Midway through the third quarter, the Eastern Michigan women’s basketball team was looking formidable, with a 17-point lead and a victory in the opening game of the 2024 season in sight.
However, the Texas State Bobcats had other plans.
Outscoring the Eagles 41-20 the rest of the way, the Bobcats made a furious run to not only get themselves back into the game, but take control down the stretch; forcing a critical late turnover that spoiled head coach Sahar Nusseibeh’s Eastern Michigan debut and dropped the team to 0-1 after the season opener.
“We just have to develop a winning mentality,” Nusseibeh said in her post-game remarks.
The Eagles’ second-half collapse did not overshadow the monster performance of a few notable players on the squad. Sisi Eleko (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius) began her debut with the team by dropping 10 of Eastern Michigan’s first 17 points of the game in the opening quarter alone and finished the night with 28 points total, a new career high along with nine rebounds on 11/16 shooting from the floor.
“Sisi [Eleko] is a tremendous player. I coached her for two years, and she’s just dominant,” Nusseibeh said during Eleko’s dazzling debut for the team.
Olivia Westphal (Bethel Park, Pennsylvania/Bethel Park/Duquesne) added 20 points of her own on the night in a new career-high scoring mark for herself, starting the game off by making five straight three-point attempts, while Mackenzie Amalia (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk/Canisius), also making her Eastern Michigan debut, posted a career-high 12 assists on the stat sheet as well.
“I’m really encouraged and really excited, and [the team] should be as well,” Nusseibeh said in regards to how she plans to keep the team’s morale up following such a tough defeat.
“I can’t wait to see the improvements we make the next few days in practice and what Saturday looks like,” she added.
The Eagles return to the floor this Saturday, Nov. 9, at home at 1 p.m. in a contest against Alabama A&M, the game being streamed live on ESPN+. For more updates on Eastern Michigan basketball and other sports, follow The Eastern Echo.
