KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan women's basketball team returned to campus following Thanksgiving break and collected another home victory tonight with a win over Valparaiso (0-6) by a final score of 69-54. The win is the third consecutive for the Broncos (4-2).

Sophomore guard Lauren Ross was in her element tonight, scoring a career-high 27 points on 8-17 shooting (47.1 percent), and went a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line. Ross also added three boards, two assists, and a pair of steals. Redshirt sophomore Taylor Williams made her presence felt by the Beacons, posting 19 points on 7-16 shooting (43.8 percent), eight rebounds, and four steals.

Sophomore guard Megan Wagner had an incredibly effective evening, recording a season-high 10 points, shooting 4-5 from the field (80 percent) and knocked down both of her attempts from beyond the arc. Wagner also added a career-high nine assists, and five rebounds for her team.

Senior forward Reilly Jacobson, who surpassed the 1000-point mark for her career on last week's road trip, also helped fuel the Broncos to victory tonight, with an additional 10 points on 4-10 shooting (40 percent), as well as a pair of steals and two boards. Jacobson also led the team in +/- rating, finishing with a team best +19.

Despite trailing most of the first quarter, the Broncos finished the period with a 24-20 lead. A big second quarter allowed WMU a 40-28 cushion going into the break, highlighted by a 13-2 run to finish the half. After winning the third quarter 21-15, Western Michigan was able to keep Valparaiso at bay and secure their third home win of the season.

As a team, the Broncos had their best game of the season in terms of offensive efficiency, posting just two turnovers going into the locker room at halftime and only four at the start of the fourth quarter. While WMU finished with 10 turnovers as a team, six of those came during fourth quarter garbage time.

This contest was the second time all year an opponent has outrebounded the Broncos, as the Beacons held a slight edge on the glass by a final tally of 31-26. The Western Michigan defense was the name of the game tonight, forcing Valpo into 22 turnovers and scoring 23 points off of those miscues. WMU also snagged 13 steals as a unit.

The Broncos had yet another productive night from the foul line as well, sinking 16 of their 19 attempts for a final percentage of 84.2. As a team, WMU shot 23-59 (41.1 percent) and 7-21 (33.3 percent) from deep. Western Michigan also won the battle down low, outscoring Valparaiso 30-20 in the paint.

Up next, the Broncos travel to Terre Haute for a matchup with the Sycamores of Indiana State on Saturday, Dec. 4. Tip-off at ISU is set for 6 p.m.

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