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PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico - Sophomore forward Jack Houpt hit five three-pointers for a career-high 16 points, senior guard Matt Lander added 19 and the Western Illinois men's basketball team drained 12 three-pointers in a 69-63 win over Prairie View A&M Wednesday afternoon at the Aventura Palace Convention Center. The Fighting Leathernecks placed third in the Mayan Division with the victory.

Western Illinois (3-3) hit 57 percent of their shots in the first half and owned a 37-25 lead at the break. Prairie View A&M would rally in the second half though, cutting the lead to one on two occasions. With the score 50-48 with 7:11 remaining, Houpt scored seven consecutive points, including two three-pointers, to put Western up 57-48 with 4:44 left. The Panthers never got closer than four points the rest of the way and the Leathernecks held on for their third victory of the season.

The Leathernecks shot 51 percent (21-of-41) from the field, including 50 percent from beyond the arc (12-of-24). Western delivered a strong defensive effort as the Leathernecks held the Panthers (1-6) to 34 percent (22-of-63) shooting and collected seven steals and four blocks.

Western Illinois head coach Jim Molinari credited his squad's effort on the defensive end of the floor for the win. 

"I thought we played a terrific game defensively and battled really hard on that end of the floor," Molinari said. "Prairie View A&M played a very spirited game today and fed off of our mistakes to get back into the game. However, our ability to shut them down at the end of the game helped us pull away to victory."

Houpt, who was 5-of-9 from three-point land, also picked up four rebounds and the first two blocks of his career in 34 minutes. Lander was 5-of-8 from the field, 2-of-4 from beyond the arc and tied a career-high with three steals. Lander, who recorded his sixth consecutive double-digit performance, scored 13 points and hit 7-of-11 free throws in the second half to help Western secure the win.

Junior guard Ceola Clark III, who sat out Tuesday's loss to Morgan State with an injury, came off the bench to collect 11 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Clark, who was 3-for-4 from beyond the arc in the first half, also picked up two steals and leads the squad with 13 this season.

"Ceola provides a huge boost for our squad and is a great player because he does so many things well," Molinari added. "His stats indicate how well-rounded he is as a player and we needed him to win today's game."

Junior guard Tommie Tyler had nine points and shared the team-lead of seven rebounds with sophomore Jelani Johnson. Senior Brandon Smith played just six minutes but hit two consecutive three-pointers off Clark feeds in the first half.

Overall, Western held a 37-30 rebounding edge and hit 15 free throws compared to Prairie View A&M's 10.

Senior Trant Simpson led Prairie View A&M with 16 points and senior Duwan Kornegay added 11.

After playing four road games over the last seven days, Western Illinois gets a much-deserved break and returns to action on Thursday, Dec. 2 to start Summit League play at home against Oral Roberts. The Leathernecks enter conference play with a 3-3 record for the second straight season. Tipoff from Western Hall is scheduled for 8 p.m.