MACOMB, Ill. - Ashley Luke scored a season-high 34 points while adding 15 rebounds but Western Illinois dropped a 101-87 decision to South Dakota Saturday (Jan. 10) afternoon inside Western Hall. Winners of their first two league games, the Leathernecks fell to 2-1 in Summit League play, and 10-6 overall, with the decision while South Dakota improved to 12-4 (2-1).

Luke fell one point shy of matching her career-high of 35 points, which she set against the Coyotes last season in the opening round of The Summit League Tournament. Saturday marked the third straight double-double, and eighth this season, for the Oak Creek, Wis. native while her 34 points pushed her streak of consecutive double-figure games up to 53 straight.

"It was really good see Ashley back to being Ashley," said head coach JD Gravina. "I was really proud of how she played offensively, and I thought she played a pretty good game defensively as well. The scary thing is that Ashley played really well and we still lost by 14, so that is a little bit concerning for us."

The opening minutes of action saw a back and forth affair, as Luke collected Western's first six points. With Western holding a 14-13 lead, South Dakota would go on a 16-0 run to take control of the half, and eventually the game. South Dakota, picked to finish second in The Summit League, extended the lead to as many as 21 points in the first half, and led by 19 as the game hit intermission. The Coyotes were shot at a blistering 65.5% (19-29) clip from the field in the first half, including an impressive 7-of-11 effort from beyond the arc.

Western Illinois made a push to climb back into the game, as the team used a 17-4 run over 2:39 of game action to cut Coyote lead to 11 with 5:44 left in the game. During the run, the Leathernecks relied on their veterans, as Tori Niemann (8), Luke (7), and Maher (2) accounted for every point in the run. The Leathernecks vastly improved their shooting percentage, as the Purple and Gold shot 55.6% from the field in the second half. Despite the improved shooting, the comeback fell short.

The 101 points mark the first time Western Illinois has given up over 100 points at home since March 4, 1993 when Northern Illinois scored 102 points.

Three other Leathernecks joined Ashley Luke in double figures, as Niemann (16), Maher (11) and Sophie Reichelt (11) all contributed to the scoring effort for Western Illinois. Reichelt collected seven rebounds, while Maher dished out a team-high six assists.

Western Illinois begins a two game road-trip this week, as the team heads west to take on Denver and Oral Roberts in league action. The Leathernecks and Pioneers will tip at 8 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, January 15, while concluding the trip with a 2 p.m. tip on Saturday, January 17, against the Golden Eagles.