Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, January 10
Ypsilanti, Mich.
2 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
7-7,1-3MAC
65
vs
78
Kent State
6-10,1-4MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Kent St.
25
19
20
14
78
Eastern Mich.
15
25
10
15
65
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Women's Basketball Comes Up Short Against Kent State
1/10/2026 5:03:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Eastern was trailing by four at the half (44-40), before Kent State outscored the Eagles 34-25 in the second half
Photo Gallery | Believe Tshibangu Highlights
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team fell at home to the Golden Flashes of Kent State University, 78-65, Saturday, Jan. 10, in Mid-American Conference play inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
Eastern was trailing by four at the half (44-40), before Kent State outscored the Eagles 34-25 in the second half in a game that saw a total of 54 fouls called.
Believe Tshibangu (Courtice, Ontario, Canada/Royal Crown Academy) had a strong performance for Eastern, grabbing a career-high 12 rebounds with seven points, as she was 3-for-3 from the field. Brooklyn Thrash (Wayne, Ohio/Elmwood/Canisius) added 11 points with eight rebounds, while Peyton Hill (St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word Academy) scored 12 points and dished two assists. Fernanda Ovalle (Santiago, Chile/Montverde Academy/Xavier) also contributed, scoring 11 points of her own.
How it Happened
Kent State started strong, getting out to an 8-2 advantage with 6:45 remaining in the first quarter. The Golden Flashes furthered their lead to eight, 13-5, at the media timeout after a pair of EMU free throws from Ovalle, and a long-range jump shot off the hands of Ainhoa Cea (Irun, Spain/IES Pio Baroja Bhi/Lipscomb). EMU got a flurry of points courtesy of triples from Ovalle and Oliwia Pelka (Sosnowiec, Poland/Virtus Eirene Ragusa (Italy), as the quarter ended with Kent State leading by 10 points, 25-15.
Eastern got off to a 7-2 run to start the second quarter, trimming the Golden Flashes lead to five, 27-22, with 7:28 remaining in the first half. Scoring picked up for both teams as Kent State held a four-point lead, 37-33, with 3:06 remaining. A late 12-7 EMU run cut the Golden Flashes' lead to four at halftime, 44-40, as the run saw five points from both Thrash and Hill.
Kent State went on a 7-3 run to start the second half as the teams traded baskets for the majority of the first half of the quarter. KSU led by six at the media timeout, 53-47. The Golden Flashes then went on an 11-3 spurt in the late stages of the stanza, ending the quarter up 14 points, 64-50.
The fourth quarter was scoreless for the first two minutes before Eastern scored the first five points of the frame off a pair of Ovalle free throws and a three-point jumper from Pelka, trimming KSU's lead to nine, 65-55. Kent State cruised to victory for the rest of the game, winning, 78-65.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record shifted to 7-7 (1-3 MAC) and Kent State's went to 6-10 (1-4 MAC).
» The EMU bench scored 15 points, marking the second time this season Eastern has had consecutive games with double-digit points from non-starters, as it most recently scored 11 points at Ohio, Jan. 7.
» Eastern outrebounded its opponent (34-33) for the 10th time this season, holding a 6-4 record when doing so, as it has outrebounded its foe in 10 of the last 13 games.
» EMU started Brooklyn Thrash, Fernanda Ovalle, Ainhoa Cea, Believe Tshibangu, and Peyton Hill, marking just the second starting five variation for the Eagles this season. EMU was previously one of 14 known schools to start the same five every game this season.
» Believe Tshibangu grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds, adding seven points off 3-for-3 shooting from the field in 25 minutes, the most in her career. The performance was her first with more than 10 rebounds in a game this season. She is the sixth Eagle this season to secure 10+ rebounds in a game in 2025-26.
» Believe Tshibangu's career-high 12 rebounds are the second-highest total from a MAC freshman in a single game this season.
» Brooklyn Thrash posted her second consecutive 10+ points outing with 11 points, while going up for eight rebounds. She has scored double-digit points and grabbed seven or more rebounds in consecutive games for the first time in her career.
