LAST TIME OUT: The Western Illinois men's basketball team picked up an important Summit League road victory Thursday evening (Jan. 30) over the IUPUI Jaguars, 69-54, inside The Jungle. The Fighting Leathernecks improved their conference record to 3-3, while improving to 9-12 overall on the year. IUPUI remains winless in league action (0-6), and falls to 5-18 this season. Western had four players score in double figures for the fifth time this season. The Leathernecks have won each of those games (5-0), and three of those five victories have come in conference play. Garret Covington tallied a team-best 17 points, followed by Adam Link's 16, Michael Ochereobia's 13, and Mike Miklusak's 10. 

TEAM LEADERS: Freshman Garret Covington leads Western in games started (18), minutes per game (32.3), points per game (14.2), field goals (89), three-pointers (44), free throws (62), free throw percentage (82.7), defensive rebounds (88), and is tied for the team lead in rebounds per game with Senior Michael Ochereobia (5.0). Ochereobia also leads the team in blocks per game (1.4) and offensive rebounds (31). Senior Adam Link leads the team in field goal percentage (60.4). Freshman Jabari Sandifer leads Western with 2.9 assists per game and 1.2 steals per game. Sophomore Jordan Foster is shooting a team-best 42.9% (12-of-28) from beyond the arc.

A LOOK AT FORT WAYNE: The Mastodons enter Saturday's game tied for first in The Summit League standings with a 5-1 league record. Fort Wayne is 17-6 overall on the season, and have put together two five-game winning streaks, and a four game winning streak. IPFW is 4-0 at home in league action, and 1-1 on the road. Overall on the year the Mastodons are 10-1 at home and 5-5 on the road. Its lone league loss came at South Dakota on January 18 (75-61). Three players average 10-plus points per game for IPFW in Luis Jacobo (14.8), Steve Forbes (11.8), and Mo Evans (10.5). Joe Reed, who comes in off of the bench, leads the Mastodons in rebounds, averaging 5.5 per game. Starting guard Pierre Bland leads IPFW with 4.3 assists per game. Three IPFW players have knocked down more than 40 triples this season: Jacobo (44), Michael Kibiloski (44), and Evans (41). Fort Wayne ranks in the 'Top 50' of nine national categories: #7 in three-pointers made (191), #8 in field goal % (49.7), #10 in three-point FG % (40.7), #17 in total assists (339), #18 in personal fouls per game (16.4), #27 in three-pointers made per game (8.3), #36 in scoring offense (78.6), #41 in total steals (163), and #48 in win/lose percentage (73.9).

SERIES HISTORY WITH THE MASTODONS: Fort Wayne leads the all-time series 10-6. The Leathernecks won the first-ever meeting 74-63 on Janurary 11, 1988. WIU then lost 10 of the next 11 meetings to IPFW, and found themselves trailing 10-2 in the all-time series. Western, however, has swept the Masotodons each of the last two seasons. A list of all 16 meetings is below. 

WESTERN IN THE NATION TOP 100 (Last Released 1/31): The Leathernecks ranks in the 'Top 100' of five NCAA statistical categories. Western ranks #15 in scoring defense (60.4), #58 in three-point field goal defense (31.1), #66 in personal fouls per game (17.7), #72 in field goal percentage (46.5), and #76 in field goal defense (40.9).

TV GAMES: Besides all Summit League tournament games being televised on Fox College Sports, the Leathernecks have one regular season league contest that will air nationally. Western at South Dakota is slated to air on Fox College Sports Central on February 22. 

DOUBLE FIGURES: Nine Western Illinois men's basketball players have had at least one game this season with 10 or more points. The total numbers of 10-plus points games for WIU is 53 led by Garret Covington who has 14 games with 10 or more points. Adam Link ranks second on the team with 10 contests, Tate Stensgaard and Michael Ochereobia have each scored in double figures nine times. Jabari Sandifer has tallied double-digits in the scoring column five times, Jordan Foster and Mike Miklusak four times each, and Remy Roberts-Burnett and Mohamed Conde have each scored 10 or more points in one game this season.

