Women's Basketball Defeats Chicago State, 90-55

Ashley Luke (21 points) leads the Leathernecks past the Cougars

Box Score CHICAGO, Ill. – Western Illinois women's basketball was back in action Thursday (Nov. 20) evening, as they traveled to Chicago to take on Chicago State in nonconference action. The Leathernecks stormed out of the gate and never looked back, as the team led wire to wire in a 90-55 victory over the Cougars. Western Illinois improved to 2-1 with the victory while Chicago State fell to 0-2 on the season.

"I was really pleased with the way we played tonight as a team. We have a lot of depth on our roster this season and it's nice to see the team start to gel together in our motion offense," said head coach JD Gravina. "We were an unselfish bunch and got a lot of players involved, which was great to see. We will need a similar performance against a very good Florida Atlantic squad on Sunday."

The Leathernecks would open the game on an 18-2 run over the first 6:37, with junior Sophie Reichelt hitting a three-pointer 15 seconds into the game to get the scoring frenzy started. From there, it quickly turned into the Ashley Luke and Tori Niemann show, as the duo would combine the next 13 points in the game. Niemann hit all four of her free throw attempts during the stretch, and Luke collected nine points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field. Sophomore Mallory Boyle, who would end the game with nine points off the bench, knocked down a jumper to end the run for the Purple and Gold.

Western Illinois would slowly build the 16-point advantage into a 20-point lead midway through the opening twenty minutes, and the Leathernecks would lead by 20 or more the rest of the half. Western Illinois led by as many as 26 in the first half, as Niemann and Luke posted a 5-0 run of their own to put Western up 41-15 late in the first half.

The half would end in exciting fashion for Western, as Reichelt stole the Cougars' entry pass with six seconds left and found Michelle Maher in the frontcourt. Maher would bank one in at the buzzer to give Western a 48-22 lead over Chicago State.

Eight different Leathernecks scored in the first half, led by Luke's 17, as Western shot 58.6% (17-29) from the field, while holding Chicago State to eight made field goals (8-25).

The second half of play saw Chicago State cut the deficit to 18 points, but back-to-back field goals from Boyle and Luke extended the lead to 23 and Western would cruise the rest of the way.

Western Illinois utilized its deep bench for the second straight game, as all 13 players who dressed scored against the Cougars. Ciara Marlow would cap off the Leatherneck scoring with a pair of free-throws and a three-pointer to give Western a 39 point lead with just over a minute to play, and the Purple and Gold would walk away with a 90-55 victory.

Luke (21) and Niemann (10) led the scoring effort, while Maher dished out a team-high five assists. The Leathernecks shared the ball Thursday night, assisting 21 times on 33 made field goals. For the second straight game, Western Illinois would knock down 10 three-point field goals, while limiting Chicago State to just three made field goals from beyond the arc.

Western Illinois heads to Boca Raton, Florida, for a Sunday (Nov. 23) matchup with the Owls of Florida Atlantic. The Leathernecks look to avenge a loss that the team suffered at the hands of Florida Atlantic a season ago. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. (CT).

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Players Mentioned

#4 Ciara Marlow: G; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#5 Ashley Luke: F; 6' 1"; Junior

#10 Mallory Boyle: G; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#14 Michelle Maher: G; 5' 9"; Junior

#21 Tori Niemann: G; 5' 11"; Senior

#44 Sophie Reichelt: F; 6' 2"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#4 Ciara Marlow
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: G

#5 Ashley Luke
: 6' 1"; Junior
: F

#10 Mallory Boyle
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: G

#14 Michelle Maher
: 5' 9"; Junior
: G

#21 Tori Niemann
: 5' 11"; Senior
: G

#44 Sophie Reichelt
: 6' 2"; Junior
: F