Box Score
MACOMB, Ill. - Sammy Hunter tallied 18 points on 5-for-8 shooting, leading Western Illinois to a 72-64 victory in its season-opener against Upper Iowa, Sunday.
“He's made the great progression from being a junior to a senior,” Western head coach Derek Thomas said of Hunter's performance.
The Leathernecks (1-0, 0-0 Mid-Con) led by 27 with 7:12 remaining, when a pair of Nick Larson 3-pointers ignited an 18-0 Peacock run, capped by a Marcus Uhlenhopp 3-pointer with 1:22 left in the game.
Upper Iowa continued to press, getting within five points of the Leathernecks with 15 seconds to go, but a missed 3-pointer by Michael Reddick followed by a pair of Leatherneck free throws by James Washington sealed the victory for Western. Thomas' squad made eight of 10 free throws in the final 1:22 of the game.
“The good thing is, the comeback shows our newcomers what we've been trying to tell them, which is people at this level don't quit,” Thomas said of Upper Iowa's rally.
Forward Jerryck Owens-Murrey opened the night with a lay-up, and never cooled down in his regular season premier in the purple and gold. The junior transfer from Eastern Arizona College hit his first six attempts, and finished the afternoon with 15 points and six rebounds.
The Leathernecks used an 11-1 run to take a 21-12 lead with 8:08 in the first half. Despite allowing the Peacocks to shoot 54.2 percent in the first period, Western Illinois entered the locker room with a comfortable 42-29 lead.
“We knew they could shoot it,” Thomas said of the hot-handed Peacocks. “That was good because it made us work on our one-on-one defense outside the paint.”
Western Illinois built its 27-point lead in the second half on the strength of a defense that held Upper Iowa scoreless for nearly six minutes, from the 16:26 mark until Reddick hit a shot with 10:41 left in the game.
Though he didn't practice all week after getting four teeth removed, last season's leading scorer David Jackson posted 14 points in 25 minutes on the floor. Washington, a freshman, led the Leathernecks with seven assists, and had no turnovers in 30 minutes.
Next up, Western Illinois travels to Miami for the Florida International Tournament, where they will play Radford, Friday, and battle either Alcorn State or Florida International, Saturday.
Game Notes:
- David Jackson scored 14 points after not practicing all week due to having four teeth pulled.
- Jackson did not start for the second time in his career. He had previously started in 54 consecutive contests.
- Sammy Hunter scored 18 points, the most since tallying 20 at Centenary, Feb. 4 of last season.
- Jerryck Owens-Murrey made his first six field goal attempts, before missing has last and finishing 6-for-7 with 15 points in his first Division-I game.
- Western Illinois Head Coach Derek Thomas is now 2-2 in season openers, and 3-1 in home openers.
- The Leathernecks started three newcomers, including true freshmen Morris Smith and James Washington.
