KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan women's basketball looks to snap a three-game losing skid on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at University Arena, hosting fellow Mid-Major opponent Eastern Kentucky University from the Ohio Valley Conference. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. with the contest broadcasted on ESPN+.

Wednesday, Nov. 28 • 7:00 p.m. • Kalamazoo, Mich. • University Arena (5,421)
Eastern Kentucky Colonels (0-5, 0-0 Ohio Valley) vs. Western Michigan Broncos (1-3, 0-0 MAC)

Series Record: Tied 2-2
Last Meeting: Nov. 26, 2016 (WMU 74-59 in Kansas City, Mo.)

GAME NOTES: WESTERN MICHIGAN | EASTERN KENTUCKY

BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Radio • WQLR 1600 AM The Fan Flagship (Kalamazoo/Portage) - Aaron Coyle (PBP)
Watch Live: ESPN+ (Conor Clingen - PBP, Sam Mattlin - Sideline)

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @WMU_WBB | FACEBOOK: @WMUWBB

LAST TIME OUT
During its first road game of the year and first ever meeting with SEC opponent Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss., on Sunday, Nov. 18, Western Michigan pushed the Rebels to the wire in the 69-66 loss. Trailing by 11 at the half, the Broncos stormed back to take a 50-49 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but were unable to hold on to the lead as the Rebels outscored WMU down the stretch to secure the three-point victory. Deja Wimby led the Brown & Gold with 17 points and eight rebounds off the bench, shooting 6-for-16 from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe. Leighah-Amori Wool added her third double-digit scoring game of the season, tallying 13 points. The Broncos outscored the Rebels in the paint, 32-28. 

SERIES HISTORY
Wednesday's contest will mark the fifth all-time meeting between Western Michigan and Eastern Kentucky, with the series tied at 2-2. The teams have twice met at neutral sites, while both teams have earned one road victory. In the most recent game between the Broncos and Colonels, WMU prevailed by a score of 74-59 in Kansas City, Mo. during the University of Missouri-Kansas City Tournament on Nov. 26, 2016. 

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
The Broncos head into Wednesday's game with an overall record of 1-3. Western Michigan is led by sophomore forward Leighah-Amori Wool, who leads the team with an average of 13.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Deja Wimby and Kamrin Reed follow with 11.0 and 10.3 points per game, respectively. In just two games played, Wimby leads the team with eight steals, while point guard Nina Farkic leads the squad with 13 assists.  

SCOUTING THE COLONELS
Eastern Kentucky is searching for its first victory of the 2018-19 season, off to an 0-5 start. The Colonels most recently faced tough opponents at the Junkanoo Jam in Bimini, Bahamas, Nov. 23-24. They felll 62-45 against Florida State University, who received votes in the USA Today Top 25 Women's Basketball Coaches Poll prior to being downed 81-39 versus No. 20-ranked West Virginia University. Senior forward Abby Wright leads the team with an average of 12.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. 

CAREER-HIGHS SHATTERED
Through the first four games of the 2018-19 season, nearly each Bronco that has seen playing time has established at least one career-high statistic. Four out of five Bronco starters have already set career-highs in minutes played, while Leighah-Amori Wool and Kamrin Reed have both had career-high scoring performances. In the season-opener versus Purdue Fort Wayne, Wool scored 17 points to set a career-high, followed by 13 points from Reed. Wool followed up her season-opening performance with a 19-point, 11-rebound game versus New Mexico State to record her first career double-double. Reed then led the Broncos versus Michigan with a career-high 18-point performance. All three WMU freshman have also played minutes, led by Maddie Watters, who scored 16 points with five three-point field goals in her second collegiate appearance versus New Mexico State. 

BRONCOS SIGN THREE TO NATIONAL LETTERS OF INTENT
Western Michigan announced the signing of three future Broncos to National Letters of Intent (NLI) on Wednesday, Nov. 14. Ashley Konkle (Aurora, Ill. / Benet Academy), Sydney Shafer (Jackson, Mich. / Northfield), and Taylor Williams (New Baltimore, Mich. / Dakota) will be eligible to compete for the Brown & Gold starting in the 2019-20 season. Konkle, a 6-2 forward, was ranked 17th in the state of Illinois by Prep Hoops in 2018. Shafer, a 5-10 guard, led Northwest High School to its first ever regional championship last season while they fell short of a state championship as the runner-up while earning Interstate 8 League MVP, JTV Sports Player of the Year, and MLive Jackson Citizen Patriot Dream Team Player of the Year. Williams, another 6-2 forward, was ranked among the Top 15 players from Detroit and in the Top 30 in the state of Michigan by MLive.

2017-18 RECAP
Last season the Broncos finished 18-15 overall and 9-9 in the Mid-American Conference, finishing third in the MAC West standings, the best finish since the 2014-15 season. WMU received the No. 6 seed in the MAC Tournament and upset No. 3 seeded Ball State prior to falling to No. 2 Buffalo in the semifinals. As a team, WMU scored the third most points in school history (2,308). Breanna Mobley became just the second player in Bronco history to collect 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds and was named to the All-MAC Honorable Mention team. 

RETURNERS
The Broncos return 11 letterwinners from last year's roster, while Jordan Walker and Breanna Mobley will both redshirt this season for medical reasons. Senior guard Deja Wimby returns as the floor general for the Broncos. A member of the 2017-18 Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List, Wimby led the team last season with 69 assists. Also returning is redshirt senior Jasmyn Walker, who each started the first 20 games last year before suffering a season-ending injury. 

NEWCOMERS
A total of three freshmen will hit the court for the Broncos this season including Jacinta Gibson (Jeffersonville, Ind. / Jeffersonville), Maxine Moore (Southfield, Mich. / Detroit Country Day), and Maddie Watters (Williamston, Mich. / Williamston). Gibson was a three-sport athlete at Jeffersonville and led the Red Devils to their first conference championship since 2011 her junior year while being named First Team All-Conference and a finalist for the News and Tribune Player of the Year. Moore was an All-State player while winning three state championships at Detroit Country Day High School. Watters was an 1,000-point scorer at Williamston and was named All-State and the Lansing State Journal Player of the Year.

2018-19 SCHEDULE
The Broncos officially open up the 2018-19 schedule with three consecutive home games, beginning Thursday, Nov. 8 versus Purdue Fort Wayne. WMU has 11 non-conference games on the schedule, headlined by matchups against Michigan and Ole Miss. Western Michigan will participate in the Stetson University Tournament in DeLand, Fla., Dec. 20-21, set to face North Dakota and Mississippi Valley State. The MAC schedule begins at Bowling Green on Saturday, Jan. 5.