Women's Basketball | January 10, 2020

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan women's basketball team is back in Ohio to face off against MAC East foe Kent State University on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 1 p.m.   

Saturday, Jan. 11 • 1:00 p.m. • Kent, Ohio • MAC Center (6,327)
Western Michigan Broncos (9-4, 2-0 MAC) at Kent State Golden Flashes (7-6, 0-2 MAC)

Series Record: Kent State leads 33-26
Last Meeting: Feb. 20, 2019 – Kalamazoo, Mich.– WMU 52, KSU 56

BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Radio • WQLR 1600 AM The Fan Flagship (Kalamazoo/Portage) – Aaron Coyle PBP
Watch Live: ESPN+

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

LAST TIME OUT
WMU pulled off a fourth-quarter comeback on Wednesday (Jan. 8) against Akron and earned the win by a score of 56-51 to start MAC competition 2-0.
 
The Broncos outscored the Zips 16-5 in second chance points and earned 16 points off turnovers, out-rebounding their opponents 54-36 to set a new season high. Western Michigan shot 28.3 percent from the field (17-for-60) and tied a season high of 19 points scored off 25 free throw attempts. Both teams struggled beyond the arc, the Broncos going 3-for-22 from long range while the Zips had two made baskets off of 15 attempts.
 
Breanna Mobley led the Broncos with 15 points and 11 rebounds, good for her tenth double-double of the season She also tallied a season-high four blocks. Jordan Walker notched 11 points and was just one rebound shy of a double-double, adding a team-high three assists and four steals, one short of a career-high. Fellow starter Leighah-Amori Wool had 14 points and eight rebounds. Reilly Jacobson brought in a team-high ten points off the bench, adding seven rebounds.
 
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
WMU heads into its third conference game with its best overall start since the 2016-17 season. The Broncos finished the nonconference portion of their season with an 8-4 mark, including four wins on the road. They are currently led in scoring by redshirt sophomore Jordan Walker, who is averaging 16.1 points per game, a mark that also earns her a spot at fifth in the MAC. Redshirt senior Breanna Mobley is averaging a double-double on the season with 13.6 points per game and 10.5 rebounds. She has held the top rebounding average spot in the conference since early November and is nearing 1,000 career rebounds to go along with a previously-earned accolade of 1,000 career points.
 
THE MATCHUP
Kent State leads Western Michigan all time 26-33, with an even 15-15 wins at home and 10-18 for the Broncos on the road. WMU is seeking its first win against the Golden Flashes since January 6, 2018 in Ohio. In the 2018-19 season, Western Michigan dropped both their conference matchups against Kent State by a margin of four points. With WMU on the road, the Golden Flashes were victorious February 6 55-51, while in Bronco home territory, Kent State won 56-52 on February, 20, 2019.

LAST YEAR IN THE MAC
Last season, the Broncos finished 4-14 overall during Mid-American Conference play, finishing fifth in the MAC West standings. They ended their season in the first round of the MAC Tournament, losing a hard-fought battle to Northern Illinois, 70-69. WMU opened the conference season with an 84-82 win over Bowling Green before snapping a seven-game losing streak with their 71-68 win against Eastern Michigan in February. The Broncos averaged 61.8 points per game, 32.4 rebounds per game and 12.0 assists per game. 

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN FLASHES
Kent State heads into its fourth season under head coach Todd Starkey, following up a debut season in 2017 that saw the Golden Flashes 19-13 overall with Starkey earning MAC Coach of the Year honors. In 2018-19, KSU finished 20-13 with an 11-7 mark in the MAC, including a sweep of the Broncos. They enter Saturday's match with a 7-4 nonconference record and having dropped their first two MAC games. The Golden Flashes are led by Nila Blackford, scoring 13.9 points per game and 7.5 rebounds.
 
COUNTDOWN TO 1000
Senior Breanna Mobley has the chance to hit a unique Bronco milestone this season. She currently holds second place in the individual career records for rebounds with 923 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.

SCORING MACHINE
Jordan Walker continues to dominate the Bronco scoresheet, averaging 16.2 points per contest. She currently holds the fifth-highest scoring average in the conference and is in the top 150 of points per game in the NCAA.                                                          

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE
 Redshirt senior Breanna Mobley is averaging a double-double this season with 13.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. She ranks 16^th in the MAC in scoring and has held the leading rebounder spot since November 26.