WBB Set to Face Vaqueros in UTRGV Holiday Classic

GAME #8: Women's Basketball at UTRGV (UTRGV Holiday Classic)
Date	Thursday, Dec. 19 \| 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. CT)
Venue	UTRGV Fieldhouse (9,149)
Preview Info	EMU Notes (pdf)
Live Stats	Fan Stats
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	n/a
Twitter	@EMUWBB \| @EMUAthletics
Fan Information	Purchase Tickets For Future Home Games

EDINBURG, Texas (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team is set for two games away from home this week as the Eagles will travel to Edinburg, Texas, for the 2024 UTRGV Holiday Classic, hosted by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Dec. 19-20. The Eagles (1-6) will open play Thursday, Dec. 19, with a 6:30 p.m. CT (7:30 p.m. ET) meeting with the host Vaqueros (4-6 (1-1 Southland) inside the UTRGV Fieldhouse with Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and the University of Missouri Kansas City meeting in the first game at 4 p.m. CT (5 p.m. ET). All games will be streamed live on ESPN+ with live stats will be available at EMUEagles.com/livestats while periodic updates will be posted on the team's official X account (@EMUWBB).

LET'S PLAY TWO
Eastern is set for games on back-to-back days at the UTRGV Holiday Classic. After playing the host Vaqueros, Dec. 19, the Eagles will return one day later to take on the Islanders of TAMUCC in the 4 p.m. CT (5 p.m. ET) slot before UTRGV and Kansas City meet in the finale at 6:30 p.m. CT (7:30 p.m. ET) Dec. 20.

FREE THROWS
» Eastern scored six three-pointers at No. 8 Notre Dame, Dec. 15, to maintain its streak of eight consecutive games with at least five triples made, dating back to last year's finale with Bowling Green. Should the Eagles drain at least five against UTRGV, it would tie the longest streak since the 2013-14 season.
» Speaking of three-pointers, the Eagles have now connected on at least one triple in 111 consecutive games. The last time EMU was held without a three-pointer was Nov. 29, 2020, against UIC (0-of-15).
» Sisi Eleko continues to average a double-double as the junior is averaging 21.3 points and 10.5 rebounds, both of which lead the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Her totals also rank her 12th and 19th, respectively, in the latest NCAA Rankings.
» Olivia Smith, a native of Fort Wayne, Ind., had a strong showing against Notre Dame in a return to her home state as she led the team with a season-high 13 points, including eighth in the fourth.
» The Eagles are playing in the Lone Star State for the first time since the 2016-17 season when they played three games in San Antonio. EMU defeated Incarnate Word after losses to Tulane and Northern Colorado at the UTSA Thanksgiving Classic.
» 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: UTRGV
After opening the year with a 70-68 win at Big 12 member Houston, the Vaqueros have gone 3-6 with a 1-1 mark in Southland Conference play, including a 69-44 setback at home to visiting Lamar, Dec. 14. Kade Hackerott leads the team with 13.8 points per game with both Charlotte O'Keefe (9.6) and Gianna Angiolet (9.1) adding nearly 10 points per game each. O'Keefe is averaging a team-best 9.3 rebounds per game while Tierra Trotter's 3.0 assists are the most on the roster.

ALL-TIME VS. UTRGV
The Eagles and Vaqueros are meeting for the third time with the winner taking the lead in a series that is tied, 1-1. UTRGV won the initial meeting, 81-75, Nov. 22, 2014, in Edinburg, Texas, with the Eagles claiming a 78-56 home win one year later (Nov. 21, 2015) to even the series.

ALL-TIME VS. THE SOUTHLAND
Eastern holds an all-time record of 4-2 against the current membership of the Southland Conference. Along with their 1-1 record against UTRGV, the Eagles hold 1-0 records against Incarnate Word, Lamar, and New Orleans, while sitting 0-1 against McNeese. EMU and TAMUCC will meet for the first time this week to add the sixth member of the league to the results page for the Eagles.

GETTING BACK UP
The game at No. 8 Notre Dame saw the Eagles fall, 118-49, marking the largest loss in program history and just the 11th time in 1,350 games played Eastern has fallen by 40+ points (0.008 percent). In the previous 10 instances, the Eagles have posted a 4-5 record in their following game (one was in a season finale) with the two most recent games ending in wins. Last year, Eastern fell at Toledo, 87-41, March 6, 2024, but bounced back in their season finale with a 59-54 win over visiting Bowling Green, March 6, 2024. Prior to that, EMU fell at Ohio, 85-44, Jan. 19, 2019, before returning home for an 81-74 win over BGSU.

