Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
1-17,0-8MAC
Ohio
4-14,2-6MAC
Eleko Posts Double-Double as Eagles Fall at Ohio
1/25/2025 3:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Junior tallied 25 points and 12 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the year
ATHENS, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – Sisi Eleko recorded a 25-point, 12-rebound double-double and Olivia Smith dished out a career-high eight assists as the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team dropped a 69-59 decision at Ohio University Saturday, Jan. 25, inside the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio. The Eagles (1-17, 0-8 Mid-American Conference) also received 11 points from Olivia Westhphal against the Bobcats (4-14, 2-6 MAC).
How It Happened
Both teams came out shooting from deep as neither team made a shot form inside the arc while the Eagles opened with four triples and the Bobcats with two. Olivia Westphal (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park/Duquesne) was 2-of-3 from three-point range in the early going while Brooklyn Thrash (Wayne, Ohio/Elmwood/Canisius) and Sisi Eleko (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius) each drained a deep shot. Following the timeout and with the Eagles leading, 12-6, with Eleko scoring on a high-low pass from Kyndal Lewis (Belton, Mo./Belton) to make the first two-point basket made by either side to help EMU to an 18-13 lead at the break.
Ohio clawed its way into the lead by the second quarter media timeout as the Bobcats used a 7-0 run to take a 26-25 lead with 4:41 remaining in the quarter. Eleko reached double-digit scoring once again with a pair of free throws while Elena Cabello (Malaga, Spain/IES Mediterraneo) drained a three-pointer in the quarter to become the fourth different Eagle to hit from downtown in the game. From there, the Bobcats went on a 15-2 run to take a 35-25 lead into halftime.
The Bobcats went on a 7-0 run to open the third quarter before the Eagles went on a run of their own as Lewis knocked down a pair of free throws before draining a three-pointer. After a basket by OU, the Eagles went on a 6-0 run to force an OU timeout with 5:13 to play and the Eagles trailing, 44-36. Following the media timeout, the Eagles went on a 12-2 run with Eleko scoring two layups and Lewis one on the fast break to cut the deficit to 46-42. OU responded with a 7-0 run of its own before taking a 55-42 lead into the fourth.
Thrash scored on a layup on an assist from Olivia Smith (Fort Wayne, Ind./South Side) to open the fourth before Eleko rebounded a missed shot and put it home for a quick 4-0 spurt that forced an OU timeout just 1:03 into the stanza. The game finished as a back-and-forth affair with the Eagles unable to claw any closer, despite Eleko finishing with 25 points and 12 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the year.
Game Notes
» Sisi Eleko recorded her 10th double-double of the season and the 28th of her career as she finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Eleko, who last recorded a double-double at home against Buffalo (Jan. 15) with 16 points and 11 rebounds, leads the MAC with double-doubles and rank among the top 20 nationally. Her 10 double-doubles currently tie for the 13th-most in program history (since 1999), equaling the totals of both Tayra Eke (2022-24) and Areanna Combs (2019-22) on the ledger.
» Sisi Eleko finished with 25 points to reach double-digit points for the 17th time in 18 games this year and for the 58th time in her career. Additionally, she surpassed 20 points for the 14th time in her career and the sixth time this season.
» Olivia Westphal finished with 11 points that included three three-pointers to mark her third consecutive game with three-or-more made three-pointers. Westphal has collected 12 three-pointers in her past three games and continues to lead the MAC with 2.6 triples per game.
» Olivia Smith posted a career-high eight assists as she tied her season high with four helpers in the first quarter along. Smith, whose previous career high was seven helpers at Lindenwood, Dec. 7, 2023, scored six points and added one steal in 37 minutes of play.
» Chelsea Bishop saw her first action since playing two minutes against Xavier at home, Dec. 1, as the freshman played 14 minutes and tallied two points, one rebound, and one steal. The scored points were her firs since tallying four at Detroit Mercy, Nov. 26.
» The Eagles finished 7-of-27 from behind the arc to extend their current streak to 121 consecutive games with at least one made three-pointer. Brooklyn Thrash knocked in the first shot of the game from three to extend the Eagles' 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.
Historical Notes
» With the loss, the Eagles fell to 1-17 overall and 0-8 in MAC play while the Bobcats improved to 4-14 overall and 2-6 in league action.
» Eastern fell to 28-41 all-time against Ohio and 11-22 when playing in Athens.
Up Next
Eastern remains on the road for its next game as the Eagles will venture to Kent, Ohio, to take on the Kent State University Golden Flashes Wednesday, Jan. 29, in a 7 p.m. game inside the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
