It was was not your average Saturday at the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
The Eastern Michigan women’s basketball team recognized a few prominent alums to play for the college in the afternoon. It sported new alternate pink jerseys in honor of the school’s annual Play4Kay game. They recognized National Women and Girls in Sports Day.
Despite all this, the Toledo Rockets came into the Eagles’ house and blitzed the home team. In the second half, they outscored Eastern Michigan 43-25 to claim a dominant 77-49 win on the road.
While the Eagles cut the Rockets’ lead to as low as eight midway through the third quarter, Toledo went on a 26-6 run between the latter stages of the frame, into the opening portion of the fourth quarter. That run put the game out of reach once and for all.
The win improved the Rockets to 15-5 (7-3 MAC) on the campaign, while Eastern Michigan fell to 1-19 (0-10 MAC), their eighth consecutive loss to Toledo.
“If you can’t put consistent minutes together and a consistent 40 minutes of focus and fight and execution of your game plan against a team like Toledo, it’s going to be hard,” Eagles head coach Sahar Nusseibeh said.
“The moments of fight are great—that has to become more consistent,” she added.
Sisi Eleko (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius) continued her dazzling start to the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead the team, her conference-leading 11th double-double in 2024-25, while Olivia Smith (Fort Wayne, Indiana/South Side) also stepped up to add 14 points to Eastern Michigan’s tally.
This game also served as Eastern Michigan’s annual Play4Kay event - a tribute to Kay Yow and the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Yow was one of the most successful coaches in women’s basketball history before her death from breast cancer in 2009.
“[Yow’s] entire legacy was about, essentially, doing good for others,” coach Nusseibeh added when asked about what Eastern Michigan’s Play4Kay game meant to the school.
“[The Kay Yow Cancer Fund] is a tremendous foundation that not only raises awareness, but it raises money to hopefully find a cure,” she added.
Next time out, the Eagles will be on the road once more - a trip to Oxford, Ohio, on the cards to face Miami University on Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m. Viewers can stream the game live on ESPN+.
