UP NEXT: The Leathernecks head north to face the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State next Wednesday (Jan. 7) before returning home to battle the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles on Jan. 10.

LEATHERNECKS VS. MAVERICKS SERIES HISTORY: The two programs have played one another 12 times... Western Illinois leads the all-time series 8-4... Since Omaha joined The Summit League, WIU leads the series 3-1... Western has won five of the last six meetings all time with the one loss coming in last season's game at Omaha (Feb. 8, 2014)... Last season's game in Macomb went to ovetime with the Leathernecks coming out on top 79-72.

HOME SWEET HOME: Western is 35-12 (.745) 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 6-1 on LeRoy A. Ufkes Court.

COVINGTON FOR THREE: Sophomore guard Garret Covington had 70 three-pointers as a freshman, and has 28 so far as a sophomore... He has 98 in his career... He has played in 40 career games, has only had five games played without at least one three, and has made at least one triple in 36 games... He has 26 games with multiple three pointers... He has nine games with one trey, five 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 612 career points and averages 14.9 points per game... He has 31 games with 10 or more points, 22 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 150 assists in his young career, and averages 3.6 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 12 games this season and averages 4.8 per game... He has at least one assist in all but one of his 42 career games played... He has multiple assists in 38 of those games... Three-plus assists in 32 career games... 17 games with four-plus... Six games with five-plus... Five 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.

20-PLUS ASSISTS AS A TEAM: As a team, Western Illinois has finished three games with 20 or more assists... Most recently, the Leathernecks had 20 assists on 29 made baskets in their win over Alabama State (Dec. 13)... WIU's first game of the season with 20-plus helpers came in its game at UIC (11/17) when the Leathernecks finished with 20 assists on 24 made baskets... The second game this season in which Western had 20 or more assists was in the Leathernecks win over Greenville College (11/29) when they dished out 24 helpers on 35 made baskets... Last season, WIU had three total games with 20-plus assists, all against non-Division I opponents... Before this season, the last time WIU had 20 or more assists against a Division I opponent was Jan. 29, 2012 versus Omaha when the Leathernecks recorded 25.

INDIVIDUALLY IN THE NATION (as of Dec. 31): Two Western Illinois players rank in the top 100 of four national statistical categories: Jabari Sandifer ranks 61st in assists per game (4.9) and 89th in total assists (54)... Garret Covington ranks 68th in three-point field goal percentage (39.4) and 83rd in three-pointers per game (2.5).

INDIVIDUALLY IN THE SUMMIT LEAGUE (as of Dec. 28): Sophomore Garret Covington ranks: Second in three-pointers (28)... Fourth in free throw percentage (81.3)... Fifth in points per game (15.7)... 10th in three-point field goal percentage (39.4)... Sophomore Jabari Sandifer ranks first in assists per game (4.9) and total assists (54)... Second in assist/turnover ratio (1.7)... Mohamed Conde ranks tied for seventh in rebounds per game (6.5)... Eighth in steals per game (1.3)... Junior guard J.C. Fuller ranks 10th in free throw percentage (75.8).

PRESEASON FIRST, SECOND OR THIRD: Western Illinois recently wrapped up a five-game stretch that includes teams that were picked either first, second or third in their respective conference preseason polls... Western concluded the difficult stretch of games last Tuesday (Dec. 23) in Tennessee when they fell to the Memphis Tigers, 78-51... The Tigers were picked to finish third in the American Athletic Conference with 82 points... Before Tuesday's game, WIU opened the stretch on the road earlier this month with losses at Akron (73-49) and Cleveland State (76-54)... Akron was selected to finish first in the Mid-American Conference with 117 points (17 first-place votes)... Cleveland State was selected to finish second in the Horizon League with 335 points (9 first-place votes).... On Dec. 11, WIU beat Idaho (78-75) who was picked to finish third in the Big Sky Conference preseason poll with 97 points (2 first-place points)... In the Leathernecks' most recent action they beat Alabama State (78-68) who was picked to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference with 106 points (4 first-place votes).

TEAM LEADERS: Sophomore Garret Covington and junior Tate Stensgaard are the only two Leathernecks to have started all 12 games this season for the Leathernecks... Covington also leads the team in points per game (15.8), minutes per game (30.8), field goals (56), three-pointers (28), free throws (39), three-point field goal percentage (38.4) and free throw percentage (83.3)... Stensgaard also leads the team in field goal percentage (54.3)... Senior Mohamed Conde leads the team in rebounds per game (6.8), total defenseive rebounds (46), total offensive rebounds (29) and steals (14)... Sophomore Jabari Sandifer leads the team in assists per game (4.8).

WIU AND ITS OPPONENTS IN THE NCAA'S DAILY RPI: (as of Jan. 3): Western Illinois has an RPI of 302 in NCAA's Daily RPI... It's opponent's rankings are: 108. Memphis | 121. William and Mary | 138. South Dakota State | 144. Akron | 185. Denver | 187. North Dakota State | 199. Cleveland State | 206. Oral Roberts | 234. Alabama State | 239. Pacific | 263. UIC | 267. Fort Wayne | 268. Southeastern Louisiana | 272. Idaho | 273. Omaha | 278. South Dakota | 286. IUPUI.