UP NEXT: After Western wraps up its road trip at North Dakota State Friday (Jan. 16), the Leathernecks return home for their longest league home stand of the year... The Leathernecks play host to South Dakota next Thursday (Jan. 22), and then welcome IUPUI on Jan. 30 and begin the second portion of league play when North Dakota State comes to town on Feb. 1.

LEATHERNECKS VS. BISON SERIES HISTORY: North Dakota State leads the all-time series 9-7... The series was tied prior to the beginning of last season at 7-7 before NDSU swept the Leathernecks in 2013-14... All of the two teams meetings have been regular season league games or Summit League Tournament games, with the Leathernecks winning the first-ever meeting on January 12, 2008, 83-67 , in Macomb... The Bison went on to win six of the next seven meetings before WIU earned five consecutive during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons.

HOME SWEET HOME: Western is 36-13 (.735) inside Western Hall since the beginning of the 2011-12 season... The Leathernecks went 10-4 during their 2011-12 campaign, 12-2 during the 2012-13 league slate, and 7-5 last season... So far this year WIU is 7-2 on LeRoy A. Ufkes Court inside Western Hall.

ON THE ROAD: With all of its success at home, Western has struggled on the road the last four seasons... WIU is 14-36 (.280) on the road since the beginning of the 2011-12 season... The Leathernecks went 6-10 in 2011-12, they were above .500 in 2012-13 with a 7-6 road mark, struggled last season with a 1-13 record on the road, and are 0-7 so far this year.

COVINGTON FOR THREE: Sophomore guard Garret Covington had 70 three-pointers as a freshman, and has 35 so far as a sophomore... He has 105 in his career, seven away from jumping into the program's 'top 10'... He has played in 45 career games, has only had five games without at least one three, and has made at least one triple in 39 games... He has 29 games with multiple three pointers... He has 10 games with one trey, eight games with two triples, nine games with three makes from long range, nine games with four three pointers, two games with five connections from beyond the arc, and a career-high six three-pointers in one game.

DOUBLE FIGURES: Sophomore guard Garret Covington has 678 career points and averages 15.1 points per game... He has 35 games with 10 or more points, 26 games having scored between 10-19 points, and nine games with 20-plus points... He finished the Leathernecks' win over Southeastern Louisiana (Nov. 22) with 29 points, a career-best... Those 29 points were the most by a member of the program since David Jackson scored 32 against Fort Wayne on Nov. 21, 2006.

SANDIFER'S ASSISTS: Sophomore guard Jabari Sandifer has 169 assists in his young career, and averages 3.7 per game during his career... As a freshman, he played in all 30 games and averaged 3.1 per game, and has played in all 16 games this season and averages 4.8 per game (77 total)... He has at least one assist in all but one of his 45 career games played... He has multiple assists in 42 of those games... Three-plus assists in 36 career games... 20 games with four-plus... Eight games with five-plus... Seven games with six-plus... Three games with eight-plus, all of which have come this season... And a career-high 13 assists this season versus Greenville College (Nov. 29) while not turning the ball over in 29 minutes of play... His 13 helpers was two shy of WIU's single-game record. 

TEAM LEADERS: Sophomore Garret Covington and junior Tate Stensgaard are the only two Leathernecks to have started all 16 games this season for the Leathernecks... Covington also leads the team in points per game (16.0), minutes per game (31.8), field goals (73), three-pointers (35), free throws (75), free throw percentage (84.3) and defensive rebounds (59)... Stensgaard also leads the team in field goal percentage (53.5)... Junior Jamie Batish leads the team in three-point field goal percentage (40.3)... Senior Mohamed Conde leads the team in rebounds per game (6.0) and offensive rebounds (36)... Sophomore Jabari Sandifer leads the team in assists per game (4.8)... Junior Jalen Chapman leads the steals (19) and blocks (9).

INDIVIDUALLY IN THE SUMMIT LEAGUE (through Jan. 12): Sophomore Garret Covington ranks: Third in free throw percentage (83.1)... Third in free throws made (69)... Fourth in three-pointers (33)... Fourth in points per game (15.9). Sophomore Jabari Sandifer ranks: First in assists per game (4.9)... Eighth in assist/turnover ratio (1.8). Junior Jamie Batish ranks: ninth in three-point field goal percentage (39.3). Senior Mohamed Conde ranks: Eighth in rebounds per game (6.0). Junior J.C. Fuller ranks: Ninth in free throw percentage (78.9).

WIU AND ITS OPPONENTS IN THE NCAA'S DAILY RPI: (as of Jan. 15): Western Illinois has an RPI of 296 in NCAA's Daily RPI... It's opponent's rankings are: 223. Pacific | 292. UIC | 274. Southeastern Louisiana | 103. William & Mary | 136. Akron | 143. Cleveland State | 252. Idaho | 225. Alabama State | 113. Memphis | 294. Fort Wayne | 302. Omaha | 147. South Dakota State | 154. Oral Roberts | 233. Denver | 164. North Dakota State | 235. South Dakota | 238. IUPUI.