Women's Hoops Welcomes Xavier to Town Sunday at 2 p.m.

GAME #6: Women's Basketball vs. Xavier
Date	Sunday, Dec. 1 \| 2 p.m.
Venue	George Gervin GameAbove Center (8,754)
Preview Info	EMU Notes (pdf)
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	WEMU (89.1 FM)
Twitter	@EMUWBB \| @EMUAthletics
Fan Information	Purchase Tickets

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team returns to action at home Sunday, Dec. 1, with the Eagles playing host to the Musketeers of Xavier University in a 2 p.m. game inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti. The Eagles (0-5) are coming off a close loss at the University of Detroit Mercy, 72-61, Nov. 26, with Sisi Eleko scoring a career-high 31 points while the Musketeers (4-2) recently downed visiting Youngstown State University, 61-43, Nov. 26, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The game is set to tip off at 2 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Ryan Wooley (play-by-play) and Reggie Butler (analyst) on the call while fans can also listen live on WEMU (89.1 FM) and The Varsity Network app with Tom Helmer 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).

FREE THROWS
» Sisi Eleko is averaging a double-double with 23.2 points and 12.4 rebounds per game, which ranks her sixth and second in NCAA Division I, respectively. Her four double-doubles currently lead the MAC and rank her seventh nationally.
» Sisi Eleko is one of only two players nationally that are averaging 21.0+ points and 12.0+ rebounds per game with Destiny Adams of Rutgers (21.7 and 12.0) being the other.
» Olivia Westphal entered the season with only one instance of back-to-back games with two or more made three pointers. Following her two makes at Detroit Mercy, Westphal continued her current streak to five consecutive games with at least two triples, a streak that includes the final game of the 2023-24 season and the first four she has played this year.
» Olivia Westphal ranks eighth nationally and first in the MAC with 3.5 three-pointers per game. She has connected on 14 triples in four games after scoring 29 total in her previous two seasons.
» Elena Cabello opened the second quarter at Detroit Mercy with back-to-back layups for her first points of the season and the first she had scored in 633 days after missing last season with an injury.
» Sahar Nusseibeh, the ninth head coach in Eastern program history, she 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.

KNOW THE FOE: XAVIER
The Musketeers enter the game with a 4-2 record following their 61-43 home win over Youngstown State, Nov. 26. Xavier, who is 0-1 on the road this year following their 89-69 loss at Kent State, Nov. 23, is led by Meri Kanerva with 10.3 points per game and a team-best 3.0 assists per contest while Loren Christie is adding 10.2 points per game while leading the team with 6.5 rebounds per game. Overall, seven players are averaging at least 5.0 points per game while six are posting 2.0+ rebounds per contest.

ALL-TIME VS. XAVIER
The Eagles hold a 1-0 lead in the all-time series following their 51-44 victory inside Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Dec. 17, 2022. The game Sunday will mark the first meeting in Ypsilanti between the two.

TIES TO XAVIER
Reggie Butler, who will serve as the analyst for ESPN+ broadcast, was a four-year member of the Xavier men's program. Butler appeared in 93 games from 1997-01 for the Musketeers and played in two NCAA tournaments and two NIT events with Xavier finishing third in the 1998-99 NIT.

ALL-TIME VS. THE BIG EAST
Eastern holds an all-time record of 5-9 against the current members of the Big East Conference and has played games against six different teams. The two teams EMU have played the most included Butler (3-4) and DePaul (0-3).

PILING UP POINTS
Sisi Eleko continued to pile up the points and rebounds as she recorded her fourth consecutive double-double as she finished the game at Detroit Mercy, Nov. 26, with 31 points and 14 rebounds. Eleko's 31 points are the most for an Eagle since Areanna Combs scored 32 points at the University of Akron, Jan. 26, 2022. The 31 points also marks the second time she has recorded a career high point total after opening the season with 28 points against visiting Texas State, Nov. 4. Additionally, Eleko has played 65 games in her career and scored at least 10 points in 47 contests (72.3 percent).

BETTER THAN AVERAGE
Sisi Eleko is averaging a double-double through five games as she is scoring 23.2 points and pulling down 12.2 rebounds, which rank her sixth and second, respectively, among all NCAA Division I players. Through games played Nov. 28, Eleko is one of just two players nationally that are averaging 21.0+ points and 12.0+ rebounds with Destiny Adams (Rutgers) joining her on the list with 21.7 points and 12.0 boards.

STEPPING BACK
Sisi Eleko entered the game at Detroit Mercy, Nov. 26, shooting 2-of-7 from behind the arc in her first four games. Against the Titans, she shot 4-of-7 from three to break her career high of three she made at Binghamton, Dec. 8, 2023. Eleko has made six triples this season, which is one more than her entire freshman year (5-of-26) while her six makes equate to 21.4 percent of her career three-point basket total in collegiate play (6-of-28 makes).

SISI WITH DUB-DUBS
Sisi Eleko has tallied a double-double in her last four games, which ties for the most in the MAC and ranks seventh nationally. Her four double-doubles are tied for 21st on the all-time list (since 1999-00) and leaves her one shy of entering the top 20 where Kris Kachaturoff (1999-01), Erika Ford (2001-04), and Danielle Minott (2017-19) are all tied for 18th with five.

TRENDING UPWARD
Although just five 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.

LET IF FLY
Olivia Westphal connected on two more triples at Detroit Mercy, Nov. 26, bringing her season total to 14 after making at least two from behind the arc in all four games she has played this season. Currently on a five game streak of making two or more three-pointers, Westphal leads the MAC and ranks eighth nationally with 3.5 three-pointers per game. Prior to her current streak, she had only one instance of making two or more three-points in consecutive games which came last year with three at Ohio, Jan. 20, 2024, and two at Kent State, Jan. 24, 2024.

ENDING A DROUGHT
Ellena Cabello opened the second quarter scoring at Detroit Mercy, Nov. 26, with a pair of layups to give her four points, her first of the season. Those points also marked her first in 633 days after she last scored for the Eagles March 4, 2023, when she tallied five points at Ohio. She sat out the entire 2023-24 season with an injury and was unable to score in the first four games of this season.

DISTRIBUTION
Mackenzie Amalia remains among the best passers in the league as her 6.2 assists per game rank her third in the MAC and 17th in NCAA Division I. She is coming off her best offensive performance of the season as she tallied 13 points with three made triples, a total that surpassed the eight points she scored against Alabama A&M, Nov. 9. While a season high, her 13 points fell shy of her career-high 20 points scored for Canisius, Nov. 20, 2023, at St. Bonaventure.

NATIONAL LISTS
Through games played Nov. 28, 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.

SHE'LL TAKE THAT
Brooklyn Thrash tallied a career-high four steals in the game at Detroit Mercy, Nov. 26, while scoring three points. She previously recorded a career-best two steals on seven occasions, most recently doing so against Alabama A&M, Nov. 9.

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
The Eagles return to the road in two weeks when they venture to South Bend, Ind., to face the Fighting Irish of the University of Notre Dame, Dec. 15. The game against UND, who is currently ranked No. 3 in both national polls, will tip at 2 p.m. and be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.

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).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mackenzie Amalia

Chelsea Bishop

Elena Cabello

Olivia DiFranco

Sisi Eleko

Brooklyn Thrash

Olivia Westphal

Eastern Michigan Athletics