Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, January 11
Ypsilanti, Mich.
1 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
1-13,0-4MAC
56
vs
61
Akron
9-7,3-1MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Akron
16
16
18
11
61
Eastern Mich.
13
12
13
18
56
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Eagles Fall to Akron in Tough Home Battle
1/11/2025 4:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Amalia (16) and Eleko (17) were big down the stretch for Eastern
Box Score (pdf) | Photo Gallery | Post Game Presser
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team battled to the end, but a gritty defensive showing down the stretch was not enough as the Eagles dropped a home Mid-American Conference game to visiting University of Akron, 61-56, Jan. 11, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti. Sisi Eleko (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius) scored 17 points and Mackenzie Amalia (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk/Canisius) added 16 for the Eagles (1-13, 0-4 MAC) as the Zips (9-7, 3-1 MAC) secured the win.
How It Happened
The Eagles's defense started off strong, limiting Akron to 16 points while forcing three turnovers, including two shot clock violations. Eleko scored a team-high seven points in the quarter while Amalia added five points to help the Eagles stay close.
Eastern scored a quick buck with Amalia slashing to the rim before taking their first lead of the game with 7:13 remaining, but the Zips went on a 13-4 run to close out the second quarter to take a 32-25 lead at the break. Olivia Smith (Fort Wayne, Ind./South Side) was true on both of her shots from deep to tally six points while Eleko added four more points to reach double figures for the 14th time in 14 games this season.
In the third, the Eagles pulled to within two points on a Smith layup, but a technical foul was called on Smith following the play and the Zips scored both free throws to spark a 9-0 run to regain an 11-point lead with two minutes to play in the third. From there, Olivia Westphal (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park/Duquesne) hit a three-pointer to end the run before the Zips answered with two baskets of their own for a 12-point advantage heading into the fourth, 50-38.
The Eagles battled throughout the fourth quarter and cut the deficit to five points with 2:38 remaining, but were unable to get any closer as the Zips took the win, 61-56. Amalia scored nine points in the quarter with 4-of-5 shooting from the floor while Eleko backed into the lane for two gritty baskets and Thrash drained a three-pointer to go along with her put-back under the rim for the remaining scoring in the contest.
Game Notes
» Mackenzie Amalia scored 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting while adding a team-high four assists and two steals. Her 16 points marked the third consecutive game she has scored 14+ points, which also is the first time she has done so in her career. Amalia has scored 48 points in the last three games combined (14 at Bowling Green (Jan. 4), 18 at Ball State (Jan. 8), and 16 against the Zips), which is a career-high, surpassing the 38 she scored over three games earlier this season. That streak included 10 at No. 8 Notre Dame (Dec. 15), 18 at UT Rio Grande Valley (Dec. 19), and 11 vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Dec. 20).
» Sisi Eleko finished the game with 17 points and eight rebounds, both of which lead all players in the contest. With her points, Eleko has now scored at least 10 points in all 14 games played this year and recorded 55 career games with 10+ points.
» Olivia Smith finished with 10 points, marking the fifth time this year she finished with double-digit points. Smith was 2-of-3 from distance in the game.
» Brooklyn Thrash (Wayne, Ohio/Elmwood/Canisius) tallied seven rebounds to go along with her six points against the Zips. Her seven boards mark a season high, surpassing the six she collected against Xavier, Dec. 1.
» The Eagles finished 7-of-23 from behind the arc to extend their current streak to 117 consecutive games with at least one made three-pointer. Sisi Eleko drained a shot from the top of the arc with 4:00 remaining in the first quarter to continue the streak. 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.
» The 61 points Akron scored in the game are the second-fewest the Eagles allowed in 2024-25 with only the 60 points scored by Xavier (Dec. 1) being fewer. The 61 points for UA also are the fewest EMU has allowed to a MAC foe this year, surpassing the 65 allowed to Western Michigan in the MAC opener, Jan. 1.
Historical Notes
» With the loss, the Eagles fell to 1-13 overall and 0-4 in the MAC while the Zips improved to 9-7 overall and 3-1 in league play.
» Eastern fell to 19-31 all-time against Akron and lost six consecutive meetings in the series. Additionally, the Eagles are no 10-15 when hosting the Zips in Ypsilanti and have lost four in a row.
» The 61-56 score ended a two-game streak in which the Eagles and Zips had played to a one-possession score. EMU lost, 72-70 (-2) at Akron, Feb. 15, 2023, before the Eagles fell in overtime, 68-67, to Akron, Feb. 7, 2024.
