GAME NOTES: MISSOURI

MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois women's basketball team opens the 2014-15 season this week as the team travels to Columbia, Missouri, to take on Missouri. The game between the Leathernecks and Tigers is scheduled to tip-off at 2 p.m on Saturday, November 15, inside Mizzou Arena. The Leathernecks look to build on their 14-16 overall record and 6-8 league mark from a season ago under fourth-year head coach JD Gravina.

BROADCAST INFORMATION: 
TV: SEC Network+ (Available on WatchESPN or the WatchESPN app)
Live Radio: Leatherneck Sports Network (101.3FM or lbsportsproductions.com)
Live Stats: mutigers.com

SCOUTING THE TIGERS: Missouri enters the season coming off a 2013-14 campaign in which the Tigers made their second straight postseason tournament. The Tigers finished last season 17-14 (6-10), and were selected as an at-large team for the 2014 WNIT, the second consecutive WNIT appearance for the team. Mizzou is led by senior guard Morgan Eye, the team's top returning scorer from a year ago. Eye was was named to the Preseason All-SEC Second Team as she eyes the NCAA career three-point FG record. After registering over 100 three-pointers the past two seasons, Eye is needing 110 three-point field goals this season to to break the current NCAA record. The team, led by fourth year head coach Robin Pingeton, picked up a pair of exhibition wins to start the season. Missouri knocked off Lindenwood, 67-61, before slipping past Missouri Western, 78-75, on Tuesday. 

SERIES HISTORY: The Tigers and Leathernecks have met 10 times dating back to the first meeting during the 1975-76 season, and Missouri holds a 9-1 advantage. The two teams have met in Columbia in each of the past two seasons, with the Tigers picking up a pair of victories. Western's lone victory in the series came back in 1997, a 68-66 overtime victory. The series has been a road-heavy series for Western Illinois, with Saturday marking the ninth meeting to take place in Columbia.

LAST TIME OUT: Western Illinois played host to William Jewell (Mo.) in its lone preseason game on Nov. 6, defeating the Cardinals by a 71-63 final. After a slow start, freshman Emily Clemens hit a pull-up jumper in the lane to get the Leathernecks on the board. For Clemens, it was her first career collegiate game, and start, after a standout career at Muscatine High School in Iowa. Western's offense picked up down the stretch of the first half, with the Purple and Gold leaning heavily on the play of senior guard Tori Niemann. Niemann collected 10 points in the opening half, including a stretch where she six straight points individually for the Leathernecks. Junior forward Ashley Luke, who was held to just two points in the first half, powered the Leatherneck offense in the second half, finishing the game with a double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds). Western Illinois displayed the deep bench it will feature this season, as 12 of the 14 eligible players saw game action, with 10 players getting in the scoring column.

NIEMANN RETURNS TO MIZZOU: Western Illinois' game against the Tigers will carry extra weight for senior Tori Niemann. Niemann began her college career as a member of the Tiger basketball program, competing in a total of 34 games over the course of two seasons. Niemann, a native of Canton, Missouri, is one of three Leathernecks who hail from the state of Missouri, as she is joined by Tayler Miller (St. Louis) and Jenna Mueller (Clarence). 

LEATHERNECKS GARNER PRESEASON RECOGNITION: Junior forward Ashley Luke and junior guard Michelle Maher each collected preseason accolades in The Summit League annual preseason voting. Luke was named the league's 'Preseason Player of the Year' while also being named a Fourth Team All Mid-Major selection by collegesportsmadness.com. ESPNW also named Luke as one of the top-10 mid-major players to watch this upcoming season. Maher was tabbed Summit League Preseason Second Team. The Leathernecks were slated to finish fourth this season according to the poll. The fourth place projection is the highest mark for the Leatherneck program since the 2006-07 season when the Purple and Gold were picked to finish fourth as well.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: The Leathernecks were the top team in The Summit League a season ago in seven different statistical categories, leading the league in assist to turnover ratio (1.16), assists per game (18), field-goal percentage (45.3), fewest fouls per game (14.9), scoring offense (79.9), steals per game (9.5), and turnover margin (2.4). Individually, Ashley Luke led the league in double-doubles (19) and rebounds per game (10.50). At the end of last season Luke's 26 career double-doubles ranked tied for 24th in the country among active Division I players. Due to the departure of graduating seniors on the list, Luke will begin the 2014-15 campaign tied for ninth in the country. 

