Women's Basketball | March 06, 2018

MAC TOURNAMENT
No. 6 Western Michigan (17-14, 9-9 MAC)
MAC Tournament Record – 23-28
MAC Tournament Championships – 1985, 2003



 

Quarterfinals – vs. No. 3 Ball State - Wednesday, March 7 - Tipoff Approx. 7:30 PM
Semifinals – vs. TBA - Friday, March 9 - 1:30 PM
Championship – vs. TBA - Saturday, March 10 - 11 AM

BROADCAST INFORMATION
ESPN3 | Championship Game - CBS Sports Network
Radio – 1660 AM The Fan, Aaron Coyle
Live Stats – wmubroncos.com/livestats
Twitter Updates - @WMU_WBB

HOW WE GOT HERE
Western Michigan concluded the regular season with a 16-14 overall record and a 9-9 mark in MAC play, finishing third in the MAC West and earning the No. 6 tournament seed. The Broncos advanced to Cleveland after defeating No. 11 seed Bowling Green in Kalamazoo Monday, 85-71. WMU enters Cleveland on a three-game winning streak after dropping its four games prior.  

WMU IN THE MAC TOURNEY
Western Michigan is 23-28 all-time in the MAC Tournament and 8-5 under head coach Shane Clipfell. WMU has advanced to Cleveland in six straight seasons since Clipfell took over the program in 2013. WMU had failed to reach Cleveland in the four years prior to his arrival. The Broncos have won two MAC Tournament championships in their history (1985, 2003). Last season as the No. 8 seed, WMU defeated No. 9 Miami in Kalamazoo in a first round game, 73-66 and upset No. 1 seed Central Michigan in Cleveland in the quarterfinals, 67-63. The Broncos were eliminated by No. 4 seeded Northern Illinois in the semifinals, 83-55.

SCOUTING REPORT
Junior Breanna Mobley is averaging 16.3 ppg and 8.4 rpg, both of which lead Western Michigan and rank in the top 10 in their respective categories in the MAC. Fellow junior Deja Wimby is also scoring in double figures with 11.9 ppg and leads WMU with 169 assists and 65 steals. She is also chipping in 4.8 rpg. Senior Marley Hill is averaging 10.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg and has a team-high 26 blocks. As a team, the Broncos are averaging 70.6 ppg and allowing 67.0 ppg defensively. WMU is shooting 42.6 percent from the field.

FIRST ROUND WIN OVER BGSU
Western Michigan had huge performances from freshman Jordan Walker and juniors Deja Wimby and Breanna Mobley in an 85-71 victory over BGSU in Monday's first round game as the three combined for 75 of WMU's 85 points.

Walker made five three-pointers and finished with a team season-high 32 points on 11-for-16 shooting. She also totaled six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Her previous scoring career high was 16 points, which she had recorded three times this season, including twice last week.

Wimby notched a point-assist double-double for the third straight game with 21 points and 12 assists, also adding seven rebounds. The 12 assists tied a career-high established last week against Eastern Michigan. Over the last three contests Wimby is averaging 15.3 points, 11.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game.

Mobley was responsible for Western Michigan's attack down low, notching her 30th career double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. She moved into fifth place all-time on WMU's career rebounding list, currently with 794, passing Sharon Brown's 789 recorded in 1976-77 and 1979-80.

The game was tied 40-40 at halftime but the Broncos were finally able to create distance outscoring the Falcons 22-10 in the third quarter. Walker led the charge with nine points in the quarter and Mobley contributed seven. WMU shot a team season-high 58.2 percent from the floor, connecting on 32-of-55 attempts.

WIMBY RECORDS POINT ASSIST DOUBLE-DOUBLES IN THREE STRAIGHT GAMES
Junior point guard Deja Wimby recorded a point-assist double-double in three straight games leading in to Cleveland. At Eastern Michigan on Feb. 28 (won 74-66) she tallied 11 points, a career-high 12 assists, seven rebounds and five steals. On March 3 at Northern Illinois, she helped the Broncos to their largest MAC victory of the season as WMU downed NIU by a 19-point margin, 85-66. She had 14 points and 11 assists, while adding three rebounds and a steal. On Monday in the first round 85-71 win over Bowling Green she had 21 points and 12 assists, also adding seven rebounds.

Over the three games she averaged 15.3 points, 11.7 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals. Wimby's 12 assists were the most by a Bronco since Taylor Manley handed out 15 against Miami in 2011. Her 179 assists this season are a career high and rank third most in the MAC this season.

MOBLEY NAMED HONORABLE MENTION ALL-MAC
Junior Breanna Mobley earns All-MAC honorable mention honors after leading the Broncos in both points and rebounds per game. Mobley has collected 11 double-doubles this season and notched her 30th career double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds in a victory over Bowling Green in the first round of the MAC Tournament on Monday.

Mobley ranks eighth in the MAC with 16.3 points per game and fifth in rebounds at 8.4 per game. The Lansing, Mich., native also ranks fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (.553), eighth in blocked shots (0.8) and second in offensive rebounds (3.9).

The junior forward is currently fifth on WMU's career rebounding list with 794. With one season left in the Brown & Gold, Mobley can become the second player in program history to collect 1,000 career points and 1,000 rebounds. The junior also has a total of 505 points this season heading into the tournament quarterfinals, which is the seventh highest single season points record and stands 15th on WMU's career points list with 1,219.

This season, Mobley has recorded 10 20-plus point games, pouring in a season-high 28 at Northern Illinois on March 3. It's the second year in a row Mobley has been given All-MAC accolades earning All-MAC Third Team and All-MAC Tournament team honors a year ago.

WALKER HITTING HER STRIDE
Freshman Jordan Walker has been a force in the three games leading up Cleveland, averaging a team-high 21.3 points over the stretch and contributing 6.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 steals. The 2017 Miss Michigan Basketball recipent notched 16 points in games against Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois and scored a team-season high 32 points in the first round win over Bowling Green. Her 32 points were the most scored by a Bronco since the 2014 season. Entering Cleveland she is averaging 8.1 ppg and 3.8 rpg. Jordan is the younger sister of redshirt junior Jasmym Walker who averaged 8.4 ppg and 5.3 rpg before suffering a season-ending knee injury at Central Michigan on Jan. 27.

SENIORS SET RECORD
WMU's five seniors: LaTondra Brooks, Aneisha Carlisle, Marley Hill, Alexis Parks and Najee Smith became the program's all-time winningest class this past Wednesday with WMU's win over Eastern Michigan. It was the 71st career win for the group, passing the 1978 and 1981 seniors who both tallied 70 wins as a class. With a win over Northern Illinois on Saturday, the seniors have 73 total victories to date.