KALAMAZOO, Mich – The Western Michigan women's basketball team turns their attention to the eastern part of Michigan this week, as they get ready for an in-state matchup with the Titans of Detroit Mercy on Wednesday, Dec. 8. Tip-off in the Motor City is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
WHERE TO WATCH
Wednesday's matchup between the Broncos and Titans will be available for streaming via ESPN+. The link to the stream is listed above, and can also be found HERE.
 
TAKING A LOOK AT THE TITANS (0-8, 0-4 Horizon)
Detroit Mercy enters Wednesday's contest against the Broncos coming off of an overtime loss to conference opponent UIC by a final score of 68-64. The Titans received offensive sparks from graduate student guard Brandi Washington, who posted 16 points on 5-13 shooting, including 4-10 from beyond the arc. Washington also added four boards and a pair of steals.

Fellow graduate student and guard Sydney Searcy put up 14 points as well, shooting 6-14 from the field, and grabbed six rebounds for her team against UIC. Graduate student guard Janna Lewis gave her squad nine points and six boards, while graduate student Daija Moses contributed six points and a game-high nine assists.

As a unit, Detroit Mercy averages 54.9 PPG on 36.3 percent shooting from the field. The Titans also average 36.1 rebounds per contest, for a +2.5 rebound margin per game over their opponents. Against UIC, the Titans pulled down a whopping 47 misses and won the battle of the boards handily, as the Flames posted just 26 rebounds in the contest.

The Titans average 10.6 free throws per game, and knock down 60.7 percent of their attempts from the charity stripe. Additionally, DMU dishes out 10.3 assists per contest, while also averaging 10.3 steals per game. Offensively, Detroit Mercy is led by Sydney Searcy, who averages 9.5 PPG on 42.6 percent shooting. Searcy also averages 4.1 rebounds per game and 2.1 steals each time out.
 
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM WESTERN MICHIGAN (5-2, 0-0 MAC)
The Broncos enter Calihan Hall in the midst of a four-game win streak, with their most recent victory coming on the road against Indiana State by a final score of 68-67. Sophomore guard Lauren Ross was the catalyst for WMU, scoring 25 points and 18 in the third quarter alone. For the game, Ross finished shooting 9-13 from the field (69.2 percent) and 2-4 from three.

Redshirt sophomore forward Taylor Williams also made a big impact against ISU, tallying 18 points on 6-10 shooting, while contributing nine rebounds and two assists. Redshirt senior forward Reilly Jacobson was beneficial for WMU as well, adding 11 points and a trio of rebounds, while also setting a new career-high in steals with six. The final one of those six steals ended up sealing the deal for the Broncos, allowing them to cling to a one-point lead and close out the victory.

As a team, WMU averages 75 PPG, shooting 44.4 percent from the field. The Broncos also average 33.4 rebounds each time out, and have outrebounded their opponents in all but two games so far this season. Most recently, Western Michigan drew even with the Sycamores on the glass, with each team posting 31 boards this past Saturday.

The Broncos also average 14.1 attempts from the foul line per game, capitalizing on 70.2 percent of their free throws collectively. Furthermore, WMU serves up 14 assists each contest, while swiping 13 steals from opponents on average. Western Michigan also comes into Detroit ranked second overall in the Mid-American Conference and leads the conference defensively, holding opponents to just 60.71 PPG and averaging a MAC-high 13 steals per outing.

Offensively, Western Michigan currently shows three players averaging double-figures on the year. Lauren Ross averages 20.4 PPG, and leads the MAC in field goal percentage, shooting 55.2 percent from the field. Ross also averages 4.6 RPG, and 1.9 APG. Taylor Williams is next, averaging 13.4 PPG on 44.4 percent shooting, as well as a team-high 8.0 RPG and 2 steals per contest. Rounding out the double-digit averages is Reilly Jacobson, who adds 13.0 PPG on 46.2 percent from the field, 4.4 rebounds per contest, and 2.1 SPG. Williams and Ross both rank in the top 20 scoring averages in the conference, with Ross sitting at fourth and Williams coming in at 17th.

The Broncos are also currently top five in the MAC as a unit in scoring margin (third at +14.29), free-throw percentage (fourth at 70.2 percent), field goal percentage (third at 44.4 percent), assists (fifth at 14 APG), turnover margin (first at +8.29), and defensive rebound percentage (third at 72.5 percent).
 
ON THE HORIZON
Following Wednesday's contest in Detroit, the Broncos have nine days off before heading back to the state of Indiana for a matchup with the 10^th ranked Hoosiers of IU on Sunday, Dec. 19. Tip-off in Bloomington is set for 1 p.m.
 
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