LONG RANGE SHOOTING
The Eagles are averaging a 7.4 made three-pointers per game and, when including the five makes at home against Bowling Green, March 9, 2024, have connected on at least five triples in eight consecutive games. The current streak is the longest since an eight-game stretch during the 2018-19 season, starting with 10 makes at Kent State (Jan. 5, 2019) and ending with five at home against Northern Illinois (Feb. 2, 2019). If the Eagles connect on at least five three-pointers at UTRGV, they will tie for the longest streak since the 2013-14 season at nine games. That stretch began Jan. 26, 2014, with 10 makes at home against Akron and ended with five makes at Western Michigan, Feb. 26, 2014. Eastern is chasing a streak of 13 consecutive games the 2013-14 team posted to open its season.

ANOTHER STREAK
The Eagles have recorded at least one made three-pointer in 111 consecutive games, the third-longest stretch since the start of the 1999-00 season. The longest streak in that period is 281 games, which started with seven makes at Northern Illinois, Jan. 31, 2002, and ended with no makes in the MAC Tournament, March 11, 2011, against Toledo. The second longest streak lasted 157 games and started Dec. 9, 2014, until no makes halted the streak, Nov. 29, 2020, against visiting UIC. Since that game, however, the Eagles have made at least one three-pointer, a stretch of 111 games to date.

NATIONALLY KNOWN
Through games played Dec. 17, Sisi Eleko holds the distinction of being the only player in NCAA Division I to average 21.0+ points and 10.0+ rebounds this season. The junior is currently averaging 21.3 points, which ranks seventh nationally, and 10.4 rebounds, which ranks third. In addition to also leading the MAC in both categories, Eleko's four double-doubles this year rank 33rd nationally as she leads the MAC in all three categories.

NOT THE ONLY ONE
Two other Eagles are among the best in the nation in a statistical category, including Olivia Westphal in three-pointers and Mackenzie Amalia in assists. Westphal leads the MAC and ranks 14th nationally with 3.0 made triples per game while Amalia is second in the league and ranks 24th in the NCAA with 5.6 helpers per game.

MOVING TOWARD MILESTONES
Three Eagles are nearing career milestones with two on track for scoring marks and one in assists. Sisi Eleko has tallied 892 points, leaving her 108 shy of 1,000 for her career while Olivia Smith (491) is just nine from reaching 500 career points. Mackenzie Amalia has dished 297 assists in her career, leaving her three shy of 300.

SISI WITH DUB-DUBS
Sisi Eleko has tallied a double-double four times this year, which ties for the most in the MAC and ranks 23rd nationally. Her four double-doubles are tied for 21st on the EMU 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
With her strong start to 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 averaged 20.7 points in 2009-10.

LET IF FLY
Olivia Westphal connected on two more triples at Notre Dame, Dec. 15, bringing her season total to 18 after making at least two from behind the arc in all six games she has played this season. Currently on a seven-game streak of making two or more three-pointers, Westphal leads the MAC and ranks 14th nationally with 3.0 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.

AHEAD OF THE CURVE BEHIND THE ARC
Olivia Westphal has made 18 three pointers in six games this year, leaving her just five shy of equaling her total from the 2023-24 season when she scored 23 three-pointer in 28 games (0.8 per game). Additionally, Westphal has scored 2+ triples in all six games this year after she made 1+ three-point shot in 12-of-28 games last year.

WELCOME BACK, AGAIN!
For the second consecutive game, a player made her season debut as Kyndal Lewis played six minutes for the Eagles at No. 8 Notre Dame, Dec. 15, where she recorded two rebounds and one assist. Lewis' debut followed Jada Williams' EMU debut when she came off the bench at home against Xavier, Dec. 1. In that game, Williams also played six minutes and scored four points. She added one rebound and one steal in her first action since Nov. 19, 2023, when she played at Marquette for St. Peter's.

FIRST TIMES
Six players have made their EMU debuts this year with Jada Williams the latest to join the list after playing six minutes against Xavier, Dec. 1. Previously, rookies Chelsea Bishop (Nov. 21) and Olivia DiFranco (Nov. 9) saw their first action while transfers Mackenzie Amalia, Brooklyn Thrash, and Sisi Eleko each started in the opener against Texas State (Nov. 4). 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.

NEW TO THE LINEUP
Elena Cabello made her first career start for the Eagles in the Xavier game after appearing in 23 games during the 2022-23 season and all five this season. Cabello, who missed the 2023-24 season with an injury, scored eight points, which tied her career high set Feb. 18, 2023, at Toledo, while tying a career high with two made three-point baskets, which she had done three times previously.

The start comes one game after her strong play at Detroit Mercy, Nov. 26. In the game, she opened the second quarter by scoring 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.

ON THE HORIZON
The Eagles return to action Friday, Dec. 20, with a 4 p.m. CT (5 p.m. ET) meeting with the Islanders of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

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

Kyndal Lewis

Olivia Smith

Brooklyn Thrash

Olivia Westphal

Jada Williams

Eastern Michigan Athletics