WBB Travels to Detroit Mercy Tuesday Night

GAME #5: Women's Basketball at Detroit Mercy
Date	Tuesday, Nov. 26 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Calihan Hall (8,295)
Preview Info	EMU Notes (pdf)
Live Stats	Fan Stats
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	WEMU (89.1 FM)
Twitter	@EMUWBB \| @EMUAthletics
Fan Information	Purchase Tickets

DETROIT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team returns to the road this week for their second game with an intrastate foe as the Eagles will travel into Detroit to take on the University of Detroit Mercy Titans, Tuesday, Nov. 26, inside Calahan Hall. The game is set to tip off at 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Denny Kapp (PBP) and Tara Fricke on the call while fans can also listen live on WEMU (89.1 FM) and The Varsity Network app with Tom Helmer and Greg Steiner on the call from courtside. Live stats will be available at EMUEagles.com/livestats while periodic updates will be posted on the team's official X account (@EMUWBB).

WINTER CLOTHES DRIVE: EMU & UDM
Eastern Michigan and Detroit Mercy are teaming up off the court to support local families and youth in need as both athletic departments are joining forces for a Winter Clothes Drive that will collect coats, hats, and gloves to benefit local families in need. Fans who bring a new or gently worn winter clothing item to the women's game Calihan Hall (Nov. 26) and/or the men's game in Ypsilanti (Nov. 30) will receive a free ticket to that game.

FREE THROWS
» Eastern is set to face its second fellow Michigan team when it plays at Detroit Mercy after playing at Michigan State, Nov. 11. The Eagles are 172-165 all-time against teams from the Mitten State.
» Sisi Eleko is averaging a double-double for the Eagles with 21.3 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. The league leader in both categories, she ranks fourth nationally in rebounds and 22nd in points while tying for 14th with three double-doubles.
» Olivia Westphal continues to rank highly in scoring as she is seventh in the MAC in points (13.7), fifth in three-point percentage (.522), and first in three-point field goals made per game (4.0).
» Mackenzie Amalia is averaging 6.3 assists per contest, which ranks her third in the MAC and 17th nationally while her 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio places her sixth in the league.
» Sahar Nusseibeh, the ninth head coach in Eastern program history, spent the previous three seasons leading the Canisius program. She is the first sitting head coach to be hired as EMU's head coach since 1998 when Suzy Merchant came from Saginaw Valley.

MITTEN MEETINGS
The Eagles are 172-165 all-time against teams from the Mitten State following their loss at Michigan State, Nov. 11. Eastern will have four more games to play this season against Michigan schools, starting Nov. 26 with a road trip to Detroit Mercy. The final three games come in MAC play when the Eagles face Western Michigan once (home, Jan. 1) and Central Michigan twice (away, Jan. 18, and home, Feb. 19).

KNOW THE FOE: DETROIT MERCY
The Titans are 3-1 on the year and 3-0 at home following their 72-63 victory over visiting Western Michigan (Nov. 23). UDM's lone loss was a 101-44 loss at Michigan State (Nov. 20) that snapped a two-game winning streak to open the season after home wins against Bowling Green (73-66) and Bellarmine (73-71). Aaliyah McQueen leads the Titans in scoring (13.5 points) and rebounds (7.0) while Myonna Hooper (12.3) and Emaia O'Brien (11.0) are also averaging double-digit points.

ALL-TIME VS. DETROIT MERCY
The Titans hold a slim 16-15 lead in the all-time series after breaking the tie with their 68-38 win in Ypsilanti, Nov. 6, 2023. The win also snapped EMU's four-game winning streak that helped tie a series that saw Detroit Mercy win the first nine games, starting with a 72-63 overtime decision, Jan. 31, 1979. When playing inside Calihan Hall, the series is tied, 7-7, with the Eagles having won three consecutive meetings on UDM's home court. The last time the two teams play in Detroit was Dec. 17, 2017, a 78-76 win for the visiting Eagles.

ALL-TIME VS. THE HORIZON LEAGUE
Eastern is no stranger to the Horizon League as the game between EMU and UDM will be the 97th against current HL institutions and the second consecutive after falling to Purdue Fort Wayne, 94-49, Nov. 21. Despite the loss to the Mastodons, the Eagles are 55-41 all-time against the Horizon.

