MACOMB, Ill. - The Leatherneck women's basketball program will start a two-game homestand on Saturday with a 4:30 p.m. game with Southern Utah. Of late, the series has been closely contested as the last six meetings have been split.

The Thunderbirds will be departing The Summit League after this athletic season to join The Big Sky Conference.

Western Illinois dropped a road Summit League contest on Monday night inside the O'rena to Oakland, 75-71.

The Golden Grizzlies used 26 points from Sharise Calhoun and a 20-for-25 (80%) clip from the charity stripe to collect their third League victory. Western kept it close throughout and outscored the Grizzlies 38-35 in the second half.

Sadie Webb led Western with 17 points, while Valencia Kelly just missed a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds and also dished out five assists. Saule Kontautaite poured in 13.

The Match Up
Who: Southern Utah (4-12, 0-5) at Western Illinois (5-10, 2-3)
When: Saturday, January 14 at 4:30 p.m.
Location: Macomb, Ill.
Arena: Waste Management Court at Western Hall (5,139)
Coverage
Radio • WIUS (88.3 FM, Macomb) Flagship station
Live WIUS radio broadcast (Free)
Play-by-Play: Michael Broskowski Color Analyst: Ryne Thorson
Streaming • Rocky Vision (Subscription)
Live Stats • GoLeathernecks.com (Free)

SCOUTING THE THUNDERBIRDS: Head Coach JR Payne (Saint Mary's, 1999) is in her third season (27-48) at the helm of the Southern Utah women's basketball program. In 2010-11 the Thunderbirds went 16-13 and 10-8 (5th) in The Summit League. SUU fell to Oakland in the first round of The Summit League Tournament to end its season. The young roster (5 Freshman & 5 Sophomores) returns two starters and seven letterwinners from last season. Victories this season have come at New Mexico State, twice over Utah Valley and Westminster (NAIA).  SUU is currently in the midst of a six-game losing streak. Western holds the all-time series advantage 20-11. However, the Thunderbirds have split the last six meetings.

THUNDERBIRDS TO WATCH: Freshman guard Hailie Mandelko has started every game for Southern Utah and leads the team in scoring with 13.3 points per game. Mandelko is shooting 35 percent (35-for-98) from behind the arc this season. Junior forward Kimmie Hawkins is chipping in 9.6 points per game while pulling down 7.3 rebounds. Sophomore forward Carli Moreland is averaging 9.4 points per game and has collected 20 blocks this season while leading the Summit League in rebounding with 8.2 boards. Junior guard Tayler Anderson has started every game this season and leads the team with 42 assists (2.6 apg).

WHAT IS A LEATHERNECK?: Western Illinois holds the distinction of being the only non-military institution to officially have its nickname derived from a branch of the military service. The school began use of the Marine Corps' official nickname, "The Fighting Leathernecks," in 1927 when then-athletic director and head baseball, basketball and football coach Ray "Rock" Hanson was granted permission by the U.S. Navy, based on his status as a Marine hero, to use the Marine's official seal, bulldog mascot and nickname.

STEP ONE: The JD Gravina era officially began with a win as Western Illinois defeated Hannibal-LaGrange 87-65 on Nov. 11. The 87 points were the most scored by a Leatherneck team since Dec. 18, 2005 (109 vs. Illinois Springfield). From the field Western shot 47 percent (31-66) for the night and was 10-16 from behind the arc (63 percent). The 10 three-pointers were the most since Dec. 12, 2009 (14 vs. UIS). Eleven Leathernecks scored on the night and Sadie Webb led the way with 19 points and nine rebounds. The Leathernecks scored 36 points off the 25 Hannibal-LaGrange turnovers including an 18-0 edge in fastbreak points.

WEBB LEADING THE WAY: No surprise that halfway through the season senior Sadie Webb leads the team in scoring (13.9/6th in Summit League). Six consecutive double-figure scoring performances to start the season was highlighted with a career-high 31 points against Northern Illinois. The streak of seven straight such games dating back to last season came to end against North Dakota State when she scored just eight points. At NIU, Webb was 9-for-18 from the field including 2-for-4 from long range and 11-for-16 from the free throw line. It was the first time a Leatherneck had scored 30 or more points since Kinesha Davis against Youngstown State on Jan. 18, 1998 when she had 34 points. Against Milwaukee, Webb collected a double-double (11 points/10 rebounds) in the loss. Webb returned to form against Nebraska Omaha with a 22-point performance while also pulling down nine rebounds. The senior has reached double-digits in 67 percent (29/43) of her games as a Leatherneck.

SEEING DOUBLE: Michele Salvatori turned in back-to-back double-doubles at Northern Illinois with 17 points and 13 rebounds and Valparaiso with 18 points and 11 rebounds, the 18 points is a career high. She collected the first such performance since Sadie Webb did it against Southern Utah on Feb. 19, 2011, with 12 points and 11 rebounds. She leads the team with 7.9 boards (2nd in Summit League) per game including 41 offensive rebounds this season of her 118 total boards. Salvatori was also named Papa John's Scholar-Athlete of the Week on Nov. 26 for her performance on the court and in the classroom. Salvatori also was the key in the 14-point second half comeback at IUPUI on New Year's Eve as she turned in her third double-double with 17 points and 11 boards. Salvatori scored seven points in the final minute including a three-pointer to give the Leathernecks the lead with 44 seconds remaining.

$AULE: The Leathernecks received a boost from sharp shooter Saule Kontautaite on against North Dakota State. The junior missed all of last season due to injury and seemed to regain some confidence during the first half on Dec. 2. Kontautaite knocked down four first-half deep balls for 12 first-half points, helping Western to a 33-23 advantage. She collected a fifth and final three-pointer in the second half and finished with a career-high 17 points. Her hot streak continued at Eastern Illinois with a 3-for-5 performance from behind the arc. Kountautaite is second on the the team with 23 made three-pointers behind Sadie Webb (25). Kontautaite was another key member of the comeback at IUPUI as she knocked down three key triples inside The Jungle.

EFFICIENCY: Western was extremely effective and efficient against William Woods (Dec. 27) with its offensive execution. The Purple & Gold used 24 assists on 31 field goals to power its way to the 73-52 victory. It was the most assists since the Leathernecks recorded 25 at Centenary on Jan. 21, 2008.

LIVE & DIE: The Purple & Gold need to be able to knock down the shots from behind the arc in order to be successful as Summit League play continues. In the emotional victory at IUPUI, Western was 9-for-19 from three including a 6-for-8 performance in the second half. Michele Salvatori and Saule Kontautaite both collected three triples while Valencia Kelly, Rebecca Henricson and Sadie Webb all knocked down one apiece.

SIGNING CLASS: First-year Western Illinois women's basketball head coach JD Gravina and his staff announced the signing of four high school athletes to join the Purple & Gold in 2012. The four include two three-star recruits and three Illinois athletes. Michelle Maher (5-9, Guard) from Park Ridge, Ill. and Maine South High School is four-time letterwinner in basketball while collecting 811 career points and helped Maine South collect a third place finish at the 2011 State Tournament. Paige Harmon (6-0, Forward) from Oswego, Ill and Oswego High School is a three-star prospect by ESPN and averaged 21.2 points and 10.9 rebounds per game while scoring over 35 points on four different occasions and pulling down 20 rebounds on three occasions. Liz Skotowski (5-9, Guard) from Mt. Vernon, Iowa and Mt. Vernon High School is a four-time letterwinner and member and was state runner-up her junior year. Charnelle Reed (5-10, Guard) from Flossmoor, Ill. and Homewood-Flossmoor High School is another three-star recruit as ranked by ESPN and average 13.2 points as a junior while being named Honorable Mention IBCA All-State.

BITS & PIECES: Western Illinois collected a 20-2 advantage in second chance points against UNO on Tuesday night Dec. 20. That game featured 14 lead changes and six ties. It was the first time the Leathernecks dropped a game after leading at halftime and were tied with just five minutes remaining. The Mavericks used 25 bench points and 26 points in the paint to power its 40-point second half to overcome a halftime disadvantage. The Leathernecks made only four trips to the free-throw line against William Woods (Dec. 27), making half of those. At IUPUI, the Leathernecks used 12 second-half Jaguar turnovers to collect 20 points to steal the New Year's Eve victory. At IPFW, the Mastodons lead by as many as 21 and the closest the Leathernecks would get in the second half would be five at 36-31 with 16:44 left in the game. Most recently, Western could not seem to get closer than four points at Oakland. The Leathernecks cut the OU advantage to just four on four different occasions including the final, 75-71.

NEW LOOK SUMMIT LEAGUE COMING: The Summit League has experienced a makeover in recent years. Centenary moved to Division III prior to this athletic year. Southern Utah will depart for the Big Sky Conference after this season. Nebraska-Omaha will begin Summit League competition in July 2012. South Dakota joins the Summit League for official competition this season. In October, Oral Roberts announced that it will become the Southland Conference's newest member beginning in July of 2012.

UP NEXT: The Purple & Gold will wrap up the homestand with Oral Roberts on Monday at 7 p.m. inside Western Hall.

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