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Western Michigan women beat Olivet College 105-29
By: Mike Stiles - Wednesday, November 24, 2021

WMU's Gabi Saxman moves the ball against Olivet College (photo courtesy of Western Michigan University)

(KALAMAZOO) - The Western Michigan women's basketball team picked up an emphatic victory on Tuesday night over the visiting Olivet College Comets 105-29. The 76 point margin is the second largest in program history, trailing only one win from 1980 in which WMU beat Chicago State 120-37 (83 points). Leading the way for the Broncos was sophomore guard Gabi Saxman, who had a career evening and set a new program record for individual steals recorded in a game with 11. The previous record was 10 steals held by Shelly Klare against Notre Dame in 1984. Saxman also had a career-high 15 points, six assists, and a pair of rebounds. As a team, the Broncos finished with 31 takeaways on 41 Comet turnovers and held their opponent to single-digit scoring in three of the game's four quarters. While defense provided a huge boost, it was a big night for Western Michigan on offense too. Sophomore guard Lauren Ross put up 17 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Senior guard Maddie Watters contributed 17 points, while also grabbing three rebounds and having three steals. The Broncos never trailed in the route, and lead their opponent in nearly every statistical category, including the rebounding battle, showing WMU pulling down 38 rebounds in the contest. Additionally, Western Michigan scored 57 of their 105 points off of Comet turnovers, earned 62 points in the paint as a unit, and also dished out a season-high 30 assists. Western Michigan improves to 3-2 with the win while Olivet College drops to 1-4. Following a brief Thanksgiving break, Western Michigan returns to campus to host the Beacons of Valparaiso on Monday.



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