Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
1-9,0-0MAC
St. Thomas (Minn.)
8-5,0-0Summit League
Eastern Michigan Falls to St. Thomas
12/28/2024 4:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Westphal led the charge with 15 points while Eleko bagged another double-double
Box Score (pdf) | Post Game Presser | Highlights
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball dropped an 81-65 decision to visiting University of St. Thomas inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center, Dec. 28, despite a spirited effort from the Eagles. EMU (1-9) saw three players reach double figures with Olivia Westphal (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park/Duquesne) leading the way with 15 points, including four three-pointers, while Sisi Eleko (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius) turned in her seventh double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds against a Tommies (8-5) team that saw 10 players record points, including three with 18+.
How It Happened
Both teams opened a fast pace before settling in a bit with the Tommies holding an 18-12 lead at the first quarter break. Four Eagles scored, including Eleko, who led the way with four points, while both Westphall and Brooklyn Thrash (Wayne, Ohio/Elmwood/Canisius) each added three and Olivia Smith (Fort Wayne, Ind./South Side) was perfect from the free throw line for two points.
The visitors opened the second quarter on a 12-2 run to build an 18-point advantage before the Eagles fought back and closed to within 12 points before halftime. In the stanza, Westphal drained a trio of three-pointers to give her a team-leading 12 points. Smith added five points as well in the quarter.
Eastern opened the third quarter on a 13-3 with Eleko scoring six, Westphal adding three, and both Mackenzie Amalia (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk/Canisius) and Thrash scoring two, respectively, while the visitors were held to 14.3 percent shooting while committing five turnovers. Despite the run, the Tommies put together a 13-6 run of their own to close out the third for a 13-point (60-47) lead heading into the fourth.
In the final quarter, both teams pushed the tempo and traded points as the visitors won the stanza, 21-18, to claim the win. Elena Cabello (Malaga, Spain/IES Mediterraneo) led the way with seven scrappy points that included a put back off an offensive rebound and a three-point basket while Jada Williams (Williamstown, N.J./Gloucester Catholic/St. Peter's) added four more points to score a season-high eight points.
Game Notes
» Olivia Westphal continued to do what she has done all season as the MAC's leader in three-pointers drained four more to finish with 15 points. Westphal, who entered the game with a league-best 2.8 makes per game, has now made 2+ three-pointers in 10 consecutive games, which includes all nine games she has played this year and the season finale of the 2023-24 campaign.
» Olivia Westphal's four makes from behind the arc moved her to 26 on the year, three more than she had all last season. Additionally, her 26 triples this year are three shy of tying her career total she held entering the season after recording six for Duquesne during the 2022-23 season and 23 last year for EMU.
» Sisi Eleko finished the game with 12 points and 10 rebounds to mark her league-leading seventh double-double of the season and the 25th of her career. Eleko, who is now tied for ninth on the national list for NCAA Division I players, also reached double-digit scoring for the 10th time in 10 games this year and the 52nd time in her career.
» Olivia Smith finished the game with 10 points, marking her third game with 10+ points this season and the first since she scored a season-high 13 points at No. 8 Notre Dame, Dec. 15. She added one assist and one rebound to her totals in the game as well.
» Mackenzie Amalia, who entered the game ranked third in the MAC with 5.3 assists per game, dished out seven helpers in the game. It marked the sixth time this season and the 18th time in her career she has doled out 6+ dimes in a game.
» Elena Cabello scored seven points, one shy of her season high, as she connected on three shots to tie a career-high for makes in a game, marking the fourth time she has done so and the second time this year after hitting on three against Xavier University, Dec. 1. She also added her first blocked shot of the season and just the second of her career.
» Jada Williams scored a season-high eight points, bettering the four she scored twice this season. Williams recorded season highs in made baskets (three) while tying her season-bests in both rebounds (four) and blocked shots (one).
» The Eagles finished 6-of-25 from behind the arc to extend their current streak to 113 consecutive games with at least one made three-pointer. The last EMU failed to drain a long-distance shot came Nov. 29, 2020, when Eastern finished 0-of-15 from three-point range at home against UIC.
» With their six made three-pointers, Eastern extended its streak to 11 consecutive games with 5+ made triples dating back to the 2023-24 season finale, March 9, 2024, against visiting Bowling Green.
Historical Notes
» With the loss, the Eagles fell to 1-9 on the year while the Tommies improved to 8-5.
» The game marked the first meeting in the all-time series between the two teams.
» Eastern is 0-4 this year against the teams it played for the first time in program history. The other games included losses to Texas State, Alabama A&M, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Up Next
The next time the Eagles take the court will start a new year and a new season as Eastern will play host to rival Western Michigan University, Wednesday, Jan. 1, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center for both teams' Mid-American Conference opener. The game, which is slated for a 1 p.m. tip, will be streamed live on ESPN+ and broadcast live on WEMU (89.1 FM) and The Varsity Network with Tom Helmer on the call.
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