Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
7-9,1-5MAC
Central Michigan
10-6,4-2MAC
Eleko Eclipses 1,500 Career Points in Loss at Central Michigan
1/17/2026 2:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The senior became the seventh Eagle to reach the mark in their NCAA tenure
Eleko 1,500-Points Highlight | Photo Gallery
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Eastern Michigan University women's basketball senior Sisi Eleko eclipsed the 1,500 career points mark as the Eagles fell on the road at Central Michigan, 77-64, in Mid-American Conference play, at McGuirk Arena, Saturday, Jan. 17.
Eleko (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius) is now the seventh Eagle to reach the mark in her NCAA career as she eclipsed the number with a pull-up jumper in the second quarter.
Despite battling foul trouble the entire game, Eleko managed to record her eighth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while shooting 7-for-12 from the field. Fernanda Ovalle (Santiago, Chile/Montverde Academy/Xavier) had a strong performance with 17 points, three assists, one rebound, and one steal. Brooklyn Thrash (Wayne, Oho/Elmwood/Canisius) aided with nine points, five rebounds, and two assists, while shooting 50% (2-for-4) from three point range in a full 40 minutes of court time.
How it Happened
Central Michigan got the ball rolling first, getting out to a 4-0 edge as Eleko was called for two early fouls. Thrash made the first scratch from the field for the Eagles, connecting on a corner three pointer. CMU entered the media timeout up three, 8-5. EMU hit a trio of triples in the first as CMU ended the quarter on top, 19-14.
Ovalle picked up the pace to start the second quarter, totaling six points in the first four minutes of the stanza. Eastern tied it at 29 apiece off a Paula Balada (Barcelona, Spain/Institut Creu de Saba) three pointer, before CMU took back a two-point lead on the ensuing possession. Eleko reached the 1,500-point milestone with a pull-up jumper from the corner with 4:48 remaining in the half as the Chippewas led by three, 34-31, after two quarters of play.
The Chippewas came out firing to start the second half, increasing their lead to seven points, 40-33. With several Eagles in foul trouble, Central grew its advantage to eight, 50-42, with 3:22 to go in the third quarter. CMU built as much as a 13-point lead in the quarter as EMU trailed by 11, 60-49, going into the final frame.
CMU elevated its lead to 15 points, 66-51, with 5:10 to go in the contest. The game ended in a 77-64 final in favor of the host Chippewas.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record shifted to 7-9 (1-5 MAC) and Central Michigan's went to 10-6 (4-2 MAC).
» Eastern had less turnovers (14-20) than its opponent for the seventh time this season as it holds a 5-2 record when doing so. EMU's 20 forced turnovers are its fourth-highest total of the season and the second most against a MAC opponent. Eastern previously turned Ball State over 24 times on the road, Dec. 20. The Eagles are 3-2 this season when forcing 20+ turnovers.
» Eastern's 14 turnovers are its second-lowest total of the season, tying for its fewest against a MAC opponent. EMU previously turned the ball over 14 times in the 86-76 win over Bowling Green, Dec. 30, after recording a season-low 12 turnovers at power-conference opponent, Indiana, Dec. 14, a game the Eagles led at one point in the second quarter.
» Fernanda Ovalle recorded her ninth double-digit scoring game of the season with 17, highlighted by 6-for-7 shooting from the free-throw line. She has scored at least 10 points in eight of her last 10 games for the first time in her career.
» Sisi Eleko posted her 15th double-digit scoring game of the season and 82nd of her career, as she eclipsed the 1,500-point mark with 15 points off 7-for-12 shooting from the field.
» Sisi Eleko notched her eighth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Her eight double-doubles lead the MAC and rank seventh in the nation by value. The game also marked her eighth game with 10+ rebounds this season and 44th occurrence in her career.
» Ainhoa Cea (Irun, Spain/IES Pio Baroja Bhi/Lipscomb) totaled four steals on the day, tying her season-high and marking her seventh game of the season with at least three takeaways. Her four steals tie for the most from an Eagle in a single game this season as she has met the mark four times.
» Brooklyn Thrash scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds. She has posted at least nine points and five boards in three of her last four games. She was also 2-for-4 from three-point range, marking her sixth game with multiple made triples this season and fourth time shooting 40% or better from beyond the arc.
Historical Notes
» Eastern and Central met for the 97th time. EMU now holds a 39-58 record against the Chippewas and a 16-31 mark when facing them in Mt. Pleasant.
» After Saturday's game, Eastern has faced Central 97 times, as the rivalry serves as the most storied matchup in program history.
» The Eagles are now 173-171 all-time against teams from the state of Michigan. They hold a 1-2 record this season when battling teams from The Mitten State.
» With her basket at the 4:48 mark of the second quarter, Sisi Eleko became the seventh EMU player to reach the 1,500-point milestone in their NCAA career and first since Cha Sweeny did so in the 2015-16 season. Eleko is now one of 48 active Division I players to reach the milestone and the only player in the MAC to do so.
» Fernanda Ovalle needs 67 points to reach the 500 mark as she totals 433 in her NCAA tenure. Ovalle would be the third Eagle to accomplish the feat this season as both Thrash and Cea have done so.
» The Eagles have recorded at least one three-pointer in 148 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 started Dec. 9, 2014, and ended Nov. 29, 2020, against visiting UIC, when no makes halted the streak.
Up Next
Eastern returns home to open up a stretch where it will play eight of its final 13 games at home, beginning with a game against the University of Toledo Tuesday, Jan. 20, 6:30 p.m., inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. Fans can purchase tickets here.
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.
