals in nine games this year … Emory has outrebounded seven of its 12 foes while being outboarded in four contests … Ilene Tsao's 11 points in the Rochester game marked the first time this year that she ranked as the team's leading scorer … Tsao has been Emory's leading rebounder in three games … Emory has 10 or more offensive rebounds in all 12 games and ranks second among league teams with 15.8 boards-per game on that end of the floor … Emory is 8-0 when outshooting its opposition from the floor, 0-4 when being outshot … Emory reserves have scored 20 or more points in five games this year … Emory has won 20 of its last 24 and 36 of its last 43 home games … The Eagles have won their last 16 and are 40-4 during Thomaskutty's tenure as head coach when scoring 80 or more points (1-0 in '14-15, 5-0 in 2013-14, and 7-0 in 2012-13) … Emory is averaging 32.8 points in the first half of play and 32.3 points over the final 20 minutes of action … Opponents are averaging 27.7 points in the first half and 30.0 in the second half … Opponents have turned the ball over more than Emory in seven games … Emory has attempted more free throws than the opposition on four occasions while opponents have attempted more in seven contests (one game is a tie) … Emory has outscored opponents in 16 of 24 halves.