| MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois men's basketball squad stays in Ohio for its final game of the week as the Fighting Leathernecks play the Cleveland State Vikings... The nonconference tilt, a return game from the 2012-13 BracketBuster game in Macomb, is slated to tipoff at 12 p.m. CT in Wolstein Center (13,610). UP NEXT: After this week's road trip, the Leathernecks return home for a pair of games in three days... Western Illinois plays host to Idaho next Thursday, December 11, before welcoming Alabama State to Macomb on Saturday, December 13... Both games are slated to tipoff at 7 p.m. on LeRoy A. Ufkes Court inside Western Hall. A LOOK AT CLEVELAND STATE: Cleveland State, members of the Horizan League, entered the week ranked #22 in the CollegeInsider.com Top 25 Mid-Major Poll... Cleveland State was a charter member of The Summit League (then the Mid-Continent Conference)... The Vikings were selected to finish second in the Horizan League behind only Green Bay with 335 votes (9 first place votes)... CSU enters Sunday's tilt with a 3-4 overall record after most recently falling at home to Toledo 59-54... Junior guard Trey Lewis leads the Vikings in scoring with a 17.6 points per game average... Lewis also averages 4.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game... Senior guard Charlie Lee leads the team in rebounds per game (6.0) and assists per game (4.0)... Cleveland State is led by head coach Gary Waters (Ferris State '75) who is in his ninth season at CSU, and 19th season overall as a head coach... He owns a 160-116 record at CSU, and a 331-251 overall record as a head coach. LEATHERNECKS VS. VIKINGS SERIES HISTORY: Western Illinois trails the all-time series to Cleveland State 7-18... The last meeting was during the 2012-13 ESPN BracketBusters event in Macomb when the Vikings downed the Leathernecks 60-54... When WIU won the 1984 League Tournament, they defeated Cleveland State in the finals, 73-64... The two teams played one other postseason game against each another when CSU downed the Leathernecks 64-53 in the first round of the 1993 league tournament... The first ever meeting was on Feb 14, 1972 with the Leathernecks winning at Cleveland State, 72-63. ESPN3: Western Illinois is slated to play five more games that will air live on ESPN3... The Leatherencks already played on ESPN3 once this season, a 67-64 loss at UIC (Nov. 17)... The Leathernecks' next game scheduled to air on ESPN3 is Sunday's (Dec. 7) game at Cleveland State...Below is a complete list of WIU games that will air on ESPN3: Date   Opponent   Result/Time
Nov. 17Â Â Â at UICÂ Â Â L, 64-67
Dec. 7   at Cleveland State   12 p.m.
Dec. 23   at Memphis   7 p.m.
Feb. 5   at South Dakota   7 p.m.
Feb. 12   at Oral Roberts   7 p.m.
Feb. 26Â Â Â at IUPUIÂ Â Â 6 p.m. CONSECUTIVE GAMES WITH A TRIPLE: Sophomore guard Garret Covington has made a three-pointer in 22 consecutive games dating back to last season. The streak of triples started when the Leathernecks played host to William and Mary last season on Jan. 4, 2014. TEAM LEADERS: Sophomore guard Garret Covington leads the team in points per game (16.3), field goals (31), free throws (21) and three-pointers made (15), three-point field goal percentage (41.7)... Junior guard J.C. Fuller leads the team in free throw percentage (83.3)... Sophomore guard Jabari Sandifer leads the team in assists per game (4.3)... Junior guard Jamie Batish leads the team in minutes played per game (30.8) and assist/turnover ratio (4.0)... Junior forward Jalen Chapman leads the team in rebounds per game (5.6) and blocks per game (0.6)... Senior forward Mohamed Conde leads the team in steals per game (1.2)... Junior forward Tate Stensgaard has the team's best field goal percentage (56.3). | 