GAME FACTS – After posting a pair of wins in its final two home games of the season, the Emory women's basketball squad will plays its final three contests on the road, starting this weekend when it ventures to Carnegie Mellon on Friday (Feb. 19) before battling Case Western Reserve on Sunday.
Skibo Gymnasium on the Carnegie Mellon campus will serve as the venue for the 555h meeting between the Eagles and the Tartans with tip slated for 6:00 pm. Sunday's match-up against Case Western will mark the 46th time the programs have squared off and that contest is slated for a 2:00 pm 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 begins the weekend with a school and career mark of 172-153. Thomaskutty is assisted by Misha Jackson, Kim Coleman and Corneille Burt Algarra.
Jacquie Hullah (Cal State Fullerton, '78) is in her fifth season as the head coach at Carnegie Mellon, where she has compiled a record of 62-61. Now in her 17th campaign as a head coach, which includes stops at Dartmouth and Arizona State, Hullah checks in with a career ledger of 219-216.
Now in her ninth year of patrolling the sidelines for Case Western Reserve is Jennifer Reimer (Lycoming, '94). While with the Spartans, she has guided the program to five winning seasons, including a 16-victory performance in 2012-13. In 19 years as a head coach, Reimer begins the weekend with a career mark of 263-216.
RECORDS – Emory brings an overall record of 13-9, 4-7 in UAA action, into its meeting against Carnegie Mellon. The Eagles came away with a pair of home victories over the weekend, defeating No. 14 New York University, 65-59, before stifling Brandeis, 64-48.
Sophomore Dumebi Egbuna averaged 14.5 points, shot 53.3 percent (8 of 15) from the floor, and converted 81.3 percent (13 of 16) from the charity stripe in aiding the Eagles' effort last weekend. She poured in a team-high 17 points in the NYU contest before finishing with a dozen points vs. Brandeis. Senior Khadijah Sayyid averaged 13.0 points and recorded a big effort against Brandeis, topping the team with 16 points.
Emory finished the year with a 9-3 record at home and stands 4-6 in road/neutral settings. The Eagles' 13 wins on the year marks the program's fourth winning season over the past five campaigns.
Carnegie Mellon sports an overall record of 16-6, 5-6 in the UAA. The Tartans split a pair of road contests last weekend, registering a 93-90 overtime decision against Chicago before coming out on the short end of a 57-54 verdict to No. 10-ranked Washington University. The last three CMU setbacks have been by six or fewer points. The Tartans are 6-2 at Skibo Gymnasium and closed out the season with a 10-4 slate in road/neutral outings.
Case Western hosts Rochester on Friday with an overall ledger of 7-15, 2-9 in the conference. The Spartans have dropped five of their last six games and are looking to get into the win column after losing on the road to Wash U (78-59) and Chicago (59-45). Heading into the weekend, the Spartans are 3-4 in home games and 4-11 in road/neutral affairs.
SERIES RECORDS – Emory holds a 36-18 lead in the all-time series vs. Carnegie Mellon that saw the first game played in December of 1988. The Eagles won the first meeting of this season, 63-52 in Atlanta, Emory's 10th in the last 11 meetings vs. CMU. Junior Michelle Bevan sparked that triumph by scoring 13 of her career-high 21 points in the second half while Egbuna grabbed 11 rebounds. Emory has won 15 of the 27 games that have been contested on the Tartans' home floor.
In a series that dates from December of 1988, Case Western enjoys 25-20 all-time record vs. Emory. The Spartans picked up a win in the initial match-up this year, 76-62, at the Woodruff PE Center. CWRU is 15-8 vs. Emory in games played on its home court.
EMORY DEFENSE RANKS HIGH IN UAA – Emory surrendered just 107 points (53,5 ppg) in last weekend's games vs. NYU and Brandeis and moved into the No. 3 spot on the UAA ladder in overall scoring defense with an average of 57.6 points allowed per contest.
The Eagles have limited eight opponents to 50 or fewer points (compared to last year's entire total of four). Emory has been stingy as well in the field goal percentage defense category, allowing opponents just 36.8 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 his last four contests, including one theft against NYU and two vs. Brandeis last weekend.
During last weekend's games, Sayyid moved into the No. 3 position on Emory's career list with 219 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 2.2 steals per game this year, good for fifth-place tie on the UAA chart.
