Skip To Main Content

Upcoming Events and Recent Results

Western Illinois University Athletics

ToriNiemann.jpg
52
Western Illinois WIU 0-1
89
Winner Missouri MU-W 1-0
Western Illinois WIU
0-1
52
Final
89
Missouri MU-W
1-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Western Illinois WIU 29 23 52
Missouri MU-W 44 45 89

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | WIU Athletic Communications

Women's Basketball Falls to Missouri in Season Opener

Cold shooting dooms Leathernecks against Tigers

COLUMBIA, MO. - The Western Illinois women's basketball team kicked off the 2014-15 season Saturday afternoon (Nov. 15), as the Leathernecks took on the Missouri Tigers. A cold day of shooting would hurt the Purple and Gold, as they lost by a final of 89-52. Preseason Summit League Player of the Year Ashley Luke led the Leathernecks with 11 points, her 38th straight game in double-figures.

Western Illinois started cold from the field, missing its first nine shots of the afternoon, and Mizzou built an early 13-0 lead. Senior Jenna Mueller, making her Leatherneck debut, got the Leathernecks in the scoring column shortly after with a pull-up jumper in the paint to spark an ensuing 14-4 run for Western.
 
Junior Sophie Reichelt came off the bench and added an immediate scoring option for the Leathernecks during the run. The junior hit a jumper to get the Purple and Gold within 10, and immediately hit a three-pointer following a Mizzou turnover. The five-point spurt by Reichelt forced a timeout to be taken by the Tigers. Reichelt would end the half with 10 points, with seven of the 10 points coming during the run.
 
"We made that little run and I thought we responded OK to getting off to a bad start," said head coach JD Gravina. "Our offense is absolutely abysmal. We run a motion offense and that takes time to work on, especially mixing in a lot of new players, but to that level I did not expect it."
 
Down the stretch of the first half, the two teams would trade baskets, but Mizzou would begin to build its lead, thanks to the long ball. Missouri, one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country a year ago, picked up right where they left off by knocking down seven three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes. Senior guard Morgan Eye's four-of-six shooting from beyond the arc led the way, as Eye is on pace to break the NCAA all-time three-point record by the end of the season. Heading to the locker room, Western faced a 44-29 deficit.
 
The opening minutes of the second half were a mirror image of the first half, as Mizzou extended its lead to 62-32 thanks to a 15-3 run. Western Illinois could not get a shot to fall, as they missed their first 10 field goals, with Luke's jumper at the 13:30 mark breaking the field goal drought. Western couldn't recover and Mizzou closed out the game with an 89-52 victory.
 
Western Illinois struggled from the field shooting 29.2% (19-65) from the field, 24% (6-25) from beyond the arc, and 61.5% (8-13) from the charity stripe. The Tigers took advantage by hitting 56.1% of their shots from the field, and were an impressive 14-of-23 (60.9%) from three-point range.
 
Six players saw their first regular season action as a Leatherneck Saturday, with Emily Clemens and Michelle Farrow each starting the game. Mueller, Ciara Marlow, Faith Lois, and Krystal Corhn all saw extended minutes off the bench for the Purple and Gold, who played all 13 players who dressed for the game. Luke (11) and Reichelt (10) led the Leathernecks in scoring, while Luke and Mueller each pulled in five rebounds.
 
Western Illinois has a quick turnaround, as the Leathernecks welcome William Woods to Macomb on Monday (Nov. 17). Tip-off between the Leathernecks and Owls is slated for 7 p.m. inside Western Hall. 
Print Friendly Version