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Garret Covington tied a program record by making six consecutive three-pointers
75
Idaho UI 4-4
78
Winner Western Illinois WIU 3-5
Idaho UI
4-4
75
Final
78
Western Illinois WIU
3-5
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Idaho UI 36 39 75
Western Illinois WIU 25 53 78

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

Men’s Basketball Completes Comeback Win at Home Versus Idaho

Sophomore guard Garret Covington finished with a game-high 27 points, 25 of which came in the second half, and tied a program record by making six consecutive three-pointers

Coach Wright postgame radio interview | Coach Wright Press Conference | Players Press Conference | Photos

MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois men's basketball trailed by 17 points early in the second half before using a 20-0 run to propel the Fighting Leathernecks to a 78-75 win against the Idaho Vandals inside Western Hall Thursday evening (Dec. 11).
 
"We talked at halftime about how our game plan was where we wanted it to be even though the scoreboard didn't reflect it," said head coach Billy Wright. "We made a few mistakes (in the first half) that we were able to correct. We focused on what we can control and I thought our guys did a great job in the second half of locking in and obviously making shots. And in this game, you have to make shots. In the first half we didn't shoot the ball well. In the second half we knew we were going to have to chip away and that it wasn't going to happen in one or two possessions."
 
Down 11 at the half, Western saw Idaho score six straight before starting the comeback. The Leathernecks scored 18 unanswered, part of the 20-0 run, to gain their first lead of the game, 43-42.
 
WIU was able to extend its lead to as large as nine points, 68-59, with 4:31 to go in the game before the Vandals stormed back to make it a one-point game with under five seconds to play.
 
Western was able to hold on, however, after senior forward Mohamed Conde sealed the win with a pair of free throws with one second left, improving the Leathernecks record to 3-5 on the season.
 
With the loss, Idaho falls to 4-4 on the year.
 
Garret Covington, a sophomore guard from Edwardsville, Ill., finished with a game-high 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting and 6-of-11 from beyond the arc in 39 minutes of play. Twenty-five of his points came in the second half on 9-of-10 shooting and 6-of-6 from long range.
 
Covington missed all five of his first-half three-point attempts before tying the WIU program record in the second half by knocking down six consecutive triples. Three other Leathernecks have accomplished the impressive streak of three-pointers made: Ceola Clark III, Quentin Mitchell and Toney Hickman. It's the most threes made in a game since Clark drained six against South Dakota in the 2012-13 regular season finale in which Western clinched the Summit League title.
 
Three other Leathernecks finished in double figures. J.C. Fuller scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists, while both Jabari Sandifer and Mohamed Conde finished with 10 points. Sandifer also recorded eight assists, grabbed seven rebounds in the victory, and had four steals.
 
Junior forward Tate Stensgaard pulled down a game-best 10 rebounds.
 
Idaho had three players finish with more than 10 points in Sekou Wiggs (17), Mike Scott (14) and Connor Hill (13).
 
"Any time you can get a win it feels good. But we talk about 'it's not about who you play, but how you play'. Give Idaho credit, though, I think they're picked second or third preseason in their Big Sky Conference, so they're a good opponent, and a tough opponent. For us to get a win like this helps with our confidence. We're still a young team, new players, a new system, we're still learning but it still feels good."
 
Western finished with nine turnovers to Idaho's 17, and WIU only turned the ball over three times in the second half.
 
The Leathernecks struggled from the field in the first half, shooting only 29.0 percent from floor and 9.1 from three. WIU quickly turned things around coming out of the locker room after halftime and connected on 55.2 percent of its attempts from the floor, and 87.5% from the three-point line.
 
For the game, WIU shot 41.7 percent from the field, 42.1 percent from the three-point line, and 66.7 percent from the charity stripe. 
 
The Leathernecks conclude their homestand Saturday evening (Dec. 13) when they play host to Alabama State at 7 p.m. inside Western Hall.
 
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