EMU WBB Welcomes Akron to Town for Doubleheader

GAME #14: Women's Basketball vs. Akron - Doubleheader Day
Date	Saturday, Jan. 11 \| 1 p.m.
Venue	George Gervin GameAbove Center (8,754)
Preview Info	EMU Notes (pdf)
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	WEMU (89.1 FM)
Twitter	@EMUWBB \| @EMUAthletics
Fan Information	Purchase Tickets For Future Home Games

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team returns to its home court Saturday, Jan. 11, as the Eagles will play host to the University of Akron in a women's/men's doubleheader inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti. The Eagles (1-12, 0-3 MAC) and Zips (8-7, 2-1 MAC) are slated to tip-off at 1 p.m. with the game being streamed live on ESPN+ with Ryan Wooley (play-by-play) and Claire Dau (analyst) on the call. Fans can listen to the game live on WEMU (89.1 FM) and The Varsity Network app with Tom Helmer calling the action. Live stats will be available at EMUEagles.com/livestats while periodic updates will be posted on the team's official X account (@EMUWBB).

TWICE THE FUN!
Saturday's game marks the first of three doubleheaders for the women's and men's programs this year and the first of two to be played at home as the women will face Akron at 1 p.m. with the men taking on the Zips at approximately 3:30 p.m. The next doubleheader is scheduled for Feb. 15 with the women taking on Ball State at 1 p.m. with the men facing Toledo afterwards. The final doubleheader will come on the road, Nov. 22, with both EMU squads set to face Northern Illinois in DeKalb, Ill.

FREE THROWS
» Alumni Weekend will take place Jan. 31-Feb. 1 with events planned around EMU's game with Toledo. The Alumni Game (Jan. 31) and the Alumni Mixer (Feb. 1 at Aubree's) will bookend the game with Rockets (2 p.m., Feb. 1).
» With 14 points at Ball State, Jan. 8, Sisi Eleko eclipsed the 1,000-point milestone for career, bringing her total to 1,004 points. Eleko scored 743 points at Canisius before scoring 261 for EMU this year.
» Sisi Eleko is averaging a double-double with 20.1 points and 10.9 rebounds, both of which lead the MAC. She joins Khamil Pierre of Vanderbilt (22.8/10.9) as the only two players nationally averaging 20.0+ points and 10.0+ rebounds per game.
» Elena Cabello scored the first nine points of the game at Ball State (Jan. 8) before finishing with a career-high 12 points. She set or tied career highs in eight categories in the game.
» The Eagles connected on nine three-pointers at Ball State (Jan. 8) to extend their current streak to 116 consecutive games with at least one made triple. The last time EMU was held without a three-pointer was Nov. 29, 2020, against UIC (0-of-15).

ALUMNI WEEKEND IS COMING
The program will play host to Alumni Weekend Jan. 31-Feb. 1 with events planned before and after the Eagles' game with visiting Toledo. All alumni are welcome back and can sign up to play in the Alumni Game, Friday, Jan. 31, at 6 p.m. to open the weekend. On Saturday, Feb. 1, alumni are welcomed to watch the team's shoot around at 9 a.m. before cheering on the Eagles against the Rockets at 2 p.m. Following the game, all alumni are invited to Aubree's in Depot Town for the Alumni Mixer. To reserve your spot, email Assistant Coach Kayla Jackson (kjack143@emich.edu) with your updated contact information along with if you plan to play in the Alumni Game and if you plan to attend the Alumni Mixer.

KNOW THE FOE: AKRON
The Zips stand 8-7 overall and 2-1 in league play after their 73-71 home win over Northern Illinois, Jan. 8. Akron, who opened MAC play with a 74-61 win at Ohio before following at home to Toledo, 74-54, are 1-4 on the road this year with its lone win coming in the MAC opener with the Bobcats. Individually, three Zips are averaging double-digit points totals with Alexus Mobley setting the pace at 13.3 points per game. Shelbee Brown, who is scoring 10.1 points per contest, leads the team with 8.1 rebounds.

ALL-TIME VS. AKRON
Eastern trails Akron, 19-30, in the series with the Zips having won five consecutive meetings, including a 68-67 win in Ypsilanti in the most recent meeting, Feb. 7, 2024. Eastern is 10-14 when playing host to the Zips with the visitors having won the last three meetings. The last time EMU was victorious at home was also the Eagles' most recent win in the series, a 64-46 decision, Jan. 16, 2021.

FOUR SCORE
Through the first 11 games of the season, the Eagles saw three of its players score 10+ points in the same game just three times. In its past two games (at Bowling Green, Jan. 4, and at Ball State, Jan. 8), four Eagles have scored at least 10 points in the same game with the quartet of Mackenzie Amalia (18), Sisi Eleko (14), Elena Cabello (12), and Olivia Westphal (12) accomplishing the feat at Ball State.

Prior to the game at BGSU, the last time the Eagles saw four or more players score at least 10 points in the same game came last season at home against South Alabama (Feb. 10, 2024) when Tayra Eke scored 13, Olivia Smith scored 12, Westphal and Kennedi Myles each scored 11, and Dara Capaldi added 10.

SHOOTING STREAK
The Eagles have recorded at least one made three-pointer in 116 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.

Eastern recorded nine three-pointers at Ball State, Jan. 8, to extend its streak while also tying for the second-highest total made this year behind the 13 triples scored against Xavier, Dec. 1.

ELEKO SURPASSES 1,000 POINTS
With 2:32 remaining in the game at Ball State, Jan. 8, Sisi Eleko got free near the rim and scored on a layup to give her 11 points in the game to see her break the 1,000-career points barrier. Eleko finished the game with 14 points to become the first Eagle to reach the scoring milestone since Ce'Nara Skanes scored 1,031 points for the Eagles from 2020-23. Eleko has now scored 261 points in 13 games for the Eagles after she recorded 743 for Canisius over the past two seasons (2022-24).

