MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- The Western Michigan University women's basketball team is looking to take the Michigan MAC title on the road Saturday afternoon.

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos weren't able to outlast the Miami RedHawks in a 60-55 loss on Tuesday night. WMU overcame a 16-point deficit through the second half to take a lead in the final six minutes of the game. But the Brown and Gold couldn't hang on to its slim lead in the last minute and 45 seconds of regulation.

For the fourth game in a row, sophomore guard Kailey Starks was Western Michigan's offensive leader with a team-high 17 points. Under the glass, senior Ariana Wilkes grabbed a team-high seven boards for Western Michigan. Senior guard Alli Carlson also ended the game in double figures for the Broncos with 14 points and a team-leading four assists. Five different WMU players recorded a steal each while Wilkes had her fifth game of the season with multiple blocks.

BACK LIKE SHE NEVER LEFT
After a game away from the court due to illness, senior guard Alli Carlson quickly returned to form against the RedHawks during the week. The senior had her 10th game this season in double figures, adding 13 points while also assisting on four baskets and grabbing 2 boards in the back-and-forth contest.

With Tuesday's game, Carlson is now sixth in the MAC in assists with 95 on the season, averaging to 4.5 a game. That average puts Carlson at 65th in the nation in assists per game among Division I players. She's also ranked nationally in minutes per game, being the 11th most played women's basketball player at 36 minutes a game.

SCORING DURING MAC-TION
Sophomore guard Kailey Starks continues to be the Brown and Gold's offensive leader in conference play. After setting a new career scoring high over South Alabama, Starks almost had her fourth 20+ point performance, scoring 17 against Miami. The sophomore now averages 13.0 points overall and 13.45 points in conference play, good for 18th in the MAC in conference scoring.

Part of that scoring dominance for Starks has been her high performance at the line. Among MAC players, Starks is 13th in free throw percentage at 77.8% during conference play. Starks is one of just five players who have had a perfect game at the charity stripe with more than five free throw attempts. The sophomore went 7-of-7 in Western Michigan's game against Bowling Green back in January.

PLAYING ON LOVE DAY
Tomorrow will be the Broncos first game on Valentine's Day in two years. WMU last played on the love filled holiday in 2024, earning a midweek win over NIU 65-47 in DeKalb. Dating back to the 2004-05 season, the Brown and Gold are 4-1 when playing on Valentine's Day. That includes back-to-back wins over Central Michigan on Valentine's Day in 2006 and 2007. Western Michigan earned love day wins over the Chippewas both on the road and back home in Kalamazoo by scores of 64-54 and 80-66. 

MICHIGAN MAC TITLE
While women's basketball may not have a trophy for it, the Broncos and Central Michigan will be fighting for who reigns supreme in the Mitten State on Saturday afternoon. Both teams won over Eastern Michigan earlier in the season as neither WMU or the Chippewas will play the Eagles again.

CMU took the first game of the series against the Brown and Gold back in January to take an early lead in the Michigan MAC Title. But a win for Western Michigan on Saturday would give the teams an equal share of who is the best MAC women's basketball team in the state of Michigan in the program's 117th meeting.

SCOUTING THE CHIPPEWAS
Since their last game against the Broncos, Central Michigan has gone 3-2 with wins over NIU, Buffalo, and Akron. The Chippewas two losses over the past three weeks were to Ball State and to Marshall as part of the MAC-SBC Challenge on Feb. 7. 

Sophomore guard Madi Morson has the potential to hit 1,000 career points in Saturday's game against WMU. Morson currently sits at 969 career points and has had 30+ point games in her career. The sophomore leads CMU on the floor, averaging 19.9 points per game while Central's only four-year player, senior guard Taylor Anderson, leads the team under the glass with 8.9 rebounds.