Women's Basketball | November 28, 2019

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan women's basketball team is set to compete in the eighth annual Thanksgiving Classic at the University of Texas at El Paso Nov. 29-30, with games against UTEP on Friday, Nov. 29 and versus New Mexico State on Saturday, Nov. 30. Games are set to tip off at 3:30 p.m. on Friday and 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. 

Friday, Nov. 29 • 5:30 p.m. EST • El Paso, Tex. • Don Haskins Center (11,892)
Western Michigan Broncos (2-2, 0-0 MAC) vs. University of Texas-El Paso Miners (4-1, 0-0 Conference-USA)

Saturday, Nov. 30 • 7:00 p.m. EST • El Paso, Tex. • Don Haskins Center (11,892)
Western Michigan Broncos (2-2, 0-0 MAC) vs. New Mexico State Aggies (1-5, 0-0 Western Athletic Conference)

BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Live Stats: https://utepminers.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
Watch Live: C-USA TV 

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THANKSGIVING CLASSIC                                                                                                              
The Broncos will be partaking in the eighth annual UTEP Thanksgiving Classic on the campus of University of Texas at El Paso in El Paso, Tex., Nov. 29-30, facing the UTEP Miners on Friday at 5:30 p.m. EST and New Mexico State University at 7 p.m. EST. Georgia State will also be competing in the tournament but will not go up against the Broncos.

LAST TIME OUT                                                                                                                              
The Western Michigan women's basketball team played to the wire against Florida Atlantic University on Sunday as the Owls held on in the final minutes to down the Broncos 80-79. In the second ever meeting between the Broncos and Owls, Western Michigan converted 38 points in the paint and shot 44.4 percent from the field in the second half to finish within a point of Florida Atlantic. Breanna Mobley led the Broncos with 21 points along with a team-high 14 rebounds, shooting 9-for-18 from the field and notching her third straight double-double. Leighah-Amori Wool followed with 17 points and a career-high eight assists. Kamrin Reed added 16 points, shooting 4-for-9 from beyond the arc. The Brown & Gold finished the contest with a 40.3 field goal percentage, converting a season-high 31 field goals along with 17 assists and 48 rebounds.

SERIES HISTORY                                                                                                                     
Friday's contest marks the second-ever meeting between UTEP and the Broncos, their last matchup occurring on Jan. 3, 1993 with the Miners defeating WMU 70-44 in Kalamazoo. Western will face up against NM State for the third time, their most recent meeting in Kalamazoo with the Aggies taking home the win, 66-54.

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS                                                                                                          
The Broncos head into the Thanksgiving Classic with an overall record of 2-2 and are coming off two wins at home and an 80-79 loss to FAU. Redshirt senior Breanna Mobley currently leads the team with 58 points, averaging 14.5 per game. Her mark of 44 rebounds puts her at the top of the division in total rebounds.

SCOUTING THE UTEP MINERS                                                                                                     
The Miners most recently defeated rival New Mexico State 65-45 on Nov. 23 to improve to 4-1 overall on the season. UTEP shoots 43.1 percent from the field while averaging 72.2 points per game. Senior guard/forward Katarina Zec leads UTEP with 15.8 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game.

SCOUTING THE AGGIES                                                                                                                 
The Aggies most recently fell to University of Texas-El Paso 65-45 to give the Miners the season sweep of New Mexico State and bring their overall record to 1-5. UTEP held the Aggies to 33.9 percent from the floor and 6.7 percent from three-point range. New Mexico State (Las Cruces, N.M.) is led by Aaliyah Prince with 105 points (17.5 per game) and 15 steals, while Gia Pack paces the team with 44 rebounds (7.3 per game).

COUNTDOWN TO 1000
Breanna Mobley has the chance to hit a unique Bronco milestone this season. She currently holds fourth place in the individual career records for rebounds with 852 and counting, and became a member of the 1,000-point club against Miami on Jan. 20, 2018. If she tallies at least 1,000 rebounds this season she will become the second ever Bronco to reach both 1,000 points and rebounds, alongside former WMU player and coach Pat Charity, who hit the milestone in the 1977-78 season.

WMU ADDS THREE TO INCOMING CLASS                                                                                   
The Broncos announced on Wednesdy (Nov. 13) the signing of two incoming freshmen for the 2020-21 season to NLI's, including guard Megan Wagner (Mason, OH / Mason High School) and guard Hannah Spitzley (Pewamo, Mich. / Pewamo-Westphalia). Wagner twice earned Defensive Player of the Year honors and last season was named a First Team All-GMC and All-State honorable mention, and came four assists short of setting a new school record. Spitzley led Pewamo-Westphalia to their first state championship last season, earning honors along the way as Detroit Free Press First Team All-State, LSU Dream Team All-State, and AP Division 3 Player of the Year. She is a three-time LSJ Athlete of the Week and earned Player of the Year honors from the Ionia Sentinel and Lansing State Journal in 2018-19. In addition, Gabi Saxman (Schoolcraft, Mich. / Schoolcraft) committed to continue her athletic and academic career at Western Michigan on Nov. 19. Saxman became a starting point guard for the Eagles in her freshman year and led the program to its first regional title in history, earning First Team All-Conference and All-State Honorable Mention accolades along the way. After the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, she was named to the Associated Press All-State Team and to the Kalamazoo Area Dream Team.