SISI WITH DUB-DUBS
Sisi Eleko has tallied a double-double in her last three games, which ties for the most in the MAC and ranks 14th nationally. Eleko is averaging 21.3 points and 12.0 rebounds, both of which are atop the MAC rankings while she also is highly ranked on the NCAA statistics lists at 22nd and fourth, respectively. Additionally, the league's rebounding leader is ranked fourth nationally.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES FOR SISI
Sisi Eleko has recorded three double-doubles through four games played this year as the junior is averaging 21.3 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. Historically, her three double-doubles rank her tied for 22nd on the program's top 25 list (since 1999-00) and leaves her 10 shy of reaching the top 10 on the list, which is held by both Paige Redditt (2008-12) and Shani Charles (1997-01) with 13 each.

TRENDING UPWARD
Although just three games into the season, Sisi Eleko is already on pace to do something that hasn't happened in nearly 15 years: have an Eagle average 20.0 points for a season. EMU Hall of Famer and Ring of Honor inductee Tavelyn James was the last to do so when she ended the 2009-10 season averaging 20.7 points per game.

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADERS!
Along with Sisi Eleko holding the top spot double-doubles, points, and rebounds, two other Eagles currently rank among the best in the MAC as well. Olivia Westphal is tops in the league with her 4.0 made three-point baskets per game while Mackenzie Amalia is third with 6.3 assists dished per contest.

LONG RANGE
Through games played Nov. 24, Olivia Westphal remains among the top long-range shooters in the league as her 4.0 made three-pointers per game lead the MAC and rank her fifth nationally as well. The seventh-ranked scorer in the MAC with 13.7 points per game, Westphal stands fifth overall in three-point shooting percentage as she is hitting at a 52.2 percent clip, the 28th-best average in NCAA Division I.

WESTY FLYING HIGH
Olivia Westphal entered the season with 29 career made three-pointers, including six as a freshman with Duquesne (2022-23) and 23 last year (2023-24). Just three games played this season (she sat out the game with Purdue Fort Wayne, Nov. 21), Westphal is nearly halfway to her 2023-24 total as she has drained 12 triples for a MAC-leading 4.0 three-pointers per game. As it stands, she is currently on a streak of four consecutive games (including the 2023-24 finale at home against Bowling Green, March 9, 2024) in which she has connected on at least three made triples. The streak marks the only time she has made three or more triples in back-to-back games in her career and is one game shy of tying her streak of five consecutive games with at least one made three after doing so last year from Jan. 20 through Feb. 3. During those five games, she made eight total threes.

DISTRIBUTION
Mackenzie Amalia remains among the best passers in the league as her 6.3 assists per game rank her third in the MAC and 17th in NCAA Division I. Additionally, she holds a 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio, which ranks her sixth in the league.

NATIONAL LISTS
Through games played Nov. 24, two Eagles currently rank among the top 20 nationally for single-game production:
- Mackenzie Amalia recorded 12 assists in her EMU debut game against Texas State, Nov. 4, which was the most in a single game on opening night. Through games played Nov. 24, she is currently tied for third nationally with Emily Ryan of Iowa State and Emma Boslet of St. Joseph's holding the single-game lead with 13.
- Sisi Eleko recorded 16 rebounds against Alabama A&M, Nov. 9, for a total that ties for 27th in single-game rebounds this season.

FIRST TIME
Five players have made their EMU debuts this season with freshman Chelsea Bishop the latest to join the list after making her debut in the Purdue Fort Wayne game (Nov. 21). Bishop and fellow rookie Olivia DiFranco, who debuted against Alabama A&M (Nov. 9), join a trio of transfers who made their debuts as starters in the season-opening contest against Texas State (No. 4), including Mackenzie Amalia, Brooklyn Thrash, and Sisi Eleko. Additionally, Elena Cabello entered the game against Texas State, which marked her first game action since March 8, 2023, against Bowling Green in the MAC Tournament, after sitting out all last season with an injury.

ON THE HORIZON
Eastern returns to action Sunday, Dec. 1, with a 2 p.m. game inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center against the visiting Musketeers of Xavier University. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Ryan Wooley and Reggie Butler, a four-year member of the Xavier men's program (1997-01), on the call. Additionally, fans can listen live on WEMU (89.1 FM) and The Varsity Network app with Tom Helmer on the call from courtside.

FOLLOW US
Stay connected with the Eagles all season long by following @EMUWBB and @EMUAthletics on X for all the latest EMU women's basketball updates. Be sure to also follow the team on Instagram (@EMUWBB).

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Players Mentioned

Mackenzie Amalia

Chelsea Bishop

Elena Cabello

Olivia DiFranco

Sisi Eleko

Brooklyn Thrash

Olivia Westphal

Eastern Michigan Athletics