MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois overcame an early deficit then hung on late to pick up a 68-66 win over North Dakota State on Saturday, Jan. 15 at Western Hall.

The Fighting Leathernecks (5-11, 3-3) evened their Summit League record thanks in part to a 19-6 run at the end of the first half to down the Bison (7-9, 3-3) and snap a two-game losing streak.

"It's a big win for us because they (North Dakota State) came in near the top of the conference," said Leatherneck head coach Leslie Crane. "We did a good job of not letting them have easy looks and we also did a good job of not fouling their shooters."

North Dakota State grabbed an early 11-4 lead by going on a 7-0 run in the opening minutes of the first half and would lead by as many as eight points (20-12) with just under 12 minutes remaining in opening frame.

The Leathernecks would storm back as Jackie Barton, Valencia Kelly and Sadie Webb combined to score 15 of the team's final 19 points in the first half.

Barton tied the game at 26-26 with two free throws at the 3:33 mark before Tricia Coates gave Western Illinois its first lead (28-26) with a layup at the 2:17 mark.

The Leathernecks would head into the half with a 31-26 lead when Barton drilled a three-pointer with just over one minute remaining. As a team, Western shot 38.7 percent (12-for-31) in the first half while holding the Bison to just 32.3 percent (10-for-31).

"We did a good job of keeping our defensive intensity up and slowing them down throughout the game," said Kelly. "We really tried to take them out of their game and make them play our game."

Western Illinois would never trail in the second half and led by as many as 11 points on two separate occasions. Kelly's jumper with 15 minutes remaining gave the Leathernecks their first double-digit lead (41-31) of the ball game.

Abby Plucker's jumper on the next possession cut the lead to 41-33 before Michele Salvatori hit a shot from beyond the arc to extend the lead to 44-33.

The Bison would again cut the lead to single-digits (44-35) before Barton's jumper with 11:45 remaining put Western up by 11 points for the second time in less than a minute.

Western Illinois would see its lead cut to just three points as the Bison used an 8-0 run over the next two minutes to close the gap to 46-43 but back-to-back threes by Kelly and Barton pushed the lead back to nine (52-43).

North Dakota State would respond with a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to three (54-51) with five minutes to go. The Bison eventually tied the game at 57-57 with three minutes remaining before the Leathernecks jumped out to a 65-59 lead with 36 seconds left.

Plucker's layup with 23 seconds remaining cut Western's lead to 65-63. Jackie Rieger's layup with 18 seconds left put the Leathernecks up by four (67-63) before Valencia Kelly connected on second of two free throws for a 68-63 lead.

Hannah Linz would hit a three pointer for the Bison in the closing seconds to make the final 68-66. The victory for the Leathernecks marked their first win over North Dakota State since the first meeting between the schools.

"This game was a big confidence boost for us heading into Monday's game," said Barton. "To be even now in conference play is really big for us and this was a big win for us."

Kelly led the Leathernecks with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting and dished out four assists. while Webb added 16 points and grabbed four boards. Barton finished with 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

"Everyone who played today came ready to play," said Webb. "Our starters and our bench players came up with some big shots and everyone gave a great effort."

North Dakota State was paced by Plucker's game-high 34 points while Katie Birkel chipped in with 14. The Bison were led on the boards by Danielle Degagne's eight rebounds.

Western Illinois shot 44.1 percent (26-for-59) from the floor and was 11-for-18 from the line. The Leathernecks also grabbed 35 rebounds and forced 17 turnovers.

The Bison finished the game shooting 43.3 percent (26-for-60) and went 8-for-21 from behind the arc. North Dakota State finished with a 37-35 advantage on the glass.

The Leathernecks will close out their two-game homestand against South Dakota State at 7 p.m. on Monday before traveling to UMKC and Southern Utah next weekend.