Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
6-5,0-1MAC
Ball State
9-4,1-0MAC
Women's Basketball Falls in MAC Opener at Reigning Conference Champion, Ball State, 78-74
12/20/2025 1:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Eastern trailed by just one, 75-74, with 1:54 to go and held multiple leads throughout the game
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MUNCIE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team took the reigning Mid-American Conference Tournament Champion, Ball State University, to the wire, dropping a highly-contested 78-74 MAC opener inside Worthen Arena Saturday, Dec. 20.
Eastern trailed by just one, 75-74, with 1:54 to go and held multiple leads throughout the game as it was paced by a pair of 20+ point outings from Fernanda Ovalle (Santiago, Chile/Montverde Academy/Xavier) (22 points) and Sisi Eleko (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius) (20 points). Ovalle tied a career best with five assists while grabbing four rebounds. Eleko scored her 20 points off 75% shooting (9-for-12) and secured four rebounds.
Peyton Hill (St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word Academy) scored 15 points to go with two rebounds and four assists. Ainhoa Cea (Irun, Spain/IES Pio Baroja Bhi/Lipscomb) contributed with eight points, five assists, and three rebounds.
Shots fell at a high rate for both squads as each team shot at least 50.0% from the field and eclipsed 46.0% from three-point range.
How it Happened
Eastern Michigan struggled out of the gate, falling behind 22-14 at the end of the first quarter.
The Eagles grabbed the momentum, starting the second quarter by going on a 10-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Ovalle, to take a 24-22 lead. The Cardinals then came roaring back to take a 41-39 lead heading into halftime.
Eastern came out of halftime rallying, building a 48-47 lead before going on a 6-0 run, punctuated by a three from Ovalle, to expand its lead further to 54-47 with 4:20 to go in the third. Ball State responded to seize a 64-57 lead entering the fourth quarter. Eastern knocked down four three-pointers in the quarter to score 12 of its 18 total points.
Ball State kept widening its lead in the fourth, holding a 72-62 advantage before Eastern Michigan went on a 7-0 run, finished off by Ovalle's layup, to shrink the deficit to 72-69 with 3:11 to go in the contest. Ball State responded and outscored the Eagles the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 78-74.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record shifted to 6-5 (0-1 MAC) and Ball State's went to 9-4 (1-0 MAC).
» Eastern shot 50.0% (29-for-58) from the field and 46.2% (12-for-26) from three-point range. Ball State shot 51.0% (26-for-51) and 55.0% (11-for-20) from beyond the arc.
» Eastern's 46.2% (12-for-26) three-point percentage was its best of the season and second-best in the Head Coach Sahar Nusseibeh era (2024-present) as the Eagles shot 50.0% from three against Central Michigan last season, Jan. 18, 2025.
» EMU's 50.0% (29-for-58) field-goal percentage is its second-best mark of the year and ties for the second-best mark of the Nusseibeh era. The best came in the 74-72 win over Duquesne, Dec. 9, when Eastern shot 54.2% (26-for-48) from the floor.
» Eastern made a season-high 12 three-point field goals, ranking second in the MAC by value this season. EMU had five players make multiple three-point baskets.
» Eastern forced 24 turnovers, its second-most under Nusseibeh and the most when facing a MAC school.
» Eastern's biggest lead was seven with 4:20 remaining in the third quarter as it led for 7:54.
» The game saw 14 lead changes as Eastern made the most of its forced turnovers, turning that into 20 points while Ball State scored 11 points off turnovers.
» Eastern lost when recording fewer turnovers than its opponent (24-17) for the first time this season.
» Eastern's 25 points in the second quarter is its highest second-quarter total this season and the third-most points in any quarter in 2025-26.
» The Eagles led by seven with 4:20 to go in the third quarter and lost, 78-74. The lead marks EMU's largest in a loss this season.
» Eastern had two players (Ovalle [22], Eleko [20]) score 20+ points for the first time Eleko and Olivia Westphal had 28 and 20 points, respectively, in the first game of the Nusseibeh tenure, a 75-71 loss to Texas State in the MAC-SBC Challenge, Nov. 4, 2024. The performances from Ovalle and Eleko are the first occurrence of multiple 20-point outings in a conference game since Corrione Caldwell and Courtnie Lewis each had 20 points at Western Michigan, Jan. 23, 2019.
» Peyton Hill secured her ninth double-digit points performance of the year. She had 15 points at the half, her highest single-half total this season. Hill did not score in the second half.
» Sisi Eleko recorded her fourth 20+ point game of the season and 22nd of her career as she recorded 20 points off a blistering 75% shooting (9-for-12) from the field. She also swiped a season-best three steals.
» Fernanda Ovalle had a career-best 22 points. The performance marks her first 20-point outing as an Eagle and second in her career. Ovalle also matched a career best with five assists for the second time this season. She previously had five dimes in the win over Defiance, Dec. 5.
Historical Notes
» Eastern began its 45th season of MAC play. The Eagles are now an even 22-23 in Mid-American Conference openers.
» Eastern opened MAC play on the road for the 26th time. It is now 8-18 when doing so.
» EMU is 45-48 all-time against BSU. When playing in Muncie, Eastern holds a 19-24 record as it has dropped the last four games there.
» Eastern opened MAC play against Ball State for the sixth time as it holds a 2-4 record when doing so.
» Sisi Eleko is 62 points from reaching 1,500 in her NCAA career.
Up Next
Eastern has a 10-day stretch without a game as it next hosts Bowling Green State University to open the home portion of the conference slate Tuesday, Dec. 30, 5 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets here, stream the game live on ESPN+, and listen live on 89.1 FM (WEMU) and The Varsity Network.
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 Eagles on Instagram @emuwbb and @emuathletics.
