Despite holding Alabama A&M to 0/10 from behind the arc and a 33.3% field goal percentage overall, the Eastern Michigan women’s basketball team fell to 0-2 with a 66-57 loss at the George Gervin GameAbove Center on Saturday afternoon.
Sisi Eleko (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius) continued her electric start to the new year, leading the team with not only double digits in points (17) but also double figures in rebounds as well (16), the junior continuing to shine and establish herself as the leading force on the Eagles.
“Sisi [Eleko] stepped up,” head coach Sahar Nusseibeh said. “I knew she could do better defensively and rebounding, so I challenged her, and she really met the challenge,” she added.
Brooklyn Thrash (Wayne, Ohio/Elmwood/Canisius) also stepped up in her second game with the team, dropping 15 points and adding five rebounds. At the same time, Olivia Westphal (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park/Duquesne) also contributed a trio of three-pointers to the offensive effort.
“Brooklyn [Thrash] stepped up,” Nusseibeh said. “I actually had a conversation with [Thrash] after that first game and said we needed more production, and she gave it to us,” she said.
While the game was tied 28-28 at the half, the main difference in the second half was free throws: Alabama A&M shot more free throws in the second half (34) than field goal attempts (20). On the other hand, Eastern Michigan only shot eight free throws during that same span, draining seven of them.
Coach Nusseibeh also mentioned fatigue being a significant factor for Eastern Michigan down the stretch and a big contributing factor as to why the Bulldogs were able to pull away late. “I think fatigue affected our focus in terms of turnovers—throughout the second half,” she said. “[We] talked about developing a [winning] mentality, and we just need to develop one,” she added.
The Eagles return to action Monday, Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m. when they travel to East Lansing to play the Michigan State Spartans live on the Big Ten Network Plus along with WEMU (89.1 FM) and The Varsity Network.
