KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Western Michigan University women's basketball team is back home for a marquee in-state matchup on Saturday afternoon. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos dropped their last Mid-American Conference visit to Northern Illinois in a 61-56 loss. WMU made its last trip to the Convocation Center on Wednesday night to take on the Northern Illinois Huskies before they leave the MAC in June. The Brown and Gold weren't able to keep up with NIU's defense on the offensive boards as Western Michigan fell 64-56 in DeKalb. 

After a week off the floor, sophomore forward D'Myjah Bolds returned in a big way with a career performance. Bolds led all members of the Broncos roster with 17 points and six rebounds. Other WMU players ending the evening in double figures included senior guard Alli Carlson and sophomore guard Kailey Starks.

RETURNING TO THE FLOOR
Two players made their returns to the floor for the Brown and Gold on Wednesday evening. After a week away from in-game action, sophomore forward D'Myjah Bolds didn't miss a beat, setting a new career scoring high with 17 points against the Huskies. While freshman guard Irene Trujillo played in her first game since the end of November.

Trujillo broke her femur before the Thanksgiving break and made her return to the floor this week after returning to practice this month. The freshman only played six minutes for Western Michigan after almost two months away from in-game action.

DOUBLEHEADER DETAILS
Saturday afternoon's game against Central Michigan is a doubleheader of both the women's and men's basketball teams. The women's game will be played first with tip-off set for 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 24 to begin the doubleheader. The men's game will follow with tip-off at either 6:00 p.m. or 30 minutes following the end of the women's game.

Ticket holders will not need to leave the arena in between the two games. Men's ticket holders will be able to sit in general admission for the women's game. While women's ticket holders can come to the ticket window following the women's game and exchange their ticket stub for a free upper level men's ticket.

PARKING PLACES
Due to forecasted weather, Lot 13 will be open parking, with no permit required, on a first come, first served basis. Complimentary shuttles will begin at 2:30 pm from other designated lots. For parking maps and shuttle information, click here. 

SERIES HISTORY
WMU plays its oldest in-state rival this week. It will be the 116th meeting between the Brown and Gold and Central Michigan on Saturday. The Chippewa's currently hold a slight edge in the series with 59 wins to Western Michigan's 56. The Broncos dropped both games last season to CMU, last winning over their rivals on Feb. 24, 2024. 

In the team's most recent meeting on Feb. 22, 2025, WMU fell on the road, 56-43, at McGuirk Arena. Graduate guard Hannah Spitzley led the Brown and Gold with 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting and seven rebounds. Western Michigan was held to 28.6 percent from the field (16-for-56) and were out-rebounded 47-30 by Central Michigan. 

SCOUTING THE CHIPS
CMU enters Saturday's game on a two-game win streak after taking a win in Akron on Wednesday and beating Eastern Michigan at home last week. The Chippewa's are 11-6 on the season while having a 5-2 conference record. Central Michigan is one of the MAC's highest rated teams in the NET rankings, coming in at 99 with non-conference wins over Butler, Detroit Mercy, Eastern Illinois, Purdue, and Valparaiso.

The Chippewa's are one of the best teams behind the arc in the country, leading the MAC at 34.5%. A strong part of CMU's success from three-point range is its leading scorer, sophomore guard Madi Morson. The sophomore averages 18.2 points a game and is currently shooting 40.9% from three to be fifth in the conference. Central Michigan has one other player averaging double figures in sophomore forward Ayanna-Sarai Darrington with 13.7 points a game. The Chippewa's leading rebounder is senior forward Nekhu Mitchell with 8.1 boards through 40 minutes.