» Fernanda Ovalle scored 11 points for her eighth game with double-digit points this season. She has scored at least 10 points for the sixth consecutive game, marking the longest double-digit scoring streak in her NCAA career.
» Peyton Hill secured her 11th double-digit scoring game of the season with 12 points off 4-for-6 shooting from the field, including 2-for-3 from three-point range, and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.
» Oliwia Pelka notched the second double-digit scoring game of her career with 10 points off 4-for-7 shooting from the field and a 2-for-5 clip from beyond the arc.
» Paula Balada (Barcelona, Spain/Institut Creu De Saba) tied a career-high with 16 minutes played.
Historical Notes
» Eastern and Kent State met for the 77th time. EMU now holds a 28-49 record against the Golden Flashes and a 19-18 mark when facing them in Ypsilanti.
» Eastern is 4-1 or better at home for the first time since the 2022-23 season.
» After her 12 points Saturday, Peyton Hill is the first EMU freshman to record double-digit points in 11 of her first 14 NCAA games since EMU Women's Basketball Ring of Honor Recipient Ryan Coleman did so in 2002-03.
» Believe Tshibangu's 12 rebounds are the most from an EMU freshman since Lachelle Austin pulled down 13 at Western Michigan, March 2, 2022.
» Fernanda Ovalle needs 86 points to reach the 500 mark as he totals 414 in her NCAA tenure. Ovalle would be the third Eagle to accomplish the feat this season, as both Brooklyn Thrash and Ainhoa Cea have done so.
» The Eagles have recorded at least one three-pointer in 146 consecutive games, the third-longest stretch since the start of the 1999-00 season. The longest streak in that period is 281 games, which began 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 lasted 157 games and ran from Dec. 9, 2014, to Nov. 29, 2020, against visiting UIC, when no makes ended the streak.
Up Next
Eastern hits the road to face Miami University Wednesday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m. Fans can stream the game live on ESPN+.
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.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team fell at home to the Golden Flashes of Kent State University, 78-65, Saturday, Jan. 10, in Mid-American Conference play inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
Eastern was trailing by four at the half (44-40), before Kent State outscored the Eagles 34-25 in the second half in a game that saw a total of 54 fouls called.
Believe Tshibangu (Courtice, Ontario, Canada/Royal Crown Academy) had a strong performance for Eastern, grabbing a career-high 12 rebounds with seven points, as she was 3-for-3 from the field. Brooklyn Thrash (Wayne, Ohio/Elmwood/Canisius) added 11 points with eight rebounds, while Peyton Hill (St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word Academy) scored 12 points and dished two assists. Fernanda Ovalle (Santiago, Chile/Montverde Academy/Xavier) also contributed, scoring 11 points of her own.
How it Happened
Kent State started strong, getting out to an 8-2 advantage with 6:45 remaining in the first quarter. The Golden Flashes furthered their lead to eight, 13-5, at the media timeout after a pair of EMU free throws from Ovalle, and a long-range jump shot off the hands of Ainhoa Cea (Irun, Spain/IES Pio Baroja Bhi/Lipscomb). EMU got a flurry of points courtesy of triples from Ovalle and Oliwia Pelka (Sosnowiec, Poland/Virtus Eirene Ragusa (Italy), as the quarter ended with Kent State leading by 10 points, 25-15.
Eastern got off to a 7-2 run to start the second quarter, trimming the Golden Flashes lead to five, 27-22, with 7:28 remaining in the first half. Scoring picked up for both teams as Kent State held a four-point lead, 37-33, with 3:06 remaining. A late 12-7 EMU run cut the Golden Flashes' lead to four at halftime, 44-40, as the run saw five points from both Thrash and Hill.
Kent State went on a 7-3 run to start the second half as the teams traded baskets for the majority of the first half of the quarter. KSU led by six at the media timeout, 53-47. The Golden Flashes then went on an 11-3 spurt in the late stages of the stanza, ending the quarter up 14 points, 64-50.
