On Saturday, the Eastern Michigan women’s basketball team travels to East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans. The game against the Spartans will be the last of a five-game road trip for the Eagles.
The Eagles are 5-1 on the season and are riding a three-game winning streak after a tough loss to Green Bay. During their winning streak, the Eagles are averaging 60 points and holding their opponents to just 53 points per game.
This will be the first time these teams have met since 2003 when the Spartans won 79-62. The Eagles have played well so far this season so we will see how they fare in their second road test of the year. They are 4-1 away from the Convocation Center.
For the Eagles, I look for Tavelyn James to continue her strong season. She is averaging 25. The Eagles will probably keep feeding her the ball, and she can fill it up in a heartbeat. If she plays well then the Eagles have a chance against anyone.
A key for the Eagles will be turnovers. They have forced 24.8 turnovers per game, and those turnovers lead to some easy baskets for them. They are averaging 28.3 points off of turnovers.
Another important thing to watch is the rebounding. The Spartans have size that could match up with the Eagles down low and cause a real competition for the boards. Eastern is averaging 42.5 rebounds (20.5 offensive) and hold a 9.2 rebounding advantage over opponents this year.
Paige Redditt and Olivia Fouty anchor the Eagles down low. Redditt averages a team-high 10 rebounds while Fouty is averaging seven. The Eagles’ forwards are important and are going to have to play big in this game.
One thing the Eagles will have to improve on for this game is three-point shooting. They are only shooting 26.5 percent from the three.