Up Next
The Eagles return to action Wednesday, Jan. 15, when the University at Buffalo Bulls come to town for a 6:30 p.m. game inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ while fans can also tune in to WEMU (89.1 FM) and The Varsity Network to hear the call from Tom Helmer live from court side.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team battled to the end, but a gritty defensive showing down the stretch was not enough as the Eagles dropped a home Mid-American Conference game to visiting University of Akron, 61-56, Jan. 11, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti. Sisi Eleko (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius) scored 17 points and Mackenzie Amalia (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk/Canisius) added 16 for the Eagles (1-13, 0-4 MAC) as the Zips (9-7, 3-1 MAC) secured the win.
How It Happened
The Eagles's defense started off strong, limiting Akron to 16 points while forcing three turnovers, including two shot clock violations. Eleko scored a team-high seven points in the quarter while Amalia added five points to help the Eagles stay close.
Eastern scored a quick buck with Amalia slashing to the rim before taking their first lead of the game with 7:13 remaining, but the Zips went on a 13-4 run to close out the second quarter to take a 32-25 lead at the break. Olivia Smith (Fort Wayne, Ind./South Side) was true on both of her shots from deep to tally six points while Eleko added four more points to reach double figures for the 14th time in 14 games this season.
In the third, the Eagles pulled to within two points on a Smith layup, but a technical foul was called on Smith following the play and the Zips scored both free throws to spark a 9-0 run to regain an 11-point lead with two minutes to play in the third. From there, Olivia Westphal (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park/Duquesne) hit a three-pointer to end the run before the Zips answered with two baskets of their own for a 12-point advantage heading into the fourth, 50-38.
The Eagles battled throughout the fourth quarter and cut the deficit to five points with 2:38 remaining, but were unable to get any closer as the Zips took the win, 61-56. Amalia scored nine points in the quarter with 4-of-5 shooting from the floor while Eleko backed into the lane for two gritty baskets and Thrash drained a three-pointer to go along with her put-back under the rim for the remaining scoring in the contest.
Game Notes
» Mackenzie Amalia scored 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting while adding a team-high four assists and two steals. Her 16 points marked the third consecutive game she has scored 14+ points, which also is the first time she has done so in her career. Amalia has scored 48 points in the last three games combined (14 at Bowling Green (Jan. 4), 18 at Ball State (Jan. 8), and 16 against the Zips), which is a career-high, surpassing the 38 she scored over three games earlier this season. That streak included 10 at No. 8 Notre Dame (Dec. 15), 18 at UT Rio Grande Valley (Dec. 19), and 11 vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Dec. 20).
» Sisi Eleko finished the game with 17 points and eight rebounds, both of which lead all players in the contest. With her points, Eleko has now scored at least 10 points in all 14 games played this year and recorded 55 career games with 10+ points.
» Olivia Smith finished with 10 points, marking the fifth time this year she finished with double-digit points. Smith was 2-of-3 from distance in the game.
» Brooklyn Thrash (Wayne, Ohio/Elmwood/Canisius) tallied seven rebounds to go along with her six points against the Zips. Her seven boards mark a season high, surpassing the six she collected against Xavier, Dec. 1.
» The Eagles finished 7-of-23 from behind the arc to extend their current streak to 117 consecutive games with at least one made three-pointer. Sisi Eleko drained a shot from the top of the arc with 4:00 remaining in the first quarter to continue the streak. 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.
» The 61 points Akron scored in the game are the second-fewest the Eagles allowed in 2024-25 with only the 60 points scored by Xavier (Dec. 1) being fewer. The 61 points for UA also are the fewest EMU has allowed to a MAC foe this year, surpassing the 65 allowed to Western Michigan in the MAC opener, Jan. 1.
Historical Notes
» With the loss, the Eagles fell to 1-13 overall and 0-4 in the MAC while the Zips improved to 9-7 overall and 3-1 in league play.
» Eastern fell to 19-31 all-time against Akron and lost six consecutive meetings in the series. Additionally, the Eagles are no 10-15 when hosting the Zips in Ypsilanti and have lost four in a row.
» The 61-56 score ended a two-game streak in which the Eagles and Zips had played to a one-possession score. EMU lost, 72-70 (-2) at Akron, Feb. 15, 2023, before the Eagles fell in overtime, 68-67, to Akron, Feb. 7, 2024.
Up Next
The Eagles return to action Wednesday, Jan. 15, when the University at Buffalo Bulls come to town for a 6:30 p.m. game inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ while fans can also tune in to WEMU (89.1 FM) and The Varsity Network to hear the call from Tom Helmer live from court side.
Team Stats
UA
EMU
FG%
.417
.440
3FG%
.269
.304
FT%
.667
.714
RB
36
27
TO
15
15
STL
5
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
S/Y
/ Women's BasketballM/F
/ Women's BasketballS/Y
/ Women's BasketballM
/ Women's Basketball
W/Y
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