The fourth quarter was scoreless for the first two minutes before Eastern scored the first five points of the frame off a pair of Ovalle free throws and a three-point jumper from Pelka, trimming KSU's lead to nine, 65-55. Kent State cruised to victory for the rest of the game, winning, 78-65.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record shifted to 7-7 (1-3 MAC) and Kent State's went to 6-10 (1-4 MAC).
» The EMU bench scored 15 points, marking the second time this season Eastern has had consecutive games with double-digit points from non-starters, as it most recently scored 11 points at Ohio, Jan. 7.
» Eastern outrebounded its opponent (34-33) for the 10th time this season, holding a 6-4 record when doing so, as it has outrebounded its foe in 10 of the last 13 games.
» EMU started Brooklyn Thrash, Fernanda Ovalle, Ainhoa Cea, Believe Tshibangu, and Peyton Hill, marking just the second starting five variation for the Eagles this season. EMU was previously one of 14 known schools to start the same five every game this season.
» Believe Tshibangu grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds, adding seven points off 3-for-3 shooting from the field in 25 minutes, the most in her career. The performance was her first with more than 10 rebounds in a game this season. She is the sixth Eagle this season to secure 10+ rebounds in a game in 2025-26.
» Believe Tshibangu's career-high 12 rebounds are the second-highest total from a MAC freshman in a single game this season.
» Brooklyn Thrash posted her second consecutive 10+ points outing with 11 points, while going up for eight rebounds. She has scored double-digit points and grabbed seven or more rebounds in consecutive games for the first time in her career.
» Fernanda Ovalle scored 11 points for her eighth game with double-digit points this season. She has scored at least 10 points for the sixth consecutive game, marking the longest double-digit scoring streak in her NCAA career.
» Peyton Hill secured her 11th double-digit scoring game of the season with 12 points off 4-for-6 shooting from the field, including 2-for-3 from three-point range, and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.
» Oliwia Pelka notched the second double-digit scoring game of her career with 10 points off 4-for-7 shooting from the field and a 2-for-5 clip from beyond the arc.
» Paula Balada (Barcelona, Spain/Institut Creu De Saba) tied a career-high with 16 minutes played.
Historical Notes
» Eastern and Kent State met for the 77th time. EMU now holds a 28-49 record against the Golden Flashes and a 19-18 mark when facing them in Ypsilanti.
» Eastern is 4-1 or better at home for the first time since the 2022-23 season.
» After her 12 points Saturday, Peyton Hill is the first EMU freshman to record double-digit points in 11 of her first 14 NCAA games since EMU Women's Basketball Ring of Honor Recipient Ryan Coleman did so in 2002-03.
» Believe Tshibangu's 12 rebounds are the most from an EMU freshman since Lachelle Austin pulled down 13 at Western Michigan, March 2, 2022.
» Fernanda Ovalle needs 86 points to reach the 500 mark as he totals 414 in her NCAA tenure. Ovalle would be the third Eagle to accomplish the feat this season, as both Brooklyn Thrash and Ainhoa Cea have done so.
» The Eagles have recorded at least one three-pointer in 146 consecutive games, the third-longest stretch since the start of the 1999-00 season. The longest streak in that period is 281 games, which began 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 lasted 157 games and ran from Dec. 9, 2014, to Nov. 29, 2020, against visiting UIC, when no makes ended the streak.
Up Next
Eastern hits the road to face Miami University Wednesday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m. Fans can stream the game live on ESPN+.
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.
Team Stats
KentSt
EMU
FG%
.464
.449
3FG%
.357
.318
FT%
.724
.538
RB
33
34
TO
16
20
STL
11
3
Game Leaders
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
S/Y
/ Women's Basketball
S
/ Women's BasketballY
/ Women's BasketballY/W
/ Women's BasketballW/Y
/ Women's BasketballM
/ Women's Basketball
M/F
/ Women's BasketballBelieve Tshibangu Highlights vs Kent State, Jan. 10, 2026
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