KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan women's basketball returns home to University Arena on Saturday and Monday for a pair consecutive home games. Tip-off against the Ohio Bobcats on Saturday, Jan. 29 is set for 2 p.m. while the Broncos' contest on Monday, Jan. 31 against the Huskies of Northern Illinois has a confirmed start time of 7 p.m.
 
WHERE TO WATCH
Both upcoming WMU matchups will be available for streaming via ESPN3. The links to both streams are listed above.
 
OBSERVATIONS ON OHIO (11-5, 5-2 MAC)
The Bobcats enter Bronco territory fresh off of a seven-point win over first-ranked Toledo this past Wednesday, 79-72. Ohio scored 29 points in the game's final quarter to secure their fifth conference win of the season.

Three members of the OU squad finished in double figures, led by reigning MAC Player of the Week Cece Hooks. The senior guard tied her season-high with 30 points to go along with seven rebounds and four steals. Redshirt junior guard Erica Johnson added 17 points, eight rebounds, and three assists, while senior forward Gabby Burris capped off the Bobcats scoring in double-digits, posting 15 points, nine boards, and four assists.

Collectively, Ohio averages a MAC-best 77.4 PPG on 41.8 percent from the floor, while allowing 69.4 PPG from opponents for a scoring margin of +8.0. The Bobcats shoot 32.7 percent as a group from deep and 67.2 percent from the free throw line for a conference-leading average of 9.3 made triples and 13.3 made foul shots per game.

In the rebounding efforts, OU yanks down 38.6 RPG and dishes out 13.5 dimes each time they take the court. Ohio also leads the MAC in steals per game and turnover margin, averaging 11.63 takeaways per outing on the season and posting a +6.31 TO margin. The Bobcats are led by Cece Hooks, who leads all MAC players in scoring with 23.2 PPG in addition to grabbing 8.4 rebounds and 3.2 steals per contest.
 
NOTES ON NORTHERN ILLINOIS (7-9, 4-4 MAC)
NIU will come to Kalamazoo on Monday after traveling to Buffalo this Saturday for a matinee hoop session with the Bulls. In their last game, the Huskies collected a win over the Kent State Golden Flashes at home by a 61-55 margin. Northern Illinois finished the game on a 6-0 run against KSU to solidify their six-point victory.

Three Huskies posted double figure scoring efforts on the afternoon, headlined by junior forward A'Jah Davis, who finished with 16 points on 7-16 shooting and seven boards. Davis currently leads the Mid-American Conference in rebounding, pulling in 11.63 boards each time out. Junior guard Chelby Koker contributed 13 points of her own to the mix in addition to five assists and a trio of rebounds, while Redshirt senior guard Janae Poisson matched Koker's 13 points to round out the double figure scoring for NIU.

As a team, Northern Illinois tallies 69.5 PPG on an even 40 percent shooting, while giving up 73.2 PPG on average for a scoring margin of -3.7 on the season. Beyond the arc, the Huskies knock down 31.8 percent of their looks while sinking a MAC-high 76.3 percent of their charity stripe opportunities for a mean of 7.9 made threes and 10.7 free throws each game.

On the glass, NIU brings in another conference-best average with 42.38 boards per contest on a rebounding margin of +3.4, which ranks third in the MAC. Furthermore, the Huskies find teammates for 12.3 APG and find passing lanes for 6.8 takeaways per contest. Northern Illinois is led by Chelby Koker, who gives her team 17.8 PPG on 41.7 percent shooting, as well as 5.6 rebounds and 4.5 dimes per game.
 
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM WESTERN MICHIGAN (10-5, 4-2 MAC)
The Broncos return to University Arena to play consecutive home games for just the second time this season on Saturday. In their last matchup, WMU slipped against Bowling Green by a final tally of 67-51, suffering just their second conference loss of the season after a strong second half could not account for the slow start.

Leading Western Michigan in scoring for the twelfth time this season was sophomore guard Lauren Ross, who posted 17 points on a clean 50 percent from the field. Redshirt sophomore guard Taylor Williams gave the Broncos 29 solid minutes as well, finishing with 16 points on 6-13 shooting in addition to six boards and a career-high six blocks. Sophomore guard Megan Wagner added eight points and two assists while flying around for her own career-high of five steals during her night.

So far this season, the Broncos put up an average of 66.4 PPG at a clip of 41.8 percent shooting. WMU also ranks second in the MAC defensively, limiting opponents to 59.47 PPG while shooting at an average of 38.5 percent from the field, which is also second in the conference. On top of that, Western Michigan posts a scoring margin of +6.93 on the year. From three-point range, WMU sinks 29.8 percent of their attempts while hitting 69.3 percent of their free throws for a rate of 6.4 made three-pointers and 11.9 freebies each time out.

Western Michigan pulls in an even 34 rebounds per game as a team and sit at fourth in the conference in terms of rebounding defense, holding other teams to 36.53 RPG, all while dishing out 12.1 dimes per outing. Opponents also average 19.3 turnovers against the Broncos as WMU posts a turnover margin of +3.6 for their campaign. The team average of 10.4 steals per game also ranks third in the Mid-American Conference.

Spearheading the Bronco offense this season has been Lauren Ross, who averages 19.9 PPG shooting at a rate of 48.1 percent from the floor. Ross also snatches 5.9 boards per game and finds the net on 83.3 percent of her charity-stripe opportunities. Taylor Williams has been pivotal for WMU success in her last two games as well, averaging a double-double with 14.5 PPG and 10.5 RPG to go along with seven total blocks over that stretch of time.
 
ON THE HORIZON
Following Monday's battle with NIU, the Broncos head back out on the road, this time en route to Akron, Ohio for a Wednesday night battle with the Zips. Tip-off against Akron inside James A. Rhodes Arena on Feb. 2 has been confirmed for 7 p.m. and will be available for streaming via ESPN3.

Students get into all WMU home games free with their Bronco ID's, and tickets for all Bronco home games can be found at www.wmubroncos.com/tickets.

As a reminder, Saturday's game against Ohio will also feature the return of America's Best Frisbee Dogs to merge the gap between halves. We can't wait to see you all back inside The Zoo!

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