SHREVEPORT, La. - Jackie Barton scored a career-high 17 points and two other Fighting Leathernecks scored in double figures as Western Illinois (8-20, 6-12) picked up a 68-58 win over Centenary (1-24, 1-17) at the Gold Dome on Monday, Feb. 28.
The game marked the regular-season finale for both squads and was also Centenary's final game as a Division I program. Western's victory also snapped a seven-game losing streak and gave the Leathernecks momentum heading in to this weekend's Summit League Tournament.
In a game that was close throughout, the Leathernecks found themselves up by as many as 12 points (18-6) midway through the first half before a furious Centenary rally brought the Ladies to within four (28-25) at the break.
Valencia Kelly's layup with 10:21 remaining in the first half gave Western its first double-digit lead of the game but Centenary would answer with a 9-2 run to close the gap to five points (20-15) with just under six minutes to go.
The Leathernecks would extend the lead to nine points (28-19) before Centenary scored the final five points of the half, capped off by Kat Vidovic's three-pointer, to make it 28-24 as the teams headed to the locker rooms.
Western would not enjoy another lead of 10 or more points until Sadie Webb's layup gave the Leathernecks a 44-34 lead with 11:32 in the second half.
Anne Borgertpoepping's shot from long range gave Western Illinois its biggest lead of the night (55-42) with just over five minutes remaining in regulation.
The Ladies would cut Western's lead to seven points on two occasions in the final three minutes, but the Leathernecks converted 6-of-8 free throws in the final minute to seal the victory.
Kelly led all scorers with 19 points on 8-for-20 shooting and scored 12 first-half points for the second game in a row. Barton was 7-for-12 for 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Borgertpoepping scored 12 points and ripped down a team-high eight rebounds. She also dished out four assists and was 5-for-6 from the charity stripe, all of which came in the final minute.
Anne Farrell paced the Ladies with 18 points and 11 rebounds while surpassing the 1,000 point mark for her career. Ne-Ne Cook had 13 points while Ashley Jackson had 11 and grabbed nine boards.
The Leathernecks shot 38.2 percent (26-for-68) in the contest and were 11-for-14 from the free throw line. Centenary managed to shoot 41.2 percent (21-for-51) and was 12-for-17 from the charity stripe.
Western Illinois forced 22 Centenary turnovers, which it converted into 21 points. The Leathernecks also outscored the Ladies 38-26 in the paint.
Western Illinois will return to action when it faces top-seeded Oral Roberts in the quarterfinals of The Summit League Tournament at noon on Saturday, March 5 in Sioux Falls, S.D. at Sioux Falls Arena.
Fans can follow all of the postseason action by visiting the Official Summit League Basketball Championship page.
