The Eastern Michigan Eagles women’s basketball team wrapped up its 2024-2025 campaign by losing to Bowling Green Falcons 87-67 at home.
With the loss, the Eagles dropped to 2-27 (1-17 Mid-American Conference) to close out the first season with head coach Sahar Nusseibeh at the helm. While the year didn’t go as planned for the squad, Nusseibeh still praised her players’ fight until the bitter end.
“Extremely proud of our women and their efforts tonight, and really all season,” Nusseibeh said. “It’s really easy to look at our record and assume that we would quit, and there was never quit in any one of these players. So really, really proud of them."
Leading the way in scoring yet again for the Eagles was Sisi Eleko (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius) with 19 points and eight rebounds, the true junior capping off her historic campaign averaging 17.9 points and 10.1 boards as just the third player in program history to average a double-double in a season.
Olivia Smith (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius) also contributed 18 points thanks to an electric start to the third quarter, which saw the guard put up 14 points in less than five minutes and make four straight three-pointers during that span. In addition, fellow junior Brooklyn Thrash (Wayne, Ohio/Elmwood/Canisius) added 14 points of her own, 10 of those coming from the free-throw line.
The final home game of the season for the Eagles also featured the last send-off to four seniors on the team: Olivia Westphal (Bethel Park, Pennsylvania/Bethel Park/Duquesne), Mackenzie Amalia (Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania/Blackhawk/Canisius), Ashley Hassett (Hershey, Nebraska/Hershey/Northeast CC) and Kyndal Lewis (Belton, Missouri/Belton). Team manager Lexie Mesuch was also honored in her final game for holding that role.
Coach Nusseibeh did not hold back praise when reflecting on the impact losing those key upperclassmen will have on the team’s outlook heading into next year.
“They modeled the way — [but] now the women who are returning can reflect back on how they modeled the way and now step up and lead in that,” Nusseibeh said.
