MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois begins a season-long homestand on Wednesday night (Jan. 26), stepping out of Summit League play to face North Carolina Central. The first of four consecutive games at Waste Management Court inside Western Hall is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.
The game can be heard on the Leatherneck Sports Network and on the internet at www.GoLeathernecks.com. The pregame show will air 30 minutes prior to tip. Rocky Vision subscribers can also watch the video stream of the game.
The Leathernecks (7-12 overall) are looking to improve on their 5-2 home record. Last year Western went on the road to defeat NCCU 53-50.
TENTH DIFFERENT LINE-UP: Western Illinois ranks among the national leaders in different line-ups used, forced to with injuries to seven players this season... At Southern Utah and UMKC the Leathernecks were down to just eight healthy players... The latest look consisted of Matt Lander, Brandon Smith (second career start), Jack Houpt, Kaimarr Price and Mael Amenyedzi getting the nod at UMKC... Lander and Houpt are the only Leathernecks to have started every game this year, while Jelani Johnson and Smith join them in having played in every game... Using 10 different lineups this year puts Western in a tie for seventh nationally in that category (research by USC Upstate).
FIRST HALF TELLING ALL: The first half has so far been the tell-tale sign of how the game will play out... Western is 6-0 when leading at the half... However, the Leathernecks are 1-1 when the score is tied and 0-11 when trailing after the first 20 minutes.
SMITH JOINS THE 40 CLUB: Senior Brandon Smith became the fourth different Leatherneck to log 40 minutes in a game this season. Smith, who played a total of 13 minutes in six games last year, went the distance at UMKC - one game after going a then season-high 30 minutes at Southern Utah... Fellow senior guard Matt Lander leads the way with two 40-minute games (North Dakota State, at Eastern Illinois)... Jelani Johnson (-40 minutes at IPFW) and Tommie Tyler (at Creighton) also logged 40 minutes in a game this season.
SUMMIT LEAGUE LEADERS: Western continues to lead the Summit League in scoring defense (62.7 ppg), dropping the average after holding UMKC to 55 points. In fact, Western is allowing Summit League foes just 54 ppg... The Leathernecks also lead the way in field goal defense (.419) and moved back into first place in 3-point FG defense (.318)... Western is fourth in 3-point shooting (.379) and third in defensive rebounds (23.2)... Individually Matt Lander ranks seventh in scoring (16.5 ppg)... Kaimarr Price is tied for fourth among the rebounding leaders averaging 6.8 per game, and tied for seventh in blocked shots (0.8). The junior forward also ranks eighth clearing away 2.4 offensive rebounds and sixth with 4.4 defensive boards per game... Jelani Johnson is tied for eighth averaging 1.2 steals per game. He currently does not meet the minimum requirement for 3-point shooting, otherwise his 45.9 percent accuracy (17-of-37) would rank him seventh in the conference.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: As of January 23rd, Western stands 54th nationally in scoring defense (62.7 ppg)... The Leathernecks are among the 'Top 100' (of 336 ranked) in 3-point shooting (50th/.379) and 3-point field goal defense (70th/.318).
TEAM NOTES: In his second year with the Leatherneck program, Matt Lander recently recorded his 100th career rebound and 100th assist... Sophomore Jelani Johnson picked up his 100th career rebound during the UMKC game... Brandon Smith played in only 13 minutes last season. The senior guard has played in 70 minutes the last two games, scoring in double-figures in consecutive games for the first time in his career... Western owned a 3-2 record heading into the game that preseason All-Summit League pick Ceola Clark III got injured in (Oral Roberts). The Leathernecks have gone 4-10 since that game... The 10 turnovers committed at UMKC are the lowest in the last nine games. In fact, Western turned the ball over 13 or fewer times in six of the last eight contests... Western has gone five straight games with fewer than 10 assists, and four consecutive with no more than three steals. The Leathernecks are 4-4 when they record 7-plus steals... In five of Western's seven wins, the opponent has committed more fouls. The two other Western wins (St. Francis and Savannah State), the Leathernecks committed just one more foul than the opponent... Western is holding Summit League foes to 54 points... Kaimarr Price is averaging 10 points and 6.9 rebounds in Summit League play... Matt Lander is shooting 83 percent from the free throw line in Summit games, 75% overall.
PRICE IS RIGHT: Junior transfer Kaimarr Price recorded his third double-double this season, going for 13 points and 10 rebounds at UMKC while dishing out a career-high four assists... Price recorded his first career double-double (15 points/12 rebounds) at #14 Missouri and picked up his second with 14 points and season-high 13 rebounds against Purdue Calumet... He scored a season-high 17 points at Oakland along with five rebounds... Price leads the Leathernecks in rebounds (6.8 rpg) and blocks (14)... Price also came close to a double-double at Creighton (15 points/9 rebounds) and versus South Dakota State (9 points/9 rebounds)... He has either led or shared team-high rebounding honors 12 times, including six of the last seven games.
SMITH MAKING MOST OF SENIOR YEAR: Brandon Smith set another career-high this season, this time in scoring (for the second time). Smith hit 3-of-8 field goals, two 3-pointers and all four free throws for 12 points at Southern Utah... He made a run at breaking that mark, scoring 11 points (all in the first half) at UMKC. Smith did set a career-high with five rebounds while playing 40 minutes in a game for the first time in his career... Earlier in the month Smith made 5-of-10 field goals, including two from long range, for a career-high 12 points at Oakland... Having played in only six games last season after joining Western as a walk-on (scoring three points), Smith made his first collegiate start versus Culver-Stockton... Smith scored a then career-high nine points in the opener against St. Francis and matched that against Morgan State in Cancun... In Summit League play, Smith is the third top-scorer on the team with 58 points (6.4 ppg).
SCOUTING THE EAGLES: With the 90-84 overtime win Monday night at North Carolina A&T, the Eagles have surpassed last year's win total (7-22)... NCCU has won three of its last four games... The Eagles nearly blew a 22-point halftime lead but eventually pulled out a 90-84 win at NC A&T... C.J. Wilkerson hit 15-of-15 free throws for a game-high 41 points. He also dished out six assists playing 44 minutes... Nick Chasten added 17 points in 44 minutes... Landon Clement scored 13 in the win... Wilkerson has been on a tear of late, scoring 94 points the last three games, including 39-of-43 at the free throw line in that span. He improved his scoring average to a team-best 19.2 points per game. The senior guard has made 110-of-142 free throws this year, nearly half of the team's 225 made FT... Clement is next at 17.5 points with Chasten at 10.2 and 8.1 rebounds a game... NCCU, which lost in overtime at Oklahoma earlier this year, is shooting 45 percent from the field.