Averaging 20.1 points through 13 games played, Eleko is on pace to score over 500 points this season. If she does, she would move into the top 10 in single season scoring at EMU along with the top five of the single-season list for juniors at Eastern.

QUICK SCORING
Sisi Eleko is one of 315 active players in NCAA Division I that have scored 1,000 career points as she ranks 314th with 1,004. To reach the milestone, the junior needed 73 games, which ties for the seventh-fewest among the players on the active list and one of 10 that reached 1,000 points in 75 or fewer games.

NATIONALLY KNOWN
Through games played Jan. 8, two Eagles remain among the top 50 nationally in several statistical categories, led by Sisi Eleko, who holds rankings in four categories. Eleko is averaging 20.1 points (22nd) and 10.9 rebounds (ninth) while recording 142 total rebounds (35th) and eight double-doubles (11th).
Mackenzie Amalia is also among the national top 50 in a pair of categories. She is currently the NCAA and MAC leader with 37.9 minutes played per game while her 5.5 assists per contest rank second in the MAC and 29th nationally.

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.

Additionally, Eleko's 10.9 rebounds are among the best in EMU history as well with only three players finishing the season averaging 10.0+ rebounds per game. Those players include Ce'Nara Skanes (2020-21) at 10.9, Felicia Hines (1984-85) at 11.7 (school record), and Suzanne Huff (1980-81) at 10.6.

ELITE COMPANY
Sisi Eleko also is on pace to do something done just two other EMU players have done in program history: average a double-double for the season. The first to do so was Felicia Hines, who tallied 12.0 points and 11.7 rebounds during the 1984-85 season. Ce'Nara Skanes was the most recent entrant to the list as she averaged 16.0 points and 10.9 rebounds per game during the 2020-21 season.

SISI WITH DUB-DUBS
Sisi Eleko has tallied a double-double eight times this year, which is the most in the MAC and ranks 11th nationally. Her double-double total is 15th on the EMU all-time list (since 1999-00) with Tayra Eke (2022-24) and Areanna Combs (2019-22) sitting 13th with 10.

CABELLO'S CAREER DAY
Entering the game at Ball State (Jan. 8), Elena Cabello scored a career-high eight points in three different games, most recently against Western Michigan (Jan. 1). Not only did she surpass that total against the Cardinals, she needed just the first 5:12 of the game to do so as she scored the first nine points of the contest for the Eagles on her way to 12 points. Along with her career high in points and her first game scoring 10+ points, Cabello, who was a perfect 3-of-3 from the field, including 2-of-2 from behind the arc in the early going, tied six more career highs, including field goals (four), three-point field goals (two), free throws (two), free throw attempts (four), assists (three), and minutes played (33).

DROPPING DIMES
Mackenzie Amalia was held to two assists at Ball State (Jan. 8) to see her career-long streak of games with 6+ assists come to an end. Amalia, who ranks second in the MAC with 5.5 dimes per game, finished the game at Bowling Green (Jan. 4) with six assists to cap a run that started Dec. 20 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with six assists before she posted seven at home against St. Thomas, Dec. 28. She dealt eight helpers in the MAC opener with Western Michigan before adding six against the Falcons. Prior to the streak, her longest streak stood at three games, which came last year with Canisius when she posted six against Marist (Feb. 15), eight against Siena (Feb. 17), and six at Manhattan (Feb. 22).

KENZIE CASHES IN
Mackenzie Amalia scored a season-high-tying 18 points at Ball State (Jan. 8), equaling the 18 she tallied on the road at UTRGV, Dec. 19. To reach her point total, Amalia tied a season and career-high with six made free throws (on six attempts) and added a season-high-tying three steals as well.

MAJOR MINUTES
Mackenzie Amalia is averaging 37.9 minutes per game, which leads the NCAA. Amalia is one of four Eagles that rank in the top 25 of minutes played in the MAC, including Sisi Eleko in fourth (34.1), Olivia Westphal in 20th (30.1), and Brooklyn Thrash in 21st (29.5).

LET IT FLY
Olivia Westphal was held without a three-point bucket against Western Michigan (Jan. 1) to see her streak of 10 consecutive games with 2+ makes come to an end, but got back to her scoring ways to two triples at both Bowling Green (Jan. 4) and Ball State (Jan. 8). For the season, Westphal is averaging 2.5 three-pointers per game, which ranks her tied for first in the MAC.

AHEAD OF THE CURVE BEHIND THE ARC • PART I
Olivia Westphal has made 30 three pointers in 11 games this year, which is five more than her total from the 2023-24 season when she scored 23 three-pointers in 28 games (0.8 per game). Additionally, Westphal has scored 2+ triples in 11-of-12 games played this year after she made 1+ three-point shots in 12-of-28 games last year. If she can maintain her current pace, Westphal could make at least 70 three-pointers this season, something that hasn't happened since the 2015-16 season when both Janay Morton (76) and Cha Sweeney (70) accomplished the feat.

AHEAD OF THE CURVE BEHIND THE ARC • PART II
The 30 three-pointers Olivia Westphal has scored this season are just seven off the single-player high from last year when Olivia Smith scored 37 shots from deep. Since the 2020-21 season, only seven other players have recorded 30+ three-point field goals with three scoring 50+.

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.

ON THE HORIZON
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.

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

Dara Capaldi

Olivia DiFranco

Tayra Eke

Sisi Eleko

Kennedi Myles

Olivia Smith

Brooklyn Thrash

Olivia Westphal

Jada Williams

Eastern Michigan Athletics