Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
2-26,1-16MAC
Akron
10-20,4-13MAC
Eleko Tallies Double-Double as Eagles Fall at Akron
3/5/2025 7:56:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Smith added 16 points in the team’s final road contest of the season
AKRON, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – Sisi Eleko recorded her 14th double-double of the season as she scored 21 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team in its 70-53 loss at the University of Akron, March 5, inside the James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio. The Eagles (2-26, 1-16 Mid-American Conference) also received 16 points from Olivia Smith in the loss to the Zips (10-20, 4-13 MAC).
How It Happened
The Eagles took an early 7-4 lead with Brooklyn Thrash (Wayne, Ohio/Elmwood/Canisius) hitting from deep before the Zips claimed a 13-8 advantage on a 9-4 run. With 3:00 to go in the first, Sisi Eleko (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius) scored her first three-point bucket of the game to cut the deficit to 13-11 at the media time out. Eleko added a put back off an offensive rebound to tie things at 13-13 before the Zips scored with two seconds remaining to take a 15-13 lead after one.
In the second, the Eagles cut the deficit to two points as Eleko hit one free throw and Olivia Smith (Fort Wayne, Ind./South Side) made a basket to make it 18-16 before Zips went back up, 22-16. Smith then connected on a pair of three-pointers to bring EMU to within two, 24-22, at the media break. After the break, Mackenzie Amalia (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk/Canisius) scored her first basket before Smith scored on a drive to the hoop and then a three-pointer to give EMU a 29-26 lead. The Zips scored the next six points to reclaim the lead, 32-29, at halftime despite Smith scoring 13 points in the stanza.
Akron opened on a 9-0 run before a running layup by Dara Capaldi (East Detroit, Mich./La Lumiere (Ind.)) got the Eagles on the scoreboard. Trailing by 12 at the media timeout (43-31), the hosts extended their lead to 17 (50-33) before forcing an EMU timeout with 3:05 to play in the third quarter. Following the timeout, the Eagles went on a 7-0 run with Thrash and Eleko each scoring layups and Amalia dialing up a long distance make to cut the lead to 10 (50-40). The Zips hit one layup and one three-pointer to close the quarter with a 55-40 lead.
In the early part of the fourth, Eleko scored five more points to bring her total to 21 points and mark the ninth time this season she had scored at least 20 in a single game. Following the media timeout, the teams played even the rest of the way as Smith buried a three close to the buzzer to bring about the 70-53 final.
Game Notes
» Sisi Eleko finished the game with 21 points and 11 rebounds to record her 14th double-double of the season, moving her into a tie with Stephanie Smiley (1998-02) for ninth on the program's all-time list (since 1999). Eleko, who has scored at least 10 points in 24-of-26 games and 15+ in 19-of-26 games this year, brought her season total to 481 points and 275 rebounds, which rank 14th and seventh, respectively, on EMU's single-season ledger.
» Sisi Eleko's 11 rebounds included four on the offensive glass. She has recorded at least four offensive rebounds in 10 games this season.
» Olivia Smith finished with 16 points and a team-high two assists. The 16 points marked her seventh consecutive game with double-digit points, which extended her career best streak, surpassing the three-game run she had her freshman season. Smith brought her career total to 719 points, which ranks 44th on the program's all-time scoring ledger.
» As a team, the Eagles connected on seven three-pointers to bring their total to 32 in the last three games, which sits one shy of the most makes in a three-game span in the electronic era (since 1999). The 33 were recorded in the 2014-15 season with nine at Kent State (Feb. 4, 2015), 11 at home against Ball State (Feb. 11), and 13 at home against Central Michigan (Feb. 14).
» Eastern has scored 209 three-point baskets this season, which ranks seventh on the single-season list. The next team on the list is the 2013-14 squad that connected on 211.
» The Eagles finished 7-of-32 from behind the arc to extend their current streak to 131 consecutive games with at least one made three-pointer. Brooklyn Thrash extended the streak with her first make of the game four minutes into the contest. 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 2-26 overall and 1-16 in MAC play while the Zips improved to 10-20 overall and 4-13 in league action.
» The Eagles fell to 19-32 all-time against Akron and 8-15 when playing in Akron. The loss also is the seventh consecutive against the Zips overall and the fourth in a row in Akron.
Up Next
The final game of the 2024-25 season awaits the Eagles this weekend as Eastern Michigan will play host to the Falcons of Bowling Green State University Saturday, March 8, in a 2 p.m. contest inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti. The program will honor five seniors prior to the game, a group that includes Olivia Westphal, Mackenzie Amalia, Ashley Hassett, and Kyndal Lewis, and one senior manager, Lexie Mesuch.
