Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
1-11,0-2MAC
Bowling Green
7-6,1-1MAC
Hoops Drops MAC Road Opener at Bowling Green
1/4/2025 9:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Four Eagles reached double-digit points, led by Eleko’s 26
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – Four players scored in double figures and the team shot 50 percent from the field, but the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team was unable to get past Bowling Green State University in its first Mid-American Conference road game of the year, falling to the host Falcons, 90-76, Jan. 4, inside the Stroh Center in Bowling Green, Ohio. The Eagles (1-11, 0-2 MAC) were led by Sisi Eleko (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius), who scored 26 points, as nine to players scored 10+ points in the game, including five for the Falcons (7-6, 1-1 MAC).
How It Happened
The Falcons opened the game on a 10-0 run, including going 2-of-2 on three-pointers, before the Eagles saw Elena Cabello (Malaga, Spain/IES Mediterraneo) drive to the basket and score. Eastern found a rhythm midway through the quarter as Eleko hit several midrange shots and scored eight points to help the Eagles to a 6-0 run that cut the score to 17-13 in favor of the hosts. BGSU closed the period on a 9-3 run to make it 26-16 at the end of one.
In the second, Eleko hit a pull-up jumper in the lane to record her 10th point of the game, marking the 12th time in 12 games this year she has reached double digits. The Eagles shot 50 percent from the floor in the quarter, but the Falcons connected on 76.9 percent of their shots to extend their lead to 22 points at the break (54-32). Olivia Smith (Fort Wayne, Ind./South Side) added her second triple of the game and tallied five points in the quarter while also recording an assist for the Eagles.
Olivia Westphal (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park/Duquesne) found a rhythm in the third quarter as she scored nine points, including hitting two three-pointers and making the follow-up free-throw on a drive to the basket. Eleko added six more points to her total to reach 20+ points for the sixth time this season while Smith added a layup to reach 10 points for the fourth time this season.
EMU won the fourth quarter, 22-15, and finished the game shooting 50.0 percent from the floor as Eleko (26), Mackenzie Amalia (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk/Canisius)(14), Westphal (14), and Smith (13) all reached double digits, marking the first time this year the Eagles had three and four different players score 10+ points in the same game.
Game Notes
» Sisi Eleko continued to pile up points as she tallied 26 in the game to give her back-to-back MAC games with 23+ points after scoring 23 against Western Michigan, Jan. 1. For the season, she has now scored 10+ points in all 12 games while reaching the 20-point mark for the sixth time. She finished the game on 10-of-15 shooting and added seven rebounds, one steal, and one block.
» Olivia Westphal got back to making long distance shots as she finished the game with two triples on her way to 14 points. After being held without a shot attempt against WMU, Jan. 1, Westphal made a pair of three-pointers for the 10th time in 11 games played this year. Dating back to making three last year in the home finale against BGSU (March 9, 2024), Westphal has made at least two three-point baskets in 11 of her last 12 games.
» Mackenzie Amalia finished the game with 14 points and six rebounds to mark the fourth game in a row that she has dished at least six assists to her teammates, the longest streak of her career. Heading into the season, her longest stretch came last year with Canisius when she tallied assist totals of six vs. Marist (Feb. 15), eight vs. Siena (Feb. 17), and six at Manhattan (Feb. 22). Her current streak started with six against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Dec. 20), seven against St. Thomas (Dec. 28), and eight vs. Western Michigan (Jan. 1).
» Brooklyn Thrash (Wayne, Ohio/Elmwood/Canisius) played in a homecoming game as the junior grew up minutes from the BGSU campus. With dozens of family and friends, along with the current EHS team, in attendance, Thrash scored five points and added three rounds, three steals, and one assist.
» For the first time this season, the Eagles saw four players score 10+ points in the same game after seeing three players score 10+ in three games previously. The last time the Eagles had four players in double digits in the same game was Feb. 10, 2024, at home against South Alabama as part of the MAC/SBC Challenge. In the game, Tayra Eke scored 13 points, Olivia Smith scored 12, and both Olivia Westphal and Kennedi Myles each scored 11.
» The Eagles finished 8-of-24 from behind the arc to extend their current streak to 115 consecutive games with at least one made three-pointer. With 1:11 remaining in the first quarter, Olivia Smith hit a step-back triple to continue the streak for the Eagles. 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 1-11 overall and 0-1 in MAC play while the Falcons improved to 7-6 overall and 1-1 in league play.
» Eastern is now 21-57 all-time against Bowling Green and stands 6-31 when playing the Falcons on the road. EMU has now dropped four consecutive road games at BGSU.
» The game marked the first time Sahar Nusseibeh served as the head coach against a school she formerly worked. Nusseibeh was an assistant coach at Bowling Green from 2013-16. During her time as the head coach at Canisius (2021-24), she guided the Golden Griffins against three MAC sides, including Buffalo (1-2), Akron (0-1), and Toledo (0-1).
Up Next
Eastern is back in action on the road Wednesday, Jan. 8, when the Eagles travel to Muncie, Ind., to face the Ball State University Cardinals. The 7 p.m. contest inside Worthen Arena will be streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can listen to the game as well on WEMU (89.1 FM) and The Varsity app with Tom Helmer on the call.
