ESTERO, Fla. – In its second game in just one week against a Big Ten opponent, the Western Michigan women's basketball team fell short, 75-64, against RV Rutgers during the second day of the Gulf Coast Tournament, Saturday. The loss is the third consecutive loss for the Broncos during their difficult seven-game road stint.

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"I am proud of our team and how we competed today," commented WMU head coach Shane Clipfell. "We had a lot of turnovers but it was against a team that is going to do that to a lot of teams this season. I thought overall we played better as team, looking for the right people in the right spots that made a huge difference. Bottom line is that even though we lost we are coming out a better team at the end of the day."

Junior forward Breanna Mobley put on a show Saturday pouring in a season-high 26 points and 12 rebounds, good for her second double-double this season and her 21^st of her career. Redshirt senior Marley Hill added 14 points for the Broncos, notching her third double digit game this season. The forward also came two rebounds shy of posting her second double-double this season after grabbing eight rebounds.

For the second straight game, WMU got out to an early lead with an 8-2 run lead by back-to-back steals from guards Jordan Walker and Deja Wimby. The Broncos would eventually force eight steals in the first highlighted by Jordan Walker's three pick pockets as WMU rode an eight-point lead into the second quarter. Rutgers rolled through the second with a 16-2 run of its own to even the score at 31-31, heading into the break.

The Scarlet Knights took control after the half, outscoring the Broncos 24-12 in the third as it was too much to handle for WMU. The Broncos pulled within four with 1:13 remaining but RU remained strong to seal the victory.

The Broncos shot 40.6 percent in the first half and 43.3 percent from the game but it wasn't enough to match the Scarlet Knights' full-court press as WMU turned the ball over a season-high 25 times which led to 19 Rutgers' points. Western Michigan was cold from the three shooting just 1-for-12, with the lone three coming from redshirt junior Jasmyn Walker.

"Once we start hitting some shots from the arc our team will be better balanced and harder to defend," added Clipfell.

Defensively Western Michigan forced Rutgers to commit 14 turnovers, including eight in the first quarter. For the first time this season, WMU dominated the glass grabbing 44 rebounds including 15 on the offensive side.

In her first career start for the Brown & Gold, freshman Jordan Walker grabbed a career-high five steals while adding four points, four assists and two rebounds. Wimby scored four of her six total points in the first quarter while the junior also grabbed nine rebounds following Saturday's contest. Jasmyn Walker tallied seven points on the day before ending the game early due to injury.

WMU falls to 2-4 overall and 0-2 in the showcase while the Scarlet Knights improve to 5-1 overall and 1-1 in the showcase. The Broncos conclude the Gulf Coast Showcase tomorrow at 11 a.m. against East Tennessee State.