The Eastern Michigan University Women’s Basketball team lost their second game of conference play and their sixth consecutive game overall to the Bowling Green Falcons by a score of 90-76. The team now stands at 1-11 overall and 0-2 in MAC play.
The loss marks the first time since 2019 that Eastern Michigan has started 0-2 in conference play, with losses to Kent State and Buffalo to get that result.
The game was in the favor of Bowling Green right from the start, getting off to a 10-0 lead before Eastern Michigan could score their first basket.
Eastern Michigan lost the game due to its performance in the first half. Bowling Green led after the first quarter 26-16 and went into the locker room leading 54-32. Eastern Michigan outscored the Falcons 44-36 in the second quarter, but it was insufficient to mount a comeback.
On the positive side, the Eagles scored the most points in any 12 games they have played this season. They beat their previous best of 72, which was tallied in their win against Xavier on December 1st.
Throughout the game, the Eagles were led by Sisi Eleko (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius), Mackenzie Amalia (Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania/Blackhawk/Canisius), Olivia Westphal (Bethel Park, Pennsylvania/Bethel Park/Duquesne), and Olivia Smith (Fort Wayne, Indiana/South Side), who combined for 67 of the 76 points that Eastern Michigan scored, which marks the first time the whole season in which four players were in double figures. The 26 points are the third most that Westphal has scored this season.
Other stat lines that Eastern Michigan produced are Brooklyn Trash's (Wayne, Ohio/Elmwood/Canisius) three steals, Amalia's six assists, and Eleko's seven rebounds.
Despite the loss, Eastern Michigan shot a 50% (26-52) mark from the field, the first time this season they have shot that high. Their previous best was 46% in their season-opening loss to Texas State, and it is also their best shooting performance since February 10, 2024, when they beat South Alabama 81-69.
Now at 1-11 (0-2 in MAC play), Eastern Michigan's schedule does not get any easier. As of January 4, Ball State and Buffalo were the only two teams without a loss in conference play. Furthermore, Buffalo has not lost this season. They are 1-0 in MAC play and have scored 60 points in all but one game.
The schedule gets a little easier after that, to the Eagles' credit, as they follow up this tough stretch with Central Michigan University, Northern Illinois University, and Ohio University before the final month of conference play begins.
Up Next
Eastern Michigan will conclude this two-game road trip by taking on the Cardinals of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. The game can be streamed on ESPN Plus. Tom Helmer will also be on the call on WEMU 89.1 FM radio.
For more information on the Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team, visit the Echo’s website.
