DeKALB — The women’s basketball team (15-5, 8-1 Mid-American Conference) looks to win for both past and present teams on Saturday as the Huskies will host their annual Alumni Day against Western Michigan University.
Special alumni guests will be honored throughout the day, including Jane Albright, Huskies Hall of Famer, who was the head coach of the women’s basketball team from 1984-94 and had four NCAA tournament appearances.
Senior guard Ally Lehman said it is a big deal to gain acknowledgement from such a great coach as it never really happened in the past.
“To be able to get our name up there with the greats, the ones that actually hung banners. I mean, it is a grateful feeling,” Lehman said. “It gives you a lot of hope going into the future and especially going into the second half of conference knowing that it’s going to be the toughest part of the schedule.”
The Broncos (14-6, 5-4 MAC) come into the Convocation Center on a two-game losing streak at the hands of the Ohio University Bobcats, 80-67, and the University at Buffalo Bulls, 62-47. Western Michigan began their season with an 11-3 overall record but have struggled as of late. The Broncos have had difficulty in conference play this season as they currently sit fourth in the MAC. Since their loss to Ball State, 61-56, the team has gone 3-3 over the past six games.
The Huskies look to continue their historic start to the season as they come into Saturday’s game with the best record in the MAC, 8-1, and the third-highest scoring offense in the nation averaging 89.1 points per game.
“I think with the success that we have had, you are going to get everybody’s ‘A-game’,” said Head Coach Lisa Carlsen. “You have a little bit of a target on your back, and I think this group is ready for that and has kind of embraced that to this point,” Carlsen said. “Western has played some really good basketball, and they have players that are a lot to handle, so our approach to them won’t be any different than it is [against] any other MAC team. We know we are going to have to play an awful good ballgame to win.”
Although the Broncos are on a two-game losing streak, they rank fourth in the MAC in scoring defense allowing just 60.8 points per game. Western Michigan guard Marley Hill looks to have an impact on Saturday’s game as she leads the team in scoring this season with 315 total points and averaging 15.8 per contest.
