KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The shorthanded Western Michigan University women's basketball team pushed Tuesday night's game to overtime but weren't able to secure the win in an 82-70 loss to the Roosevelt Lakers.

In the first ever meeting between the Broncos and Roosevelt, WMU didn't overcome a short bench to the Division II squad from Chicago. The Brown and Gold led for over half of the game but lost steam in the final 15 minutes on the floor. Junior guard Nile Mugiera Orbe was Western Michigan's leading scorer 17 points on three treys while senior forward Ariana Wilkes led the team on defense with a career-high 15 rebounds.

It was a back and forth game early between the two at University Arena. The Broncos ended up taking control of the pace of the game after the media timeout following six minutes of action. WMU ended the quarter on a 6-2 run for a six point lead after 10 minutes at home.

The Brown and Gold continued to grow the lead early in the second quarter. Western Michigan was up by double digits midway through the second, getting to its largest lead of the game at 14 points. The Lakers cut back the Broncos lead to single digits with a WMU dry spell from the floor. Freshman forward Emma Dibarboure broke the drought in the final 30 seconds of the half as the Brown and Gold took a 31-24 lead into the locker room.  

Western Michigan returned to a double figure lead early in the second half, going up by 12 points with 6:39 on the clock. The two teams traded baskets back and forth for the next two and a half minutes until Roosevelt broke out on a 12 point run to end the quarter. The Lakers briefly took a one point lead, but the Broncos were able to take it back with a last second layup from Mugiera.

Only leading by a point with a quarter left, the teams battled back and forth. Roosevelt led by as many as four points with just over two minutes left in regulation. Back-to-back three pointers from Mugiera and a perfect trip to the line for sophomore guard Kailey Starks tied the game up, forcing a five-minute overtime period.

WMU took an early three-point lead in OT as Mugiera made her third three of the evening. The Brown and Gold got back to the same lead after a layup from the Lakers. But Western Michigan struggled in the final three and a half minutes of the game, turning the ball over five times and only scoring once. The offensive drought gave the Broncos the 82-70 loss to Roosevelt in the program's first meeting.

WMU will have the next seven days off from game action to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday. The Brown and Gold return to the floor on the road at Indiana next week. Tipoff from Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Dec. 3 is set for 6 p.m.