MACOMB, Ill. - After nine days off the Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks hit the road for a marquee nonconference matchup with Marquette on Sunday, December 21 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Leathernecks are riding a two game winning streak heading into the contest while Marquette knocked off Vanderbilt, a perennial NCAA Tournament team, its last time out. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. inside the Al McGuire Center.

BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Live Radio: Leatherneck Sports Network (94.3 FM WRMS or wrmsfm.com)
Live Stats: Gametracker

SCOUTING MARQUETTE: The Golden Eagles improved to 3-7 their last time out with a 80-67 victory over Vanderbilt, a yearly NCAA Tournament team out of the SEC. Four different players scored in double-figures while a fifth player recorded 10 rebounds en route to the 13 point victory. Marquette has had a tough nonconference schedule, playing road contests at Wake Forest, #7 Duke, Auburn, and Wisconsin. The team features two players who average 10 or more points per game in Kenisha Bell (15.2) and Arlesia Morse (13.3). Carolyn Kieger is in her first season at the helm of the Golden Eagle program. Kieger returns to Marquette after being a four year starter and three year captain and is Marquette's all-time leader in assists.

SERIES HISTORY: Marquette leads the all-time series, 2-1, but the two teams have not met in 27 years. The last time these two teams played each other, Dec. 7, 1989, Western Illinois claimed an 84-78 victory in Macomb.

LAST TIME OUT: Western Illinois secured its second consecutive win on the season Friday (Dec. 12), as the Leathernecks knocked off in-state rival Eastern Illinois, 63-54. After struggling from the field in the opening 10 minutes of the game, the Leathernecks used a 19-6 to jump ahead, 24-16. Western Illinois used a stifling 2-3 zone to force the Panthers to shoot from the outside, and the defensive switch paid dividends as Eastern was 2-of-13 from the field during the scoring drought. The Purple and Gold forced seven turnovers while receiving scoring efforts from six different Leathernecks. After Eastern Illinois was able to cut the deficit in the second half, Western used a 9-0 run late in the second half to extend the lead to 10. The Purple and Gold controlled the final four minutes of the game and walked away with the nine point victory. Ashley Luke continued her stellar junior campaign against the Panthers, as she recorded her second consecutive double-double (19 points/12 rebounds) and 47th consecutive game scoring in double-figures. Michelle Maher ended the night with seven points and moved into sole possession of second place on the all-time three point field goals list with 136, ten shy of the program record of 146 in a career. Sophie Reichelt fell two points shy of her second-consecutive double-double as she collected eight points and 10 rebounds on the night.

LEATHERNECKS LOOKING FOR SIGNATURE VICTORY: Head Coach JD Gravina said before the start of the year that he was looking to pick up a signature victory this season, and a win against the Golden Eagles on Sunday would be just that. The last time that the Leathernecks secured a victory over a power conference was back in the 2005-06 season when the Purple and Gold traveled to Madison, Wisconsin, and defeated Wisconsin, 70-61.

FARROW HOT FROM DEEP: Redshirt freshman Michelle Farrow has been on fire from deep this season and has been close to untouchable from beyond the arc in the past five games. In the last five contest for Western Illinois, Farrow is shooting 70% from three-point range (14-of-21). On the year Farrow is shooting 50% (17-of-34) from long distance. While Farrow does not have enough made three-pointers to qualify for NCAA rankings, her 50% three-point percentage would be tied for 11th nationally if she did qualify. 

LUKE JOINS 1,000 POINT CLUB: Junior Ashley Luke entered Leatherneck history during Western Illinois' contest against Florida Atlantic on Nov. 24, as she became just the 14th player in program history to record 1,000 career points. Luke becomes the first Leatherneck to join the club since Zane Teilane, who was a member of Western Illinois from 2003-2006.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: The Leathernecks are the top team in The Summit League in four different statistical categories, leading the league in  fewest fouls per game (17.1),  steals per game (9.9), turnover margin (1.90), and three-point field goals per game (8.5). Individually, Ashley Luke leads the league in field goal percentage (53.3). Michelle Maher has the best assist to turnover ratio in The Summit League, averaging 1.95 assists for every turnover, while also ranking first in assists per game (4.6). 

RECORD WATCH: Junior Michelle Maher is nearing a milestone, as she is 11 three-point field goals away from breaking the program record of three-point field goals made in a career. In just over two seasons, Maher has tallied 136 triples. Amanda Walker currently holds the record of 146, which set set during the 2006-2009 seasons.

ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS: In just over two seasons at Western Illinois Ashley Luke has proven herself to be one of the top players in today's game. Her 29 career double-doubles rank as the 12th most among active Division 1 players, while her career average of 8.8 rebounds per game ranks 13th on the active career leaders list.

ROSTER DEPTH: Head coach JD Gravina has showcased the deep roster that he has at his disposal this season. Six games have seen 13 players record minutes, while four  game has had 12 Leathernecks check in. 10 different players are averaging over 10 minutes a game for the Purple and Gold on the year. This Leathernecks have used five different starting lineups over the first 10 games of the season, including the past 4 games.

UMKC DRAWS RECORD CROWD: Western Illinois' first ever 'Elementary Day' was a success on and off the court, with over 1,000 students in attendance as the Leathernecks hosted UMKC on November 25. With the aid of the students, the game drew 1,443 fans inside Western Hall, a new women's basketball attendance record.

BY THE NUMBERS: In head coach JD Gravina's tenure, the Leathernecks are 34-15 when scoring at least 70 points. When scoring 69-or-fewer points, Western is 11-40 over the same timespan. The Leathernecks also know how to close out a late lead, as they are 37-5 under Gravina when leading with five minutes remaining.

NO REST FOR THE LEATHERNECKS: Western Illinois hit the ground running to start the season, as they opened the year playing five games in the first 11 days. The five-game stretch included road trips to Missouri, Chicago State, and Florida Atlantic.

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.

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. This season, Luke, Maher, and Niemann have each started every game for Western. 

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.