Entering the upcoming weekend, Sayyid owns 56 career contests of two or more steals, 13 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).
EGBUNA PICKING UP OFFENSIVE PACE – Dumebi Egbuna's back-to-back double-figure scoring efforts of 17 and 12 points against NYU and Brandeis, respectively, played a big role in Emory's success in those games, while upping her season scoring average to 8.0 points per game.
Heading into this upcoming weekend, Egbuna has totaled double-digit scoring in her last three outings and is averaging 16.0 points while shooting 65.2 percent (15 of 23) from the floor and 75 percent (18 of 24) from the charity stripe. Her 48.6 percent mark (68 of 140) from the floor this year leads the team and is sixth among the UAA leaders. A double-figure scorer on eight occasions this year, she has been successful on 50 percent or better of her field goal tries in 12 contests.
SWEENEY TOUGH FROM BEYOND THE ARC – Junior Fran Sweeney continues to be a force to be reckoned with from beyond the arc, hitting a pair of treys in both the NYU and Brandeis contests last weekend, running her streak to 10 games with at least one triple to her credit, with that mark tying the 12th-longest streak in program history.
Sweeney's season total of 45 treys leads the squad and is ninth on the program's yearly ladder, just two shy of moving past Hannah Lilly (46, '13-14) and into the No. 8 spot. She holds down the No. 3 position among UAA players in three pointers per game (2.0) and is 11th in three-point percentage (.372, 41 of 121). Over her last four games, Sweeney is hitting at 50 percent clip (9 of 18) from long range.
KANIUT SOLID AT BOTH ENDS OF FLOOR – Heading into the upcoming weekend, Shellie Kaniut claims the No. 2 spot on the team and is 20th among UAA players in scoring average at 9.8 points per game. In addition, she is 13th on the conference list in three-point shooting, converting 35.7 percent (25 of 70) from distance.
Kaniut has been a force on the defensive end of the floor with her 52 steals tops and the team and her 2.4 per-game average in that category fourth in the conference. No. 17 on the program's ladder for most steals in a season, she has recorded 15 contests with two or more steals this year.
NOTES – Michelle Bevan enters the upcoming weekend in the No. 19 spot in scoring with a team-high 9.8 points-per-game average … Bevan was No. 2 on the club in scoring against NYU with 13 points, her seventh double-figure scoring effort of the year, five of which have come during the conference portion of the schedule … In addition, her 45.9 percent showing (68 of 148) in field goal shooting paces the team and is eighth on the conference chart … Dumebi Egbuna sank a career-high seven free throws in as many attempts against NYU last Friday, with that total the high-water mark by an Emory player this season … Egbuna has also led the squad in rebounding in seven games this season, with her 5.0 per game 20th on the UAA chart … Ilene Tsao finished with seven assists vs. Brandeis, her fifth game of seven or more this year … Tsao has amassed 241 assists during career, good for seventh place all-time at Emory … Her 100 assists this year ranks 13th on the program's seasonal ladder … Ilene's 4.8 per-game effort in overall play is No. 2 in the league and 46th among all D-III players … Tsao holds down the No. 1 spot in assists for league games only (5.3 apg) … Shellie Kaniut enters the Carnegie Mellon game with 27 career outings of double-figure scoring … Khadijah Sayyid is the team's leading three-point shooter, with her 38.8 percent mark (38 of 98) from beyond the arc good for seventh place on the UAA chart … Career-wise, Sayyid has 94 three pointers, good for eighth place all-time at Emory … Heading into the weekend, Fran Sweeney has 91 career three pointers to her credit, good for ninth place on the program's all-time list … Emory is No. 3 in the UAA and is 44th nationally in steals per game (11.7 spg) … The Eagles have totaled 10 or more thefts on 15 occasions this year and their 258 thefts ties the 8h-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 nine of the last 14 games (one game tied), generating 273 points (19. 5 ppg) in that stretch compared to the opposition's 206 points (14.7 ppg) … Emory has outscored the opposition in 52 quarters while being outpointed in 34 … 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 31.1 points during the first half of action vs. 25.9 for the opposition … Over the final two quarters, the Eagles are averaging 33.6 points to their opposition's 31.7 … The fourth stanza has been Emory's most productive quarter in terms of scoring average (18.3 pts.) while the second quarter has been seen the Eagles post their biggest scoring differential against opponents, 349 (15.8 pts) vs. 277 (12.6 pts.).