MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois women's basketball team opens the 2015-16 season on Friday, November 13, as the Leathernecks play host to Central Methodist. WIU, who picked up a pair of exhibition victories over William Woods and Truman State in the preseason, will tip off at 7 p.m. inside Western Hall. Friday's contest marks the first of 14 regular season home events for the Purple and Gold. Friday's game will be played as an exhibition for Central Methodist, a NAIA member.

BROADCAST INFORMATION: 
Television: Leatherneck All-Access
Radio: 92.5 WKXQ FM (online at wkxqfm.com)
Live Stats: Live Stats

SCOUTING CENTRAL METHODIST: The Central Methodist Eagles, a NAIA member, are located in Fayette, Missouri. Central Methodist has one regular season contest under its belt this season, a 76-48 victory over Hannibal-LaGrange at home. DaJonee Hale led the way with 21 points, five rebounds, and four steals in only 18  minutes. A trio of Eagles tallied nine points (Morgan Edwads, Lexie Moe, Alayah Cooper-Johnson), while  Edwards led the way with six rebounds. After owning a 24-12 lead after the first quarter of play, Central Methodists' defense clamped down, limiting Hannibal-LaGrange to nine points in the second quarter to take a 46-21 lead into halftime. In the second half Central Methodist was able to cruise to the 28 point victory. The Eagles are led by first year head coach Mike Davis. 

SERIES HISTORY: Friday will mark the first ever meeting between the Leathernecks and the Central Methodist Eagles.

LAST TIME OUT: The Leatherneck women's basketball team closed out their exhibition schedule Thursday (Nov. 5) evening, as Western Illinois entertained Division II Truman State. Western's defense clamped down on the Bulldogs, picking up a 63-41 victory. The Purple and Gold, who never trailed Thursday evening, limited Truman State to 21.1 percent shooting (12-of-57). Western's defense hounded the Bulldogs all night, forcing 19 turnovers while collecting 13 steals. Western's offense was well distributed, as four players tallied double figures. Sophie Reichelt recorded her second double-double in as many games, finishing with 13 rebounds and 10 points. Michelle Maher led all scorers with 15 points, while Michelle Farrow and Taylor McClintock each added 13 points.

MAHER EARNS PRESEASON RECOGNITION: Senior guard Michelle Maher earned preseason accolades leading up to the start of the season, as she was named Preseason Second Team All-Summit League. Maher enters her final season in the Purple and Gold as Western's all-time leader in three-point field goals. As a junior, Maher led the team in assists (122) and minutes per game (30.5). A three-year starter for Western, Maher ranks eighth in program history in career assists with 313.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: As a team, the Leathernecks led The Summit League in three different categories a season ago, ranking first in steals per game (8.4), fewest turnovers per game (14.0) and fewest fouls per game (15.1). Individually, Maher ranked second in the league in assist/turnover ratio with a mark of 1.7.

IMPROVEMENT UNDER GRAVINA: In his first four years at the helm of the women's basketball program, head coach JD Gravina has been on of the most successful coaches in program history, as his 57 career wins in four seasons at Western are tied for the most of any coach over their first three seasons in charge. As Gravina enters his fifth season, he sits in fourth place for career wins, four victories shy of moving into third place. Gravina's 2014-15 squad ended the season with a 10-4 mark inside Western Hall, which ranked as tied for the second-most home victories since the 2004-05 team posted a perfect 12-0 mark at home.

LEATHERNECKS INK TWO: Head coach JD Gravina announced the signing of guards Sam Pryor and Andi Pierce on Thursday, November 12. Pryor and Pierce, who will both wrap up their prep careers this spring, will join the Leatherneck family in the fall of 2016. Pryor, a 6'0" guard, is a native of Elgin, Illinois. A member of Burlington Central High School, Pryor was an All-Conference selection as a junior and an All-Area honoree the past three seasons. As a sophomore, Pryor was named Second Team AP All-State, and Third Team IBCA All-State. As a junior, she repeated as a Second Team AP All-State selection, while also being named to the IBCA Second Team All-State team. Pierce, a 5'11" guard, is a native of Garber, Oklahoma. As a junior for Garber High School, Pierce averaged 23.4 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per contest for the Wolverines. Pierce shot 48 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc. Pierce also made a team-high 50 3-pointers, while also leading the team in steals and assists.

ROSTER ADDITIONS: The Leathernecks welcome four new members to the roster for the 2014-15 season. Junior Jasmine Patrick joins the team following two seasons at Grossmont College (Calif). A five-year active member of the U.S. Navy, Patrick will be immediately eligible. Juniors Olivia Braun (Toledo) and Morgan Blumer (Florida Gulf Coast) transfer into the program with two years of eligibility remaining, and will sit out the entire 2015-16 season to fulfill NCAA transfer requirements. Western signed one player to a National Letter of Intent in freshman Taylor Higginbotham. Higginbotham, a native of Germantown, Wisconsin, went 51-8 last year with the Wisconsin Lakers AAU 'White' Team. She led the team in three-point field goals her last two seasons with the Lakers and was a four-time USJN All-Pool selection.

STAFF ADDITIONS: Head coach JD Gravina announced prior to the start of the 2015-16 season the Sydney Crafton had been added to the staff as an assistant coach. Crafton, a four-year standout at Missouri, was a college teammate of former Leatherneck Tori Niemann. She appeared in 96 career games, making 63 starts, and started in 27 of Mizzou's 30 games her senior season. A captain her final season in Columbia, Crafton led the team in field goal percentage (53.4) while finishing third on the team in scoring (9.6 ppg) and rebounding (5.3 rpg).

WHAT IS A LEATHERNECK?: Western Illinois holds the distinction of being the only non-military institution to officially have its nickname derived from a branