Women's Basketball | December 20, 2019
SAN JUAN, PR. – The Western Michigan women's basketball team is set to compete in the Puerto Rico Classic in San Juan Dec. 21-22, with games against Denver on Saturday, Dec. 21 and versus Stony Brook University on Sunday, Dec. 22. Games are set to tip off at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday (Eastern Time).
Saturday, Dec. 21 • 1:30 p.m. EST • San Juan, PR. • Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez (12,000)
Western Michigan Broncos (5-3, 0-0 MAC) vs. Denver University Pioneers (6-5, 0-0 Summit League)
Sunday, Dec. 22 • 2:30 p.m. EST • San Juan, PR. • Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez (12,000)
Western Michigan Broncos (5-3, 0-0 MAC) vs. Stony Brook Seawolves (9-1, 0-0 America East)
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PUERTO RICO CLASSIC
The Broncos will be partaking in the Puerto Rico Classic in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Dec. 21-22, facing the Denver Pioneers on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. EST and Stony Brook University at 1:30 p.m. EST. Akron and Morgan 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 closed out their 2019 home stand with a 90-69 win over Chicago State University. Four of the five starters for the Broncos scored in double-digit figures, with
Jordan Walker leading the way with a season-high 27 points, just five points shy of a career-high.
Breanna Mobley followed with 17 points along with a team-high 10 rebounds and two assists, earning her third straight double-double and sixth of the season.
Leighah-Amori Wool and
Kamrin Reed each added ten points, Wool tallying eight rebounds to land just shy of a double-double. WMU shot a season-high 50 percent from the field, converting 34-of-68 field goals. WMU also shot 36.4 percent from beyond the arc with eight threes and were 14-of-18 from the charity stripe. WMU garnered 27 points off forced turnovers, coming up one short of a season-high with 14 steals.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's contest will mark the inaugural meeting between Denver and the Broncos. The Pioneers are members of the Summit League and will also play Akron at the tournament, their only two MAC contests of the season. Western will face up against Stony Brook for the second time, their most recent meeting in Long Island last year with the Seawolves earning the win by a slight margin, 59-55.
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
The Broncos head into the Puerto Rico Classic with an overall record of 5-3 and are coming off a three-game win streak and a victory at home. Sophomore
Jordan Walker currently leads the team with 129 points, averaging 16.1 per game. while
Breanna Mobley's 10.3 rebounds per game puts her at the top of the division in rebounding.
SCOUTING THE DENVER PIONEERS
The Pioneers are currently 6-5 overall and are coming off a win at home against Southern Utah. They are led by Madison Nelson in both scoring and rebounding with 17.4 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, 23 steals and 18 blocks on the season.
SCOUTING THE SEAWOLVES
The Seawolves are 9-1 overall and sit in the No. 24 spot in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll. Stony Book has dominated at home with a 4-0 record and are 5-1 on the road, their sole loss coming at nationally-ranked Arkansas in November. Kaela Hilaire is their leading scorer, tallying 14.3 points per game with a team-high 64 assists and 23 steals.
COUNTDOWN TO 1000
Senior
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 880 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.
WELCOME BACK JACOBSON
Junior
Reilly Jacobson made her first appearance in the Brown & Gold uniform on Saturday, Dec. 14 against Chicago State. Jacobson transferred to WMU last spring after playing her first two seasons at North Dakota State University. A 6'2 forward from Waukee, Iowa, Jacobson led the Bison in 2017-18 with 11.6 points per game as well as 6.7 rebounds per game while earning Honorable Mention All-Summit League honors. In Saturday's game, she came off the bench to score ten points, adding five rebounds and four assists.
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.
