KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan women's basketball returns to action this week when they head to Ypsilanti for a showdown with the Eastern Michigan Eagles on Wednesday night. Tip-off inside Gervin GameAbove Center is set for 7 p.m. Due to rescheduling and staffing issues, there will not be a video stream available for the contest at EMU.
EXPLORING THE EAGLES (4-7, 1-3 MAC)
Eastern Michigan hosts the Broncos following a road contest with Kent State, where the Golden Flashes took care of the Eagles handily by a final score of 83-58. Redshirt senior guard Areanna Combs led all Eagles in scoring, posting 13 points on 4-11 shooting (36.4 percent), as well as four rebounds and a pair of steals for the EMU cause.
Redshirt senior guard Danielle Rainey added 12 points on 4-8 shooting and four rebounds, while senior guard Courtnie Lewis rounded out the double-figure efforts for the Eagles with 10 points on 3-10 shooting. Redshirt sophomore forward Ce'Nara Skanes also contributed nine points and five rebounds of her own in the contest.
As a team, Eastern Michigan puts up an average of 71.9 PPG on 44.1 percent from the field, while giving up an average of 71.0 PPG for a scoring margin of +0.9. EMU also shoots 35.9 percent from three-point territory and 67.6 percent from the charity stripe, averaging 6.8 made threes and 13.5 made free throws per contest.
The Eagles pull down an average of 35.5 rebounds each time they take the floor, and are currently second in the Mid-American Conference in rebounding defense, limiting opponents to just 34.45 RPG, giving them a fifth-ranked rebounding margin of +1.1 this season.
EMU is led offensively by Areanna Combs, who gives her squad 16.8 PPG on a season average of 40.8 percent shooting from the field, as well as 5.5 boards and 3.5 assists each time out. Combs also knocks down 77.8 of her foul line chances and averages 2.6 steals per game.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM WESTERN MICHIGAN (8-4, 2-1 MAC)
The Broncos return to action this week after an 11-day hiatus due to the Mid-American Conference COVID-19 safety guidelines and protocols. Last time they took the court, WMU was met by a strong defensive opponent in the Toledo Rockets, and suffered their first conference defeat of the season by a final score of 76-67. Sophomore guard
Lauren Ross led the way for Western Michigan, finishing with 22 points on 8-20 shooting (40 percent), six rebounds, and four dimes. Ross led the team in points and minutes played, while matching team highs in rebounds and assists for the game against the Rockets.
Redshirt senior forward
Reilly Jacobson added 14 points on 5-11 from the field (45.5 percent), including 3-6 from behind the arc. Jacobson also contributed a pair of rebounds and four assists of her own in the game. Senior guard
Maddie Watters rounded out the scoring in double digits for WMU, providing a nice spark off the bench and cashing in for 12 points on 4-7 from deep. Watters also grabbed a pair of rebounds and found her teammates for baskets twice.
The Broncos set up shop down low against Toledo, scoring nearly a third (22) of their 67 points from the painted area, while limiting the Rockets to just 16 points in the paint throughout the game's 40 minutes. WMU has bested their opponents in point paints scored in eight games so far, with seven of those eight ending in a Bronco victory. Western Michigan also put together a nice effort in the key at Purdue earlier this season, trailing the Boilermakers by just two points down low despite being undersized in the matchup.
As a unit, the Broncos put up 68.3 PPG and shoot at a clip of 42.2 percent, while limiting opponents to just 59.5 PPG, which is second lowest in the MAC. Western Michigan also posts a scoring margin of +8.83, which ranks third in the conference. Additionally, WMU finds the net on 29.2 percent of their attempts from three-point range, and 69.2 percent of their chances from the foul line, for an average of 6.6 made threes and 11.4 free throws per game.
On the glass, Western Michigan snatches 34.1 RPG, and dishes out an average of 12.8 assists per contest. The Broncos currently rank fourth in the conference in terms of rebounding defense, limiting opponents to 36.17 boards per contest, and also come in at third in defensive rebound percentage, pulling down 71.2 percent of opponent misfires.
WMU is led offensively by
Lauren Ross, who scores 20.82 PPG shooting at an even 50 percent from the field, while also grabbing 6.1 RPG and dishing out 2.09 APG. Ross currently ranks third in the conference in scoring and 11
th nationally, while also being tied for second in the MAC in terms of field goal percentage. Ross leads all MAC sophomores in points per game and field goal percentage, and ranks third in the country in scoring for all sophomores.
ON THE HORIZON
Following Wednesday's game against Eastern Michigan, the Broncos head to the Buckeye state on Saturday for a showdown with the Miami RedHawks. Tip-off in Oxford on Jan. 22 is set for 1 p.m.
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