Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, February 21
Ypsilanti, Mich.
2 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
12-13,5-9MAC
73
vs
63
Buffalo
2-24,0-14MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Buffalo
22
9
14
18
63
Eastern Mich.
28
11
22
12
73
Photo by: Brendan Vieira
Eleko’s 23 Points Powers Women’s Basketball to 73-63 Win over Buffalo
2/21/2026 5:17:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The senior captured her ninth 20-point game of the season, EMU snaps four-game MAC losing streak
Photo Gallery | Coach Nusseibeh Postgame Interview | Highlights
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Sisi Eleko's 23 points led the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team in a 73-63 Mid-American Conference win over the University at Buffalo inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center Saturday, Feb. 21.
Eleko's (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius) nine 20-point games rank second in the MAC as the Eagles captured their first MAC win since they previously beat Buffalo on the road, Jan. 28, snapping a four-game losing streak.
Along with Eleko, Eastern had strong performances from Peyton Hill (St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word Academy) (15 points, three rebounds, three assists), Fernanda Ovalle (Santiago, Chile/Montverde Academy/Xavier) (14 points, five rebounds), and Ainhoa Cea (Irun, Spain/IES Pio Baroja Bhi/Lipscomb) (six points, seven assists, four rebounds).
How it Happened
The Eagles headed into the first media timeout boasting a perfect six of six shooting from the field, which gave them a 15-11 lead with 4:53 remaining. Eastern continued the hot streak, finishing the quarter shooting 11-of-15 from the field, but Buffalo was able to stay in the game at 28-22, Eastern after one.
The point-per-second pace of the game stalled for both teams in the second quarter, during which the Eagles went scoreless for roughly six minutes while maintaining an eight-point lead by the end of the half, 39-31.
EMU controlled the third quarter and grew its lead to 16 thanks to 10 points by Eleko on 4-of-6 shooting and two free throws in the quarter.
The Eagles again kept the lead safe from the Bulls and stretched their advantage to 16 points with 5:26 remaining. The Eagles closed out the game and secured a 10-point, 73-63 victory.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record went to 12-13 (5-9 MAC), and Buffalo's shifted to 2-24 (0-13 MAC).
» Sisi Eleko notched her ninth 20+ point game of the season with 23 points off 9-of-17 shooting (52.9%). Her nine 20-point games are the second most in the conference.
» Peyton Hill scored 15 points, her 20th double-digit game of the season, the highest figure among MAC freshmen. She has scored double digits in 10 of her last 12 games.
» The Eagles were outrebounded (24-40) for the eighth time this season, and their record improved to 2-6 and 3-24 under Nusseibeh when doing so. Eastern's only other win this season when being outrebounded came Dec. 9, 2025, in a 74-72 home win against Duquesne, where they lost the board battle, 36-30. It was also the first time the Eagles had won a game when being outrebounded by more than 10 since Feb. 4, 2023, in a 68-54 victory over CMU, where they lost by 18.
» Fernanda Ovalle scored 14 points, her first 10-point game since Feb. 7, a 76-73 overtime win over Arkansas State. It was her 14th game this season in double figures.
» After winning just one MAC game last season, Eastern quintupled its MAC win total with a victory over the Bulls Saturday.
» Ainhoa Cea recorded her 14th game with at least five points, three assists, and three rebounds this season as she posted six points, four rebounds, and seven assists. Cea also swiped four steals, her tenth game with three or more steals this season.
» Eastern scored 42 points in the paint, marking its ninth time this season eclipsing 40 points in the paint, producing an 8-1 record when doing so.
» EMU turned the ball over a season low 12 times, they have recorded 12 on three other occasions this season and their record when doing so improved to 3-1.
Historical Notes
» Eastern and Buffalo met for the 37th time. Eastern is now 18-19 all-time against Buffalo and 10-9 at home.
» Eastern's 12-13 (5-9 MAC) record currently represents a 10-win improvement from its 2-27 record last season, tying for the fourth largest improvement nationally by number of wins. The Eagles' 10-win improvement is the largest in a single season since the 2013-14 squad improved by 10 wins (18-14, 7-11 MAC) from the 2011-12 team's 8-22 (6-10 MAC) record.
» EMU has achieved an 8-3 home start or better for the first time since 2022-23.
Peyton Hill's 15 points now put her at 371 points this season, the seventh most by an EMU freshman in program history. Her 20 10+ games are the most since Courtnie Lewis had 22 in the 2017-18 season.
» The Eagles have recorded at least one three-pointer in 157 consecutive games, tying the second-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 streak the Eagles tied lasted 157 games, from Dec. 9, 2014, to Nov. 29, 2020, against visiting UIC, when no makes ended it.
» Saturday's victory and the Eagles Jan. 28 victory over Buffalo marked the first time beating the Bulls twice in a season since 2015-16.
» The victory was Eastern Michigan's 650th win as a program, 348 have come at home. This is the first milestone victory to come at home since its 450th, March 2, 2011, against Western Michigan.
Up Next
Eastern stays home to face Miami University, Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 6:30 p.m., in Ypsilanti 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.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Sisi Eleko's 23 points led the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team in a 73-63 Mid-American Conference win over the University at Buffalo inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center Saturday, Feb. 21.
