KENT, Ohio -- The Western Michigan women's basketball team ends the 2025-26 season on the road at Kent State on Saturday afternoon.

LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan closed out the home portion of its schedule with a 56-49 loss to the Toledo Rockets on Wednesday night. In their home finale, the Broncos made up for a season-low 14-point first half in only three minutes of the third quarter. WMU got within a point of Toledo five times in the final 15 minutes of the game.

But the Brown and Gold couldn't find the final push to take the lead from the Rockets in the 56-49 defeat. Sophomore guard Kailey Starks had a team-high 15 points and was the only Western Michigan player in double figures as she went 7-of-12 from the floor. Senior guard Alli Carlson had a team-high three steals while three different Broncos recorded a block. Sophomore forward D'Myjah Bolds and senior forward Ariana Wilkes led WMU under the glass with seven rebounds each while junior guard Nile Muguira Orbe was the only player with multiple assists with two.

FINAL RODEO
Saturday afternoon will be the last game in a Western Michigan uniform for guard Alli Carlson and forwards De'Ahna Richardson, Mary Clare Brusek, and Ariana Wilkes. Between the four players, they have appeared in 228 games in a Bronco uniform, scored 1,283 points, grabbed 710 rebounds, assisted on 393 baskets, made 185 takeaways and blocked 48 shots.

Carlson and Richardson have been with WMU all four years of their collegiate basketball careers. While Brusek has spent four years with the Brown and Gold on the Western Michigan volleyball team, only joining the basketball roster in her final year of undergrad classes. Wilkes joined the Broncos following a year at High Point and has had a career season in a WMU uniform with 136 points, 134 rebounds, and 30 assists.

ALWAYS SHARING THE ROCK
Senior guard Alli Carlson is still eyeing becoming the 12th player in program history to assist on over 300 baskets in their career in a Brown and Gold uniform. With an assist against Toledo, Carlson is currently sitting at 299 career helpers heading into her final game. She will surpass guard Vicky Musky who played for Western Michigan from 1982-85, for 11th place with seven or more assists against Kent State on Saturday. Carlson's career high for assists in a game is eight, set against both Youngstown State in November of 2023 and earlier this year against Ball State on Jan. 17. 

SERIES HISTORY
The Broncos and Kent State meet for the 66th time in program history on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Flashes currently hold a nine game advantage in the series following three straight wins going back to 2023. WMU last beat Kent State on Jan. 1, 2022 in a close 55-51 victory inside University Arena. The game was the Brown and Gold's first conference victory of the 2021-22 season as they fended off Kent State.

Western Michigan was powered by sophomore guard Lauren Ross, who gave her team 16 points, eight rebounds, and a trio of assists. The game was Ross's ninth consecutive game in double figures and eighth game as the Bronco's leading scorer. But it has been eight years since WMU has won a game in Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN FLASHES
The Golden Flashes come into the final game of the regular season as the eighth seed in the MAC Tournament next week. After a dramatic 63-56 victory over Central Michigan to secure its postseason spot, Kent State lost its final road game of the year to Miami 71-52 in Oxford. The Flashes are looking to end the regular season with a .500 record with a win over the Brown and Gold on Saturday.

Kent State's offensive leader is junior guard Mya Babbitt, the only active player for the Flashes scoring in double figures. Babbitt averages 15.8 points a game while adding 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists across the floor. Under the glass, Kent State relies on junior center Riley Rismiller. Rismiller grabs 5.8 boards a game while also scoring 8.6 points and blocking 0.6 shots a game.