MACOMB, Ill. - The Leathernecks (13-10, 7-7) continue their Summit League road trip Saturday when they make their way to Tulsa, Okla. to face the Golden Eagles of Oral Roberts at 7:05 p.m. ORU remains first in The Summit League standings, owners of a 22-5 overall mark and a 14-1 league record.
The Breakdown
Who: Western Illinois (13-10, 7-7) vs. Oral Roberts (22-5, 14-1)
When: Saturday, Feb. 11 at 7:05 p.m.
Where: Tulsa, Okla.
Arena: Mabee Center (10,575)
Live Stats: HERE
Live Video: HERE
Radio
Leatherneck Sports Network (88.3 FM)
Radio Talent: Beau Spencer (play-by-play) & Adam Studzinski (color)
Listen for free HERE
Television
Golden Eagle Broadcasting (DIRECTV Channel 363)
* Two Macomb establishments, Sports Corner @ 124 and Buffalo Wild Wings, plan on showing Saturday's Summit League battle.
ON TAP: The Leathernecks (13-10, 7-7) continue their Summit League road trip Saturday when they make their way to Tulsa, Okla. to face the Golden Eagles of Oral Roberts at 7:05 p.m. ORU remains first in The Summit League standings, owners of a 22-5 overall mark and a 14-1 league record.A LOOK AT ORAL ROBERTS: The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles enter Saturday's game with a 22-5 overall mark, and sit atop the conference with a 14-1 Summit League record...A running shot by Roderick Pearson at the buzzer proved the difference for Oral Roberts in a 76-74 victory over IUPUI (10-16, 4-10) Thursday night (Feb. 9) at the Mabee Center...The shot finished off a wild game that included a 4-point play by Alex Young to send the game to the extra period...Oral Roberts has four players averaging in double figures this season, inculding Dominique Morrison (20.6), Warren Niles (12.0), Michael Craion (11.0), and Steven Roundtree (10.6)...Craion leads the Golden Eagles in rebounds per game, having averaged 6.3 per game...Roundtree owns a team-best 58.5 field goal percentage...Roderick Pearson has collected a team-high 101 assists (3.8 per game)...Oral Roberts is averaging 74.4 points per game, and allowing 66.5 per game...In league games, the Golden Eagles are tallying 79.5 points per game an allowing 70.6 per game.LEADER OF THE GOLDEN EAGLES: Oral Roberts is coached by Scott Sutton who owns a 245-160 record in his 13th season as head coach.THE SERIES: Saturday night's game will be the 33rd meeting between the two teams...Oral Roberts leads Western in the all-time series, 26-6...The first-ever meeting between the two teams came in the 1968-69 season when ORU downed Western, 82-69...Western was swept last season in both league contests...The Leathernecks' last win over the Golden Eagles came on Feb. 11, 2010 on the road, 64-62.DOUBLE-OVERTIME: It took two exhausting overtimes to decide Jan. 12th's Summit League showdown in Western Hall, between Western and league-favorites Oral Roberts, but in the end it was the Golden Eagles who walked away victors, 71-70...The Golden Eagles have suffered only one loss in the Summit League.ANOTHER DOUBLE-OVERTIME: For the second time this season the Leatherneck men's basketball team dropped a hard fought Summit League battle at home that lasted two grueling overtime periods, this time to Oakland, 74-70, in front of a season-high 2,124 fans on Feb. 4.WHAT'S IN A WESTERN WIN?: A win would mark the team's 1,198th victory in program history...A win would mark head coach Jim Molinari's 43rd victory at Western, and his 266th career victory...A win would mark Western's fifth in its last six games...A win would mark Western's 7th-ever against Oral Roberts.1,000 POINTS?: Senior guard Ceola Clark III entered the 2011-12 season with 672 career points, and has scored 296 this season for a total of 968 points, just 32 short of 1,000...Clark will look to become the 18th player in Western Illinois history to record 1,000-plus points in a career this week.BRACKETBUSTERS: ESPN announced the pairings for the 2012 Sears BracketBusters on Monday, Jan. 30th, and the Western Illinois men's basketball team will travel to Evansville, Ind. to face the Purple Aces of Evansville...The two teams will face-off in the Ford Center on Saturday, Feb. 18th at 7:05 p.m.HOT START: The Leathernecks' 13-9 start to the 2011-12 season is the best start for the program since the 1998-99 season when that team also started 13-9...The 1998-99 squad finished 16-12 overall and 9-5 in Summit League games...The season prior, 1997-98, the men's basketball team also started 13-9...The 1997-98 team finished 16-11 overall and 11-5 in league games.SUMMIT LEAGUE WINS: This year's seven conference victories (7-7) is the most since the 2007-08 season, and already matches that league victory total with four Summit League contests left this season.LEAGUE RECORD: Western's 7-7 Summit League record this season through 13 league games is the best opening league record since the 1998-99 season when the Leathernecks started 9-4 in their first 14 league games.COACH MO' AT WESTERN: This year's 13 wins marks head coach Jim Molinari's season-high while coaching the Leathernecks, matching the 2009-10 squad that finished 13-17...The 13 wins is also the most earned by a team since the 1998-99 season that finished 16-12.DOUBLE-TROUBLE: In Feb. 4th's win over IPFW, both senior guard Ceola Clark III (11 points, 10 assists) and junior forward Terell Parks (15 points, 11 rebounds) earned double-doubles...The two Leatherneck double-doubles marks the first time two players have achieved the accomplishment in a single-game since Jan. 5, 2008 at UMKC. #WIUAthletics
