Women's Basketball | December 07, 2019
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan women's basketball team is set to head west to face the University of Illinois-Chicago on Sunday, Dec. 8 for its fourth road contest of the season. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. eastern time at Credit Union 1 Arena.
Sunday, Dec. 8 • 3:00 p.m. EST • Chicago, Ill. • Credit Union 1 Arena (9,500)
Western Michigan Broncos (3-3, 0-0 MAC) vs. University of Illinois-Chicago Flames (1-7, 0-0 Western Athletic Conference)
Series Record: UIC leads 5-1
Last Meeting: Dec. 18, 2014 – Kalamazoo, Mich. – UIC 71, WMU 61
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Live Stats: http://bit.ly/33yCsqL
Watch Live: ESPN+
Radio: 1660 AM The Fan w/ Aaron Coyle
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LAST TIME OUT: UTEP THANKSGIVING CLASSIC
The Broncos opened the Thanksgiving Classic with a 76-46 loss versus the University of Texas at El Paso on Friday, Nov. 29.
Breanna Mobley led WMU with 11 points, shooting 4-for-12 from the field with 10 rebounds, good for her fourth straight double-double. The Broncos struggled on shooting from the field, converting a season-low 18 field goals off 64 attempts. Both teams were troubled by turnovers, the Broncos accumulating 18 and the Miners 21 total. WMU scored 14 points off UTEP turnovers and tallied 12 steals. The Miners out-rebounded Western Michigan 47-32 while shooting 49.2 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from beyond the arc.
On Saturday, The Broncos closed out the weekend with a 79-76 victory over New Mexico State University. Two Broncos scored in double-digit figures, with
Jordan Walker leading the pack with a season-high 26 points.
Leighah-Amori Wool followed with a season-high 22 points along with team-high 15 rebounds, good for her second double-double of the season.
Jillian Fletcher and
Sydney Shafer added a combined 11 points off the bench. Eight of the ten Broncos that saw playing time in tonight's contest contributed in the scoring column. Western Michigan shot 45 percent (27-for-60) from the field, converting 23 points off Aggie turnovers and scoring 28 points in the paint. WMU also shot 29.6 percent from beyond the arc with 8 three-pointers – three shy of a season-high.
SERIES HISTORY
University of Illinois-Chicago is 5-1 all-time against the Broncos, prevailing in their last four contests. WMU's single victory against the Flames was a 51-39 win at home in December of 2007. The last time the two teams faced each other was December 18, 2014, with UIC winning 71-61.
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
The Broncos, now 3-3 overall, head into Sunday's game with a thriller victory in El Paso under their belts. WMU went 1-1 at the UTEP Thanksgiving Classic, falling to host school University of Texas-El Paso 76-46 but prevailing over the New Mexico State Aggies the next day, 79-76. Western Michigan currently ranks seventh in the MAC in scoring, with an average of 70.2 points per game.
Breanna Mobley leads the league for the second week in a row with 9.8 rebounds per game, while graduate transfer
Chelayne Bailey ranks third in steals (2.8 per game) and
Jordan Walker stands as the 11th-highest scorer, with 14.5 points per game.
SCOUTING THE FLAMES
The Flames most recently won their first game of the season, against rival Chicago State 73-61 to give bring their overall record to 1-7. UIC shot a season-high 37.7 percent from the field and 35.7 from beyond the arc. They are led by Tylah Lampley, who has scored a team-high 12.4 points per game, adding 5.9 rebounds per game and 12 steals. She scored a career-high 31 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 steals against the Cougars on the way to her first career double-double.
PUERTO RICO CLASSIC
The Broncos head to San Juan, Puerto Rico on Dec. 19 for the Puerto Rico Classic: December Edition. They will face off against University of Denver on Dec. 21 and Stony Brook University on Dec. 22.
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 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.
