KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan women's basketball heads to Buffalo, New York on Monday for a road matchup with the Bulls before returning home to host the Akron Zips on Wednesday. Tip-off on Feb. 7 inside Alumni Arena is set for 7 p.m., while the contest on Feb. 9 from University Arena also has a start time of 7 p.m.
 
WHERE TO WATCH
Both of WMU's next two meetings will be available for streaming via ESPN3. The links to each game are listed above, and can also be found below:

Western Michigan at Buffalo
Western Michigan vs. Akron
 
BREAKING DOWN BUFFALO (14-7, 8-3 MAC)
The Bulls prep to host Western Michigan on Monday night following a win over Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant. Five Bulls surpassed the 10-point mark for a balanced team effort on the scoreboard en route to conference win number eight.

Junior guard Dyaisha Fair led all scorers in the outing with 29 points on 10-25 (40 percent) shooting, while finding five open teammates for baskets and registering three takeaways in her 40 minutes on the court. Redshirt fifth year forward Summer Hemphill secured herself a double-double with 17 points on 7-13 (53.8 percent) from the floor to compliment the 15 boards she brought in during her afternoon.

Freshman guard Georgia Woolley tallied 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while freshman forward Saniaa Wilson added 10 points and 13 rebounds off the bench. Junior guard Dominique Camp also contributed 10 points of her own to the UB cause.

As a team, Buffalo posts a scoring average of 75.2 PPG at 42.2 percent shooting this season, which is second in the MAC, while giving up an average of 68.2 PPG for a scoring margin of +7.0. The Bulls shoot at a clip of 32.3 percent from three-point range and knock down 72.2 percent of their free throws for an average of 5.9 made threes and 13.6 made foul shots per game.

On the boards, UB yanks down 41.0 RPG (second in the MAC) and post a rebounding margin of +1.0 on the year. Buffalo also dishes out 15.4 assists per game and swipes 9.3 steals per game, trailing WMU by just 0.03. The Bulls have been driven this season by Dyaisha Fair, who ranks second in the conference in scoring with 22.3 PPG on 39.2 percent shooting from the field, as well as 4.8 boards and 4.3 assists each time out.
 
ANECDOTES ON AKRON (9-8, 6-5 MAC)
The Zips come to town on Wednesday after dropping two straight this past week on their home court, coming up short most recently against Toledo on Saturday afternoon by a final score of 73-70. The loss is also the second consecutive for Akron by five or less points, with the first coming at the hands of WMU last Wednesday.

Redshirt senior forward and reigning MAC Player of the Week Jordyn Dawson carried the scoring efforts for Akron once again, finishing with a game-high 26 points on 8-22 (36.4 percent) shooting while grabbing nine boards and notching five assists. Freshman forward Reagan Bass was the only other Zip in double-figures, adding 11 points on 5-9 (55.6 percent) from the field.

Collectively, Akron scores 65.6 PPG shooting at a rate of 41.4 percent while giving up 64.9 PPG for a +0.7 scoring margin. The Zips also sink 34.0 percent of their looks from three and 68.1 percent of their free throws for a mean of 6.6 made three-pointers and 11.1 made foul line attempts per contest. Furthermore, UA finds open teammates for buckets 14.6 times per game and nabs 6.8 steals per contest. Akron is shouldered offensively by Jordyn Dawson, who puts up 20.6 PPG (third in conference) shooting at a rate of 38.6 percent, adding 9.5 boards and 2.6 takeaways per contest.
 
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM WESTERN MICHIGAN (12-7, 6-4 MAC)
The Broncos enter Buffalo on Monday after a tough outing against Miami this past Saturday, falling 80-67 at home. A strong offensive second half boosted MU past Western Michigan, and the RedHawks' 80 points ties USC for most scored against the WMU defense this season.

For the second straight game, redshirt senior forward Reilly Jacobson and sophomore guard Lauren Ross each ended with 16 points. Jacobson added four rebounds and three blocks, while Ross tallied a pair of assists and two takeaways on the afternoon. Redshirt sophomore forward Taylor Williams contributed eight points, six rebounds, and two blocks as well.

Sophomore guard Hannah Spitzley had the most solid performance among Broncos against Miami, scoring a career-high 14 points on 5-10 shooting to go along with another career-high 10 rebounds and two blocks for her first collegiate double-double. The afternoon is also her second double-figure performance of the season, with the other coming early in conference play at Central Michigan.

As a group, Western Michigan averages 65.3 PPG on 41.1 percent shooting so far this season. The Broncos sit at third in the conference in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 60.53 PPG on an even 39 percent shooting, which is also third in the MAC. On top of the success defensively, WMU posts a scoring margin of +4.8. The Broncos connect on 30.7 percent of their triples and 69.3 percent of their charity stripe opportunities for 6.8 made threes and 11.6 made free throws each time they take the court.

On the boards, Western Michigan pulls down an average of 33.9 missed shots per game and sit at fifth conference-wide in rebounding defense as opponents average 36.79 RPG. The Broncos dish out 12.4 dimes each game while opponents cough the ball up 18.0 times per game for a WMU turnover margin of +2.4 on the year. The squad also ranks third in the Mid-American Conference in steals per game, averaging 9.32 takeaways when they hit the hardwood.

Thus far, Western Michigan has been ushered offensively by Lauren Ross, who gives her team 18.4 PPG shooting at a clip of 44.8 percent on the season. Ross also pulls in 5.3 boards per game and knocks down 85.1 percent of her freebies. Additionally, Ross sits at seventh in the MAC in scoring and fourth in field goal percentage as a sophomore, leading all other class members throughout the conference in both categories. Reilly Jacobson has given WMU strong minutes as of late as well, with a pair of consistent performances last week on both sides of the ball.
 
ON THE HORIZON
Following Wednesday's battle with Akron, the Broncos are road-bound yet again for a rematch with the Ohio Bobcats on Saturday, Feb. 12. Tip-off inside the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio is set for 1 p.m. and will be available for streaming via ESPN3.

Students get into all WMU home games free with a valid Bronco ID, and tickets for all Bronco home games can be found wmubroncos.com/tickets, or by calling 1-888-4-WMU-TIX.

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