SANDIFER'S ASSISTS: Freshman guard Jabari Sandifer leads Western (9th in the league) in assists this season, averaging 2.9 per game. The Naperville, Ill. native dished out a career-high six assists in Western's game at North Dakota State (Jan. 18). He also dished out five helpers at UTEP (Dec. 21), and has recorded four assists twice, first versus Greenville (Nov. 30) and then again versus Alcorn State (Dec. 29). Sandifer also has 11 games this season with exactly three assists. Overall on the year, Sandifer has recorded three or more assists in 15-of-21 games.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Western Illinois freshman guard Garret Covington was named The Summit League's 'Player of the Week' after finishing the Fighting Leathernecks' final nonconference game of the season against William & Mary (Jan. 4) with a career-high 26 points. Covington also knocked down a career-best five three-pointers in the contest.

ALL-TOURNAMENT NOD: Western Illinois played in nonconference tournaments this season, the Basketball Travelers Classic at Utah State and the Don Haskins Sun Bowl Classic at UTEP. Adam Link was named to the all-tournament team at Utah State after averaging 14 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in the invite. Link also shot 60% from the floor, and 66.7% from the free throw line. Mike Miklusak earned all-tournament honors at UTEP after averaging 9.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game in the two games. Miklusak also knocked down a team-best four three-pointers in the tournament.

DOUBLE TROUBLE: Newcomer Tate Stensgaard recorded the team's first double-double of the season versus Eureka (Nov. 21) at home by scoring a game-high 14 points and pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds. He then earned his second double-double of the season against Omaha (Jan. 11) when he recorded 12 points and 11 rebounds. On December 7th Garret Covington, who is the only other player to tally a double-double, totaled 15 points and a season-high 11 rebounds for Western in a win over Grace Bible.

HOME SWEET HOME: Western is 28-8 inside Western Hall since the beginning of the 2011-12 season. The Leathernecks went 10-4 during their 2011-12 campaign, 12-2 during last season's conference championship run, and are 6-2 so far this year.

SHUTTING DOWN EIU: The Leathernecks defeated the Panthers of Eastern Illinois 60-32 on December 4 this season. Eastern's 32 points was the lowest point total the Leathernecks have given up in their program's NCAA Division I history, and the lowest point total WIU has given up since January 10, 1948 when Western defeated Concordia-Missouri, 60-32. EIU's 32 points was also the Panthers' lowest point total since EIU became a Division I program in 1981.

BLOCK PARTY: Senior Michael Ochereobia tallied a career-high eight blocks for the Leathernecks on December 4 versus Eastern Illinois. As a team, WIU finished with 10 blocks.

RETURNING TO THE TEAM: Western has six players returning to the team this season in seniors Adam Link, Michael Ochereobia and Billy Molinari, junior Remy Roberts-Burnett, and sophomores Jordan Foster and Jason Hawthorne.

WELCOME TO WESTERN: Six newcomers joined the Leatherneck family prior to the 2013-14 season. Four freshmen begin their college playing careers this season in: Garret Covington, Jabari Sandifer, Mike Miklusak and Travis Barnes, while sophomore Tate Stensgaard and junior Mohamed Conde transferred to Western.

SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL: Western Illinois was projected to finish fourth in The Summit League this season according to the annual preseason poll of league coaches, SIDs and media. The Leathernecks, who shared the league's regular season championship last season, received a total of 161 points in the poll.

PRESEASON RECOGNITION: Senior Adam Link was tabbed Preseason All-Summit League Second Team by the league's coaches, SIDs and media. The Elbert, Colo. native finished last season third on the squad in points having averaged 9.9 per game, while also tied for second in rebounds having pulled down 4.1 per game. Link was one of two Leathernecks to start all 31 games last season. Link was also tabbed All-Summit League Second Team by College Sports Madness in September.

DIFFERENT AREA CODES: Western is slated to play 12 games on Waste Management Court inside Western Hall, and 17 games away from Macomb in 11 different states. The graphic below highlights each location WIU is slated to travel to.