BY THE NUMBERS: In head coach JD Gravina's tenure, the Leathernecks are 30-13 when scoring at least 70 points. When scoring 69-or-fewer points, Western is 10-38 over the same timespan. The Leathernecks also know how to close out a late lead, as they are 32-5 under Gravina when leading with five minutes remaining.

VETERAN RETURNERS: The Leathernecks return a veteran lineup to the court in 2014-15. Western Illinois brings back 82.6% of its scoring from a year ago, and seven players return who played in all 30 games. Three of those seven players, Ashley Luke, Michelle Maher and Tori Niemann, started in all 30 games for the Purple and Gold.

RECORD BREAKERS: The Leathernecks broke seven program records a season ago, with junior Ashley Luke single-handedly breaking five program records. Luke set the top mark in points scored (623), scoring average (20.8), field goals made (223), free throws made (177) and free throws attempted (255). As a team, the Fighting Leathernecks set program records in points scored (2,392) and field goals made (846).

IMPROVEMENT UNDER GRAVINA: In his three years at the helm of the Leatherneck basketball program, head coach JD Gravina has recorded more wins (26) in his first two years at Western Illinois than any other coach in program history, while his 40 wins in his first three years ranks second all-time for most wins over the first three years (Leslie Crane, 41, 1998-00). Gravina has also produced three All-Summit League selections as well as two 'Newcomers of the Year'. 

LUKE LANDS LINCOLN LAUREATE: It was announced on Oct. 29 that junior forward Ashley Luke (Oak Creek, Wisconsin) had been named the Western Illinois University recipient of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois' Student Laureate Award for 2014. The award, presented annually to an outstanding senior of each of Illinois' four-year degree-granting institutions, honors a student's overall academic excellence and extracurricular activities. Luke, a senior political science and journalism double major, will also be named the College Scholar for the WIU College of Arts and Sciences this semester and plans to pursue a master's degree in economics from Western.

ROSTER ADDITIONS: The team welcomes five new members to the program this season. Jenna Mueller has been added to the program as a graduate school transfer and will be immediately eligible for Western Illinois after appearing in 85 career games for Saint Louis University. Junior Krystal Corhn will also be immediately eligible to play this season after transferring from Highland Community College. Sophomore Taylor McClintock joins the Western family after spending her freshman year at Mercer and will redshirt this upcoming season to meet NCAA transfer requirements. The program added two freshmen to the roster in Emily Clemens and Tayler Miller. Clemens, a native of Muscatine, Iowa, was a two-time All-State honoree, earning First Team honors her senior year. As a senior, Clemens was also named the 'Conference Player of the Year'. Miller hails from St. Louis, Missouri where she concluded her high school career as the program's all-time leading scorer and rebounder.  

SUCCESS IN THE CLASSROOM: Western Illinois excelled in the classroom this past season, posting the fifth-highest GPA among Division I women's basketball programs. The Leathernecks recorded a cumulative team GPA of 3.607, highest among all programs in The Summit League. Five current members of the team were named to The Summit League Academic Honor in 2013-14, posting a minimum 3.0 grade point average. Of the five, three earned the Distinguished Scholar award: Ashley Luke, Tori Niemann and Liz Skotowski. During the Spring 2014 semester Michelle Farrow, Luke, and Niemann earned a 4.0 GPA.

BASKETBALL INKS ONE FOR 2015: Head coach JD Gravina announced that Taylor Higginbotham (Germantown, Wis., Germantown) has signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Western Illinois women's basketball program in 2015. Higginbotham, a 5-10 guard, averaged 13.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.7 steals per game last season for the Warhawks. Higginbotham is also a member of the Wisconsin Lakers AAU team which produced current Leathernecks Ashley Luke, Faith Lois, and Michelle Farrow.

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN: The Leathernecks will compete in a total of 29 regular season games as well as one exhibition game in 2014-15. Western will play 14 regular season games at home in Western Hall and will hit the road for 15 contests. The Leathernecks have a schedule that includes marquee match-ups against teams from the SEC (Missouri), Big East (Marquette), Conference USA (Florida Atlantic), and Horizon League (UIC).  

LEROY A. UFKES COURT: Western Hall, home of the men's and women's basketball programs, received a new court this offseason thanks to a donation from the family of a Western Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame member. LeRoy A. Ufkes Court is named after the 1996 Hall of Fame inductee, a supporter of the WIU Athletic Department for over 25 years. The new look is thanks to a donation from Joan Ufkes and the late LeRoy Ufkes. 

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.