Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
2-27,1-17MAC
Bowling Green
18-12,11-7MAC
Women’s Basketball Falls on Senior Day to Bowling Green
3/8/2025 4:33:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Eagles received 19 points from Eleko and 18 from Smith in the season finale
Box Score (pdf) | Highlights | Photo Gallery | Press Conference
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The 2024-25 season came to an end for the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team Saturday, March 8, as the Eagles dropped an 87-67 decision to visiting Bowling Green State University inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti. The Senior Day contest saw three Eagles (2-27, 1-17 Mid-American Conference) score in double figures, including 19 from Sisi Eleko, 18 from Olivia Smith, and 14 from Brooklyn Thrash, but it was not enough against the Falcons (18-12, 11-7 MAC).
How It Happened
The visitors went on a 13-1 run in the early going as they connected on 10 of their first 11 shots with their first attempt blocked by Olivia Westphal (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park/Duquesne) as they built a 14-point advantage. Despite the deficit, the Eagles clawed their way back into the game pulled to within eight by the end of the quarter, 28-20, thanks to a layup from Mackenzie Amalia (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk/Canisius) and a three-pointer from Elena Cabello (Malaga, Spain/IED Mediterraneo).
In the second, Bowling Green started with a 4-0 run before Dara Capaldi (East Detroit, Mich./La Lumiere (Ind.)) hit a jumper to stem the tide. The Falcons would then build their lead with a 6-2 run that brought the score to 38-24 with 4:53 to play in the half. After the media timeout, Eleko (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius) was fouled on a defensive rebound and hit both free throws to cut into the lead, but EMU was unable to score from the floor for nearly seven minutes before Thrash (Wayne, Ohio/Elmwood/Canisius) recorded a layup on a dime from Amalia and then hit a jumper at the end of the quarter to send the teams to their locker rooms with BGSU leading, 48-32.
Out of the break, a game of NBA Jams broke out for Smith (Fort Wayne, Ind./South Side), who was on fire. She opened the frame shooting 5-of-5 from the floor, including 4-of-4 from three-point range for 14 of the team's 16 points before Bowling Green called timeout, leading, 58-48. Following the media timeout, the Falcons went on a 6-0 run before Eleko connected on a pair of free throws to reach double-digit points for the 26th time in 28 games played. EMU was held without a field goal in the final 5:23 of the quarter with BGSU leading, 69-52.
The fourth quarter saw both teams go back and forth in scoring with the Falcons winning the period, 18-15, to take an 87-67 win. Eleko tallied eight points in the final 10 minutes while Smith connected on her career-high-tying fifth three-pointer of the game. Kyndal Lewis (Belton, Mo./Belton), in her final game with the Eagles scored on a layup as all Eagles that played more than one minute in the game scored.
Game Notes
» Prior to the game, the program honored five seniors, including four players and one team manager. Those honored included players Olivia Westphal, Mackenzie Amalia, Ashley Hassett (Hershey, Neb./Hershey/Northeast CC), and Kyndal Lewis, and team manager Lexie Mesuch.
» Sisi Eleko posted 19 points and eight rounds against the Falcons to bring her season totals to 500 points and 283 caroms. Her 500 points make her just the 13th player in program history to score 500+ points in a season while making her the fifth to do so in her junior campaign. Additionally, the 283 rebounds rank third on the program's single-season list with only Felicia Hines (1984-85) and Suzanne Huff (1980-81) posting more with 292 and 286, respectively.
» For the season, Sisi Eleko finished with averages of 17.9 points and 10.1 rebounds, making just the third player to average a double-double in a season. The first was Felicia Hines, who averaged 12.0 points and 11.7 rebounds per game in the 1984-85 season, with the most recent addition to the ledger coming in 2020-21 when Ce'Nara Skanes averaged 16.0 points and 10.9 rebounds.
» By averaging 17.9 points per game, Sisi Eleko joined the single-season scoring average list at No. 9. Only the seventh different EMU player to average 17.9 points or better in a season, Eleko is the first to do so since the 2015-16 season when Cha Sweeny averaged 18.3 points per game. Eleko also is just the fifth player since the 2000-01 season to add her name to the list.
» Olivia Smith finished with 18 points, which are two shy of her career high, and came after being held to just one point in the first half. Smith came out hot in the third quarter as she shot 5-of-5 from the field, including 4-of-4 from three-point range, before finishing the game with five three-pointers to tie her career high. The five triples mark the third consecutive game she has made at least four (five at Buffalo, March 1, and four at Akron, March 5) and the ninth time in her career.
» Olivia Smith scored 18 points to extend her personal streak to eight consecutive games with double-digit points, the longest of her career. With those points, she brought her career total to 737, which ties Chris Chandler (1985-89) for 40th on the program's all-time scoring list and two away from Olivia Fouty (2010-14), who scored 739.
» Brooklyn Thrash finished the game with 14 points off the bench with 10 of those coming from the charity stripe as she shot 10-of-12 in the game. Thrash, who entered the game with career highs of five makes and six attempts, most recently at home against Central Michigan (Feb. 19), tied her former career highs by halftime before doubling up the numbers in the second half. The 10-of-12 performance marks the most makes and attempts by an EMU player this year, surpassing Sisi Eleko's eight makes at Michigan State (Nov. 11), and 10 attempts against Alabama A&M (Nov. 9).
» Olivia Westphal scored four points in her final game, including one three-point basket that brought her season total to 60. Westphal finished the season with one made three-pointer in 26-of-28 games played. She also connected on two-or-more three-pointers in 18 games and three-or-more in nine games.
» In her final game, Mackenzie Amalia scored four points while contributing two rebounds, three assists, and two steals. It marked the third consecutive game she recorded at least two steals.
» Eastern recorded a season-high five blocked shots in the game, surpassing the four recorded three different times, most recently at home against Buffalo, Jan. 15.
» As a team, the Eagles finished the season shooting 217-of-715 from beyond the arc with both totals ranking in the program's all-time season top 10. The 217 three-point baskets rank fifth all-time and six from the single-season record of 223 made by the 2014-15 squad. Additionally, the 715 attempts rank as the second-most in a single season, trailing only 723 attempts taken by the 2013-14 team.
» The Eagles finished 8-of-20 from behind the arc to extend their current streak to 132 consecutive games with at least one made three-pointer. Olivia Westphal, on her senior day, knocked down her first three-point attempt of the game 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 finished their 2024-25 season with a 2-27 record and 1-17 in MAC play while the Falcons, who will play in the MAC Tournament next week, finished their regular season at 18-12 overall and 11-7 in league action.
» Eastern fell to 21-58 all-time against Bowling Green and 14-22 when playing host to the Falcons in Ypsilanti.
Up Next
The 2024-25 season has come to an end. Continue to check EMUEagles.com and the team's social media platforms for off-season news and updates as they become available.
