Bison defeat Leathernecks 57-31

MACOMB, Ill.- North Dakota State held Western Illinois to a season-low 31 points as they defeated the Fighting Leathernecks, 57-31, Monday evening.

"Right now it's just a matter of confidence for us," said Western Illinois head coach Leslie Crane. "We're getting open looks, but we need to have confidence in our shooting in order to make those shots."

The Bison (5-3, 2-0 Summit League) jumped out to an early 12-4 lead over the Leathernecks (2-6, 0-2 Summit League) before an Anneloes Kodde three-point basket cut the North Dakota State lead to five at the 11:12 mark. North Dakota State went on an 11-2 run, taking a 23-9 advantage with 5:31 left in the first half. An Erica Lewis jumper with 47 seconds left on the clock got the Leathernecks within seven (25-18), but an Inger Hodgson three pointer with five seconds remaining in the half gave the Bison a 10-point lead (28-18) heading into the locker room.

North Dakota State took their largest lead of the game (57-31) with 3:44 left to play in the game before a Jackie Rieger layup and a Lunden Roberts three pointer made the final score 57-31. Despite the loss, the Leathernecks held the Bison to only three points in the final eight minutes of the game. Western also held North Dakota State under 60 points for only the second time this season with their lowest outing coming in a 65-37 loss at Minnesota on Nov. 24.

"Our defense really played great tonight," said Crane. "Unfortunately, we just didn't do enough on the offensive end to get it done tonight."

Ashley Lord led the team with a game-high 10 rebounds, followed by Jackie Barton with seven rebounds. The defense also forced 19 Bison turnovers as well as recording 11 steals in the contest.

Lewis, Kodde and Roberts all posted six points in the game. The Leathernecks only took one less shot than the Bison (59-58), but shot 22.4 percent from the floor.

"We've got to have a little more patience on the offensive side," said Crane. "We're getting good looks, but sometimes you can make one extra pass and get a better look, we've got to do more of that.

"Some of our kids were a little tired tonight with the one day turnaround from the South Dakota State game but that's how it goes in conference play and we need to realize that."

The Leathernecks will be back in action on Thursday, Dec. 10 as they play host to Saint Francis (Ill.) in a non-conference matchup at 7 p.m.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#14 Anneloes Kodde: F; 6' 0"; Junior

#50 Ashley Lord: C; 6' 4"; Senior

#5 Erica Lewis: G/F; 5' 8"; Junior

#42 Jackie Rieger: F; 6' 0"; Redshirt

#23 Lunden Roberts: G; 5' 8"; Redshirt

Players Mentioned

#14 Anneloes Kodde
: 6' 0"; Junior
: F

#50 Ashley Lord
: 6' 4"; Senior
: C

#5 Erica Lewis
: 5' 8"; Junior
: G/F

#42 Jackie Rieger
: 6' 0"; Redshirt
: F

#23 Lunden Roberts
: 5' 8"; Redshirt
: G