Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
9-9,3-5MAC
Northern Illinois
4-15,2-6MAC
Women's Basketball Triumphs over Northern Illinois, 72-62
1/24/2026 3:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Eastern has won consecutive MAC games for the first time since 2023
Photo Gallery | Postgame Interview | Video Highlights
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team beat Northern Illinois University, 72-62, capturing its second consecutive Mid-American Conference victory Saturday afternoon, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center, Jan. 24.
The win marked the first occurrence of consecutive MAC wins for the Eagles since 2023, and the first time with consecutive MAC wins in the same season since the 2022-23 campaign.
Four Eagles scored in double figures, led by Sisi Eleko's (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius) 10th double-double of the season, scoring a season-best 25 points while grabbing 15 rebounds. Fernanda Ovalle (Santiago, Chile/Montverde Academy/Xavier) aided, scoring 14 points off 6-for-13 shooting, with three rebounds. Peyton Hill (St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word Academy) scored 12 points and tied her career high with eight rebounds, and Brooklyn Thrash (Wayne, Ohio/Elmwood/Canisius) bucketed 10 points off 50% shooting (3-for-6), while securing 10 rebounds.
Ainhoa Cea (Irun, Spain/IES Pio Baroja Bhi/Lipscomb) controlled the offense, dishing six assists while scoring eight points off a perfect 100% clip (4-for-4). She also grabbed two rebounds.
How it Happened
Both the Eagles and Huskies got off to a slow start, tied 7-7 with seven combined turnovers at the 4:00 mark in the first quarter. The game remained tightly contested, with both teams tied up at 15 points each by the end of the first quarter. Eleko led both squads with six first-quarter points. The Eagles went five-for-five from the charity stripe in the frame.
Eastern Michigan was able to get out to a six-point lead, 32-26, by the 4:38 mark. Its run was highlighted by Eleko's continued dominant presence, accounting for 14 of the Eagles' 32 points at that point. Ovalle also added 11 points by this time, shooting 71.0% from the field. The Eagles stayed in the lead for the remainder of the period, ending the half up five, 35-30, despite a 2:58 scoring drought to close out the half. Cea led all players with three first-half assists, as she was the only player with more than one. Eastern held the lead for 14:50 minutes of the first half (72% of the time) and only trailed for 1:05 minutes.
The Eagles and Huskies went back-and-forth in the third with Eastern holding a 41-38 lead at the 6:31 mark in the quarter. NIU outscored the Eagles, 15-10, by the 3:38 mark of the quarter, tying the game, 45-45. The Eagles went on a 12-7 scoring run to close out the final 3:38 minutes of the stanza, highlighted by two forced turnovers, one block, and three consecutive scoring possessions. Eastern ended the third up seven points, 59-52.
A string of missed shots and turnovers allowed the Huskies to come back within one score, 61-59, with 5:08 remaining. Eastern's tough defense led to a 68-60 score by the 1:09 mark. A pair of clutch free throws, one block from Eleko, and a crafty euro-step layup from Artemis Kouki (Athens, Greece/ACS Athens/Western Michigan) iced the game, with Eastern Michigan topping the Huskies 72-62.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record improved to 9-9 (3-5 MAC), and NIU's went to 4-15 (2-6 MAC).
» Eastern had four players (Sisi Eleko [25], Fernanda Ovalle [14], Peyton Hill [10], Brooklyn Thrash [10]) score 10+ points for the sixth time this season.
» EMU blocked six shots, its second-highest total of the season and most against an NCAA Division I foe. Eastern was led by Brooklyn Thrash, who tied a career high with three blocks, her most of the season in a single game.
» Eastern scored 44 paint points, marking its sixth time this season eclipsing 40 points in the paint, producing a 5-1 record when doing so. The game also marked EMU's second consecutive with 40+ paint points as it most recently posted 46 in the win over Toledo, Jan. 20, its most of the season.
» Eastern led for 34:33 of game time while NIU led for 1:05. The game was tied for 4:19 and featured four lead changes.
» Both teams shot 48.0% from the floor as EMU made 26-of-52 field-goal attempts and NIU converted on 27-of-56. It's the first time this season that both EMU and its opponent had the same shooting percentage, marking the second time under Nusseibeh.
» EMU matched its season low with just 12 turnovers, doing so for the second consecutive game as it also committed 12 turnovers in the win over Toledo, Jan. 20. Eastern is 5-2 this season when committing 15 turnovers or less.
Eastern shot 90.0% or better from the free-throw line for the third time this season, all of which resulted in Eastern victories.
» The win over NIU is just the second of the season where EMU's opponent shoots better than 45.0%. After the win over Toledo, Jan. 20, where the Rockets shot 52.8% from the field, Eastern has won consecutive games where its opponent shot better than 45.0%.
» Eastern Michigan never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Sisi Eleko recorded her MAC-best 10th double-double of the season with 25 points and 15 rebounds. Her 10 double-doubles rank sixth nationally by value.
» Sisi Eleko scored a season-high 25 points, marking her 17th double-digit scoring game this season as she has scored at least 10 points in all 17 games she has played in this season. The game went down as her sixth with 20+ this season and 24th of her career.
» Fernanda Ovalle recorded her 11th double-digit scoring game of the season with 14 points. She has scored at least 10 points in 10 of her last 12 games.
» Peyton Hill recorded her 14th game with double-digit points this season as she scored 12. She tied her career high with eight rebounds, originally set in the 76-71 win over Toledo, Jan.
» Brooklyn Thrash scored 10 points, marking her eighth game of the season with double-digit points.
» Sisi Eleko and Ainhoa Cea each played all 40 minutes, becoming the first EMU duo this season to play 40 minutes in the same game. It was the first time since March 5, 2025, of last season that two Eagles played 40 minutes, when Eleko and Oliva Smith reached the mark in a game against Akron. The game against NIU marked the first time this season Eleko played 40+ minutes and the third time as an Eagle; it was Cea's third time this season playing the entire game.
Historical Notes
» With the win over NIU, Eastern has won consecutive conference games for the first time since it beat Ohio in the final game of the 2022-23 season, 74-64, March 4, and topped NIU in the first league game of the 2023-24 campaign, 67-49, Jan. 3, 2024. EMU has also won consecutive MAC games in the same season since the 2022-23 season, when Eastern beat NIU in overtime, 66-61, Jan. 21, followed by a 63-51 win at Western Michigan, Jan. 25.
» With the win over the Huskies, EMU has tabbed consecutive victories against the Huskies for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign.
» With the win over the Huskies, EMU has tripled its MAC win total from the 2024-25 season, as it has more than quadrupled its overall win total, currently holding nine wins compared to the two it had last campaign. The win against the Huskies also sextupled the Eagles' 2024-25 home-win total
» Eastern's 9-9 (3-5 MAC) record currently stands as a seven-win improvement from its 2-27 record last season. The seven-win improvement is the largest in one season since the 2022-23 squad improved by eight wins (15-15) from the 2021-22 team's 7-20 record.
» After the win over NIU, Eastern is off to a 6-1 start at home for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
» Eastern is now 42-24 when facing the Huskies and 22-10 when playing them at home.
» Eastern and NIU met for the 66th time.
» The game marked NIU's final in Ypsilanti as a member of the Mid-American Conference.
» Eastern beat NIU at home for the first time since Jan. 21, 2023
Eastern was 18-20 from the free-throw line, marking the fourth time in the Nusseibeh era (2024-present) that the Eagles have shot 90% or higher at the free-throw line, as they are 4-0 in such games. The Eagles have recorded three or more games with a mark of 90.0% or better at the line in one season for the first time since the 2023-24 campaign.
» Sisi Eleko's 10th double-double of the season brings her EMU career total to 24. She is seven away from tying Ce'Nara Skanes for the most in program history.
» Peyton Hill has the most games with double-digit points of an EMU freshman (14) since Courtnie Lewis recorded 22 in the 2017-18 season.
» Peyton Hill is the first EMU freshman to record double-digit points in 14 of her first 18 NCAA games since EMU Women's Basketball Ring of Honor Recipient Ryan Coleman did so in 2002-03.
» Fernanda Ovalle needs 33 points to reach the 500 mark. Sisi Eleko needs 57 rebounds to reach 1,000 and 49 to hit 500 as an Eagle. She needs six double-doubles to reach 50 in her NCAA tenure. Furthermore, Eleko needs seven total double-doubles to tie for the most in program history and nine to be the sole record owner. Ainhoa Cea needs 37 assists to hit 500 in her career and 48 rebounds to reach the same mark, while Brooklyn Thrash needs 24 triples to hit 100 in her NCAA career and 165 rebounds to total 500.
» The Eagles have recorded at least one three-pointer in 150 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, 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 Buffalo Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 6 p.m. Fans can stream the game live on ESPN+ and listen live on 89.1 FM (WEMU), and The Varsity Network app.
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.
