Eastern Michigan Athletics
Wednesday, February 4
Amherst, Mass.
6 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
10-11,4-7MAC
60
at
75
UMass
16-4,8-2MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Eastern Mich.
5
16
23
16
60
Massachusetts
22
22
15
16
75
Women's Basketball Falls at UMass
2/4/2026 8:52:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Minutewomen jumped out to a large first-half lead and never looked back
AMHERST, Mass. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team dropped a 75-60 Mid-American Conference contest to the University of Massachusetts in the two programs' first MAC meeting, inside the Mullins Center, Wednesday, Feb. 4.
UMass jumped out to a large first-half lead and never looked back.
Eastern had strong showings from Sisi Eleko (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius), who recorded her 12th double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Peyton Hill (St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word Academy) notched her fourth 20-point game of the year with 22 points, and Ainhoa Cea (Irun, Spain/IES Pio Baroja Bhi/Lipscomb) controlled the offense with 11 assists.
How it Happened
UMass got out to an early 9-0 lead with 5:13 to go in the first and controlled the glass with nine rebounds, five of which came on the offensive glass. The Minutewomen got out to a 17-0 advantage before Eastern made its first scratch from the field, a Hill three-point play off an and-one layup at the 2:38 mark. The Eagles were down, 22-5, after the first quarter.
Eastern more than doubled its first-quarter point total, scoring 16 points in the second quarter after notching just five in the first. Despite more than doubling its first-quarter scoring output, UMass increased its lead from 17 after the first quarter to 22 at halftime, leading 44-21.
The Eagles came out strong in the second half, scoring 11 points to UMass' 12 at the 4:56 mark in the third quarter. Eastern went on a 9-0 run late in the quarter, cutting the UMass lead to 16, 58-42. Hill totaled 20 at the time, marking her fourth 20-point outing of the season. Outside of a Minutewomen free throw, Eastern held UMass scoreless the final 4:19 of the quarter, trailing, 59-44.
Eastern did not go away easily, tying the fourth-quarter score at 16 apiece as it outscored the Minutewomen, 39-31, in the second half, falling, 75-60.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record went to 10-11 (4-7 MAC), and UMass' shifted to 16-4 (8-2 MAC).
» Eastern had two players (Peyton Hill [22] Sisi Eleko [20]) score 20+ points in the same game for the fifth time this season.
» Peyton Hill recorded her 17th game with double-digit points this season as she scored 22 points, including 10 in the first half of play. The game marked her fourth over 20 points this season, the most from a MAC true freshman.
» Ainhoa Cea recorded 10+ assists for the third time this season and second in the last three games as she dished 11.
» Sisi Eleko notched her seventh 20+ point game of the season with 20 points off 9-for-18 shooting. Her seven 20-point games are the second most in the conference.
» Sisi Eleko notched her MAC-best 12th double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Her 12 double-doubles rank fifth nationally by value.
Historical Notes
» Eastern is now 2-2 when facing UMass and 0-2 when facing it in Amherst.
» Eastern is now 6-6 all-time when facing the current membership of the Mid-American Conference for the first time.
» Eastern is now 2-2 when playing in the State of Massachusetts.
» Peyton Hill has the most games with double-digit points of an EMU freshman (17) since Courtnie Lewis recorded 22 in the 2017-18 season.
» Fernanda Ovalle needs one point to reach the 500 mark. Sisi Eleko needs 28 rebounds to reach 1,000 and 20 to hit 500 as an Eagle. Ainhoa Cea needs 10 assists to hit 500 in her career and 30 rebounds to reach the same mark, while Brooklyn Thrash needs 23 triples to hit 100 in her NCAA career and 156 rebounds to total 500.
» The Eagles have recorded at least one three-pointer in 153 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 hosts the No. 8 mid-major team in the country, Arkansas State University, in the second leg of the MAC-SBC Challenge Saturday, Feb. 7, at 2 p.m.
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.
UMass jumped out to a large first-half lead and never looked back.
Eastern had strong showings from Sisi Eleko (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius), who recorded her 12th double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Peyton Hill (St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word Academy) notched her fourth 20-point game of the year with 22 points, and Ainhoa Cea (Irun, Spain/IES Pio Baroja Bhi/Lipscomb) controlled the offense with 11 assists.
How it Happened
UMass got out to an early 9-0 lead with 5:13 to go in the first and controlled the glass with nine rebounds, five of which came on the offensive glass. The Minutewomen got out to a 17-0 advantage before Eastern made its first scratch from the field, a Hill three-point play off an and-one layup at the 2:38 mark. The Eagles were down, 22-5, after the first quarter.
Eastern more than doubled its first-quarter point total, scoring 16 points in the second quarter after notching just five in the first. Despite more than doubling its first-quarter scoring output, UMass increased its lead from 17 after the first quarter to 22 at halftime, leading 44-21.
The Eagles came out strong in the second half, scoring 11 points to UMass' 12 at the 4:56 mark in the third quarter. Eastern went on a 9-0 run late in the quarter, cutting the UMass lead to 16, 58-42. Hill totaled 20 at the time, marking her fourth 20-point outing of the season. Outside of a Minutewomen free throw, Eastern held UMass scoreless the final 4:19 of the quarter, trailing, 59-44.
Eastern did not go away easily, tying the fourth-quarter score at 16 apiece as it outscored the Minutewomen, 39-31, in the second half, falling, 75-60.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record went to 10-11 (4-7 MAC), and UMass' shifted to 16-4 (8-2 MAC).
» Eastern had two players (Peyton Hill [22] Sisi Eleko [20]) score 20+ points in the same game for the fifth time this season.
» Peyton Hill recorded her 17th game with double-digit points this season as she scored 22 points, including 10 in the first half of play. The game marked her fourth over 20 points this season, the most from a MAC true freshman.
» Ainhoa Cea recorded 10+ assists for the third time this season and second in the last three games as she dished 11.
» Sisi Eleko notched her seventh 20+ point game of the season with 20 points off 9-for-18 shooting. Her seven 20-point games are the second most in the conference.
» Sisi Eleko notched her MAC-best 12th double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Her 12 double-doubles rank fifth nationally by value.
Historical Notes
» Eastern is now 2-2 when facing UMass and 0-2 when facing it in Amherst.
» Eastern is now 6-6 all-time when facing the current membership of the Mid-American Conference for the first time.
» Eastern is now 2-2 when playing in the State of Massachusetts.
» Peyton Hill has the most games with double-digit points of an EMU freshman (17) since Courtnie Lewis recorded 22 in the 2017-18 season.
» Fernanda Ovalle needs one point to reach the 500 mark. Sisi Eleko needs 28 rebounds to reach 1,000 and 20 to hit 500 as an Eagle. Ainhoa Cea needs 10 assists to hit 500 in her career and 30 rebounds to reach the same mark, while Brooklyn Thrash needs 23 triples to hit 100 in her NCAA career and 156 rebounds to total 500.
» The Eagles have recorded at least one three-pointer in 153 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 hosts the No. 8 mid-major team in the country, Arkansas State University, in the second leg of the MAC-SBC Challenge Saturday, Feb. 7, at 2 p.m.
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
EMU
UMass
FG%
.421
.441
3FG%
.278
.250
FT%
1.000
.750
RB
28
39
TO
20
16
STL
7
11
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
20
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
S
/ Women's BasketballM/F
/ Women's BasketballY
/ Women's BasketballY/W
/ Women's Basketball
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