Eleko's (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius) nine 20-point games rank second in the MAC as the Eagles captured their first MAC win since they previously beat Buffalo on the road, Jan. 28, snapping a four-game losing streak.
Along with Eleko, Eastern had strong performances from Peyton Hill (St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word Academy) (15 points, three rebounds, three assists), Fernanda Ovalle (Santiago, Chile/Montverde Academy/Xavier) (14 points, five rebounds), and Ainhoa Cea (Irun, Spain/IES Pio Baroja Bhi/Lipscomb) (six points, seven assists, four rebounds).
How it Happened
The Eagles headed into the first media timeout boasting a perfect six of six shooting from the field, which gave them a 15-11 lead with 4:53 remaining. Eastern continued the hot streak, finishing the quarter shooting 11-of-15 from the field, but Buffalo was able to stay in the game at 28-22, Eastern after one.
The point-per-second pace of the game stalled for both teams in the second quarter, during which the Eagles went scoreless for roughly six minutes while maintaining an eight-point lead by the end of the half, 39-31.
EMU controlled the third quarter and grew its lead to 16 thanks to 10 points by Eleko on 4-of-6 shooting and two free throws in the quarter.
The Eagles again kept the lead safe from the Bulls and stretched their advantage to 16 points with 5:26 remaining. The Eagles closed out the game and secured a 10-point, 73-63 victory.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record went to 12-13 (5-9 MAC), and Buffalo's shifted to 2-24 (0-13 MAC).
» Sisi Eleko notched her ninth 20+ point game of the season with 23 points off 9-of-17 shooting (52.9%). Her nine 20-point games are the second most in the conference.
» Peyton Hill scored 15 points, her 20th double-digit game of the season, the highest figure among MAC freshmen. She has scored double digits in 10 of her last 12 games.
» The Eagles were outrebounded (24-40) for the eighth time this season, and their record improved to 2-6 and 3-24 under Nusseibeh when doing so. Eastern's only other win this season when being outrebounded came Dec. 9, 2025, in a 74-72 home win against Duquesne, where they lost the board battle, 36-30. It was also the first time the Eagles had won a game when being outrebounded by more than 10 since Feb. 4, 2023, in a 68-54 victory over CMU, where they lost by 18.
» Fernanda Ovalle scored 14 points, her first 10-point game since Feb. 7, a 76-73 overtime win over Arkansas State. It was her 14th game this season in double figures.
» After winning just one MAC game last season, Eastern quintupled its MAC win total with a victory over the Bulls Saturday.
» Ainhoa Cea recorded her 14th game with at least five points, three assists, and three rebounds this season as she posted six points, four rebounds, and seven assists. Cea also swiped four steals, her tenth game with three or more steals this season.
» Eastern scored 42 points in the paint, marking its ninth time this season eclipsing 40 points in the paint, producing an 8-1 record when doing so.
» EMU turned the ball over a season low 12 times, they have recorded 12 on three other occasions this season and their record when doing so improved to 3-1.
Historical Notes
» Eastern and Buffalo met for the 37th time. Eastern is now 18-19 all-time against Buffalo and 10-9 at home.
» Eastern's 12-13 (5-9 MAC) record currently represents a 10-win improvement from its 2-27 record last season, tying for the fourth largest improvement nationally by number of wins. The Eagles' 10-win improvement is the largest in a single season since the 2013-14 squad improved by 10 wins (18-14, 7-11 MAC) from the 2011-12 team's 8-22 (6-10 MAC) record.
» EMU has achieved an 8-3 home start or better for the first time since 2022-23.
Peyton Hill's 15 points now put her at 371 points this season, the seventh most by an EMU freshman in program history. Her 20 10+ games are the most since Courtnie Lewis had 22 in the 2017-18 season.
» The Eagles have recorded at least one three-pointer in 157 consecutive games, tying the second-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 streak the Eagles tied lasted 157 games, from Dec. 9, 2014, to Nov. 29, 2020, against visiting UIC, when no makes ended it.
» Saturday's victory and the Eagles Jan. 28 victory over Buffalo marked the first time beating the Bulls twice in a season since 2015-16.
» The victory was Eastern Michigan's 650th win as a program, 348 have come at home. This is the first milestone victory to come at home since its 450th, March 2, 2011, against Western Michigan.
Up Next
Eastern stays home to face Miami University, Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 6:30 p.m., in Ypsilanti 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.
Team Stats
UB
EMU
FG%
.436
.474
3FG%
.231
.286
FT%
.750
.789
RB
40
24
TO
23
12
STL
7
11
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
S
/ Women's BasketballM/F
/ Women's BasketballY
/ Women's BasketballY/W
/ Women's BasketballHead Coach Sahar Nusseibeh Postgame Interview vs. Buffalo
Saturday, February 21
Big one tomorrow!🦅⛹️♀️🎟️https://tinyurl.com/3ftnxa4t
Friday, February 20
Highlights: Alli Zajac Scores a Career-Best 13 Points
Friday, February 13
Ainhoa Cea 500 Assists Highlight
Wednesday, February 11