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MACOMB, Ill. - Senior guard Matt Lander had a career-high 22 points, junior Ceola Clark III collected his first career double-double and the Western Illinois men's basketball team shot 75 percent in the second half to pull away from St. Francis (Ill.) in a 83-47 victory in the 2010 season opener Friday night at Western Hall.
After a close first half, Western Illinois (1-0) used a strong defensive effort to distance themselves from St. Francis (4-1) as the Fighting Leathernecks forced 26 turnovers and recorded five blocks and nine steals on the night. St. Francis shot just 33 percent from the field, including 26 percent in the second half.
"We came out flat but we were much more comfortable in the second half," Western Illinois head coach Jim Molinari said. "We had a lot more bounce in our step in the second half and played a lot better on both ends of the court. We took better care of the ball and were very efficient offensively."
Tied at 8-8 following a Jack Houpt jumper at the 12:18 mark, Western went on a 21-8 run to go up 29-16 with 4:21 remaining in the first half. Western finished the first half 12-of-27 from the field and hit three of seven three pointers to take a 34-24 lead into the break. The Fighting Leathernecks used a 5-0 run to start the second half and a 17-2 run midway through the period to put away the Fighting Saints. The Leathernecks hit 15-of-20 shots in the second half, and finished the night 24-of-26 from the free throw line.
Lander had just five points at half, but hit 5-of-7 shots and 7-of-8 free throws in the second half to finish with a career-high 22 points. Lander was 7-of-12 from the field in 29 minutes. Clark led the squad with seven points and six assists in the first half, and finished with 11 points and a career-high 10 assists. Clark also collected a team-high four steals and three rebounds.
Sophomore Jelani Johnson had seven second-half points to finish with 10 on 4-of-5 shooting, including a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. Junior guard Tommie Tyler was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line and finished with 10 points in 31 minutes.
Sophomore David Gebru had eight points, four rebounds and two block shots, while senior Brandon Smith finished with a career-high nine points. Smith was 2-for-2 from the field, including his first career three-pointer, and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.
Western Illinois is next in action on Sunday (Nov. 14) as the Fighting Leathernecks travel to Georgia to take on Savannah State. Tipoff on Sunday is at 11 a.m. CT. Following Sunday's contest, Western begins play in the 2010 Cancun Challenge by taking on Missouri in Columbia, Mo. on Nov. 18.
