MACOMB, Ill – Western Illinois men's basketball used overtime Saturday evening (Jan. 11) to earn a thrilling, come-from-behind, 79-72, Summit League victory over the Omaha Mavericks inside Western Hall.

The Leathernecks improve to 7-9 overall after the win, and open conference action with a 1-0 record. The Mavericks drop to 10-6 overall on the season and are 0-1 in league play after the loss.

"I told our team games usually aren't won, they're lost because there is a point in the game where one team yields," said head coach Jim Molinari. "We did not yield when they went up 12. We stayed with what we do and then some guys made plays, and that's what games are. And then I thought our crowd really got into it, I thought that was really key."

The Leathernecks trailed by only a point at halftime, 20-19, but found themselves down by 12 points, 44-32, with 10 minutes remaining in regulation.

Western used all 10 of those final minutes in the second half to claw back and tie the game up at 61-61 by regulation's end. Junior Remy Roberts-Burnett capped off the Leathernecks' comeback by knocking down a game-tying jumper with 10 seconds on the clock to send the game into overtime.

WIU carried its momentum over into overtime, captured the advantage early, and cruised to the conference victory.

Tate Stensgaard finished the with his second career double-double in the win, recording 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. The Rapid City, S.D. native also recorded three assists and two steals, while shooting 3-of-5 from the field and 6-of-8 from the free throw line.

Three other Leathernecks finished in double figures, led by freshman guard Garret Covington who tallied a team-best 17 points. Covington also grabbed eight rebounds, dished out three assists, and recorded a steal.

Senior Adam Link (13) and freshman Jabari Sandifer (11) were the two other WIU players who tallied more than 10 points. Seven of Sandifer's 11 came in overtime.

Both Roberts-Burnett and junior Mohamed Conde finished with nine points in the game, and senior Michael Ochereobia tallied eight.

The Mavericks were led by John Karhoff who finished with a game-high 25 points and eight rebounds.

Western shot better from the field (48.2% - 38.8%) and the three-point line (27.3% - 21.7%), but UNO bettered WIU from the charity stripe (83.3% - 68.8%).

The Leathernecks committed 21 turnovers to Omaha's 14, but edged the Mavericks in assists, 13-11. WIU also won the rebound battle by 12, 44-32.

A trip to the Dakotas is next for the Leathernecks as they face South Dakota State on Thursday (Jan. 16) and North Dakota State Saturday (Jan. 18).