The night was supposed to be a celebration.

Fewer than 12 hours before Eastern Michigan University students Shannise Heady and Jordan Hopkins were killed in a drunken driving crash, Heady had helped the women's basketball team beat the University of Toledo, 75-61, on Jan. 24.

Although the opposing team was working to close a 10-point gap in the second half, a defensive rebound and pass by the 21-year-old junior forward helped the team keep the distance and win the game.

It was the Eagles' first win in Toledo since the 2011-2012 season.

To top it off, one of the lead players in the game was also celebrating her 19th birthday.

Following the win, the entire team gathered in celebration to share drinks and good times at the Country Meadows Apartments in Ypsilanti Township.

But a few hours later, the night ended in tragedy when the car Heady was driving slammed head on into another vehicle on Hewitt Road in Ypsilanti Township. Heady, of Hazel Crest, Ill., and 23-year-old Jordan Hopkins of Dexter, who was a passenger in the car, died.

Neither of the women was wearing a seat belt, police said. Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office police reports and medical examiner toxicology reports show Heady and Hopkins both had blood-alcohol levels more than twice the legal limit when they were killed.

While no one can know if Heady and Hopkins would have lived if they had been wearing seat belts or if Heady hadn't driven drunk, Derrick Jackson of the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office said the crash underscores the need for people to keep their friends from getting behind the wheel of a vehicle when intoxicated.

"It's a tragic reminder of how quick things can happen - how one lapse of judgment can have devastating consequences," he said.

The party

With reason to celebrate, EMU teammates began to arrive at the party in the 200 block of Stevens Drive about 9 p.m. that Saturday night, some of those who attended told police. It was just a few hours after the team returned from the away game in Toledo.

Heady and Hopkins, however, did not arrive until around 11 p.m., one witness said.

One teammate said she saw Heady and Hopkins sitting in the "silver car which Heady always drove" laughing, talking and listening to music.

The two had been dating for a short period of time, friends told police.

While police determined that Heady was driving a 2010 Nissan Versa owned by Hopkins' parents when the crash occurred, another teammate told police she saw a vehicle she believed to be Heady's in the parking lot.

Although Heady had no prior driving violations on her record, she had an expired Illinois operator's license at the time of the crash.

Family members told police Heady was attempting to obtain a Michigan operator's license.

The two women eventually went inside, possibly with others in tow, and a teammate gave Heady a pint of Hennessey Cognac. She said she owed it to her.

Almost everyone was drinking alcohol at the party, but no drug use was involved, according to one teammate.

While accounts differ on whether Heady was seen drinking, several teammates said she was drinking Hennessey, her drink of choice, throughout the night.

Heady was also seen taking a shot of tequila, one witness told police.

Teammates disagreed or could not tell whether Heady was acting drunk throughout the party. Many accounts did not note or could not tell whether Hopkins was drinking as well.

One teammate told police that Heady handled her liquor well, and another, who said they were best friends, said she "could just tell" that Heady was drunk.

Both of the women were of the legal drinking age and seemingly did not violate university policy.

Both seemed happy throughout the night. Heady was her normal, energetic self, according to one account. The couple was "bubbly," another said. They were seen dancing.

At one point in the night, around midnight, Heady pulled the birthday girl into a bathroom to tell her she was acting a bit crazy and to "chill out," the woman told police.

Nearly all of the 20 to 30 attendees, including the 16-person women's basketball team roster, had arrived by then, according to one account.

Then, around 12:45 a.m. Jan. 25, Heady and Hopkins were seen heading out the door, according to one witness statement.

Heady told a teammate, "We'll be right back."

But they never returned. About 10 minutes after one witness saw the two leave, police were dispatched to the crash in the area of Hewitt Road and Midvale, near the top of a hill.

Police believe Heady was driving 77 mph northbound on Hewitt Road when she went straight instead of following the curve of the road. She crossed the center line and struck a 2012 Dodge Avenger nearly head-on.

Several teammates said Heady had a tendency to speed, and one said she's been scared with Heady behind the wheel.

The road has a 45 mph speed limit and a suggested limit of 30 mph at the curve.

Heady had a blood-alcohol level of .205 percent, more than twice the legal limit for driving, at the time of the crash, according to toxicology reports. Hopkins had a BAC of .183 percent.

Neither woman was restrained by a seat belt and police believe only a side airbag deployed at the time of impact, according to police reports.

Police later learned from Hopkins' father that an airbag indicator light was on in the vehicle at the time of a recent oil change, and a mechanic said it could have been due to a damaged sensor.

Hopkins' head struck the windshield as her body slammed into the dashboard, police reported. Heady flew into the steering wheel and left front corner of the passenger compartment.

The impact of the crash threw Heady and Hopkins against the front dashboard with such force crash investigators later wondered if firefighters had moved the dashboard to try to get to the victims. They hadn't.

Although it appeared neither woman was wearing a seat belt, Heady's family told police she was an advocate for their use - sometimes refusing to drive with family members unless everyone was buckled up.

Heady's family did not respond to requests for comment, and Hopkins' family declined comment.

In the other vehicle, Bradley Baker, 23, survived the crash, but suffered injuries to his spine and rib. He did wear a seat belt.

Police believe Baker, who was headed home from work at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, was attempting to pass a slower car that was in the right lane just before or during the crash.

"I'm going right up the hill, and I just see headlights coming at me faster than I've ever seen something coming at me," Baker said.

After the crash, a woman who was a passenger in the vehicle Baker was attempting to pass tried to check the Nissan for signs of life, but only believed one person was in the vehicle, according to reports. She called police but found Hopkins had no pulse.

Police arrived on scene to find the road wet from rain, and snow began to fall shortly after.

A silver Nissan was blocking the northbound lanes and a blue Dodge was blocking the southbound lanes. There were no skid marks from either vehicle on the road.

Hopkins and Heady were pronounced dead on the scene.

Baker was found to have cuts to his extremities and a bleeding nose at the scene, police said.

He later learned that he had a fractured vertebra and fractured rib, but was expected to heal without further treatment.

Baker said the entire left side of his body was bruised and he could not walk for several weeks following the accident. He had blood pooling in his left leg and excruciating pain for a time, he said.

Back at the party, some teammates continued to celebrate and others began to leave. One described passing the scene of the crash around 12:40 p.m. while another said she passed it about 2 a.m. Neither realized Heady and Hopkins were crash victims.

At some point in the night, deputies arrived at the party for a noise complaint and the residents agreed to end it and sent everyone home when police left, one teammate said.

Twelve players were interviewed about the party by police at the EMU Convocation Center on Jan. 26, police reported.

Eastern Michigan University directed all questions about the crash and the events surrounding it to the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office.

The aftermath

The death of Hopkins and Heady has had a continuing impact on Eastern Michigan University athletes and the surrounding community.

Both the university women's and men's basketball teams wore Heady's jersey number, 32, on articles of clothing, and the women's team draped her jersey on their bench during their NCAA bid.

Friends and family continue to post photos and memories of both women across social media. Their deaths left many grieving on campus.

Natalie Dove, an EMU associate professor of psychology who taught Hopkins, remembers her as thoughtful and ambitious.

"She had a great smile and a laugh that could brighten your day," Dove said in the days following the crash.

Heady's mother

,

Jannise Rife, told

that

was kind, loving and smart.

"You couldn't ask for more in a child, you couldn't," Rife told Channel 7.