KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan women's basketball team closes out the month of January in DeKalb, Ill. on Thursday, set for a Mid-American Conference road test at Northern Illinois University. 

Thursday, Jan. 31 • 7 p.m. (ET) • DeKalb, Ill. • NIU Convocation Center (9,100)
Western Michigan Broncos (8-9, 2-4 MAC) at Northern Illinois Huskies (11-8, 3-4 MAC)

Series Record: WMU leads 38-24
Last Meeting: March. 3, 2018 (WMU won 85-66 in Kalamazoo, Mich.)

BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Radio • WQLR 1600 AM The Fan Flagship (Kalamazoo/Portage) - Kory Lee (PBP)
Watch Live: ESPN3

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LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan snapped a four-game losing skid with a comeback victory at Ball State in Muncie, Ind., Saturday, Jan. 26. Down by 14 points with seven and a half minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, WMU closed out the game on a 21-4 run to secure a 65-62 win. The Broncos had two scorers with at least 20 points for the first time in 2018-19, as Meredith Miller and Deja Wimby led the way with 21 points each. Wimby notched her second double-double of the season with a season-high point total along with a team-high 12 rebounds to go with six assists and four steals. Miller had a career performance, shooting 7-of-15 from beyond the arc for a career-high 21 points.

SERIES HISTORY 
Thursday's contest will mark the 63rd all-time matchup between Western Michigan and Northern Illinois, with the Broncos owning a 38-24 series advantage. WMU has won seven of the last 10 matchups versus NIU, including two in a row last season. In the most previous meeting, Western Michigan defeated the Huskies 85-66 in DeKalb, Ill. during last year's regular season finale to secure the No. 6 seed in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.

LAST 10 MEETINGS: 7-3 WMU 

Date, Home/Away/Neutral, Result
2/11/2015         A                W, 60-51
3/07/2015         H                W, 50-45
2/24/2016         H                L, 70-80
3/5/2016           A                W, 64-60
3/7/2016           H                W, 94-52
2/4/2017           A                 L, 62-67
3/4/2017           H                 W, 90-77
3/10/2017         N                 L, 83-55
1/10/2018         H                 W, 88-83
3/3/18               A                 W, 85-66

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
Western Michigan secured its first comeback win of the season when trailing after three quarters during the 65-62 victory at Ball State, snapping a four-game losing streak in the MAC. The Broncos tallied double-digit makes from beyond the arc for the sixth time this season at BSU. WMU is led by seniors Deja Wimby and Jasmyn Walker. Wimby notched a double-digit scoring performance for a fifth-straight time while recording her second double-double of the season. She leads the team with 13.6 points per game and ranks second in the MAC and 15th in the nation with 3.2 steals per game. Walker ranks seventh in the MAC with 7.1 rebounds per game.

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
Northern Illinois' last two matchups came against the top two teams in the MAC East division, falling to Ohio and Buffalo to move to 3-4 during conference competition. The Huskies are 8-2 at home and have one of the top scoring offenses in the MAC, averaging 77.9 points per contest (3rd/MAC). NIU is also strong on the glass, leading the conference with 42.8 rebounds per game and ranking seventh in the nation with 30.0 defensive boards a game. Senior guard Mikayla Voigt, the second-leading scorer in the MAC, averages 20.9 points per game and recently surpassed 1,500 points in her career.

LAST YEAR IN THE MAC
Last season, the Broncos 9-9 overall during 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.

CLIPFELL TIED FOR THIRD IN ALL-TIME IN WINS AT WMU
Head Coach Shane Clipfell, who eclipsed the 100-win mark versus Eastern Kentucky (Nov. 28), moved into third place in all-time coaching wins at Western Michigan during the victory over Bowling Green (Jan. 5). His 105th career win in his seventh season at the helm passed Jim Hess' (1982-90) career win total.

BALL SECURITY 
The Brown & Gold have turned the ball over just 225 times through 17 games in 2018-19, which ranks as the sixth fewest in the NCAA in the best in the MAC. Western Michigan's 13.2 turnovers per game also ranks as No. 1 in the MAC and ranks among the top 20 in the nation.

WALKER SELECTED TO WBCA COACHES PROGRAM
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), in partnership with WeCOACH, announced the class for the 17th annual "So You Want To Be A Coach" program on Tuesday, Jan. 22, with redshirt senior Jasmyn Walker included. Each member will participate in the three-day workshop with speakers provided by WeCOACH on April 3-5 in conjunction with the WBCA Convention in Tampa Bay, Fla. Walker, a Muskegon, Mich., native and business administration major, is one of 60 student-athletes throughout NCAA Division I, II, III, and NAIA, invited to participate in the program. She will follow in the footsteps of former Broncos Breanna Bankston and Carrie Moore, who both went on to become Division I coaches. 

WALKER JOINS 1K CLUB 
Jasmyn Walker scored 13 points versus Toledo (Jan. 13) to surpass 1,000 points in her career. After totaling 679 points in two seasons at Valparaiso University, Walker has now accumulated 342 points in 37 games played in Brown & Gold.

MILLER FROM THE ARC 
Stepping into a starting role this season, senior Meredith Miller is one of three Broncos to have started in all 17 games this year and leads the team with 35 three-point field goals made (12th/ MAC). Miller tallied a career-high seven three-pointers at Ball State, which ranked tied for third most in a game in Western Michigan history and is the eighth Bronco all-time to tally at least seven three-pointers in a game. She moved into 16th all-time at WMU with 80 career three-point field goals.

WIMBY CLIMBS RECORD BOOK 
Senior point guard Deja Wimby continues to move up in the Bronco women's basketball record book. Most recently versus Ball State, Wimby recorded her second double-double of the season and the eighth of her career with a season-high 21 points to go along with 12 rebounds, six assists, and four steals. She moved into sixth all-time at WMU with 428 career assists, ranks eighth with 206 career steals, and is just 46 points away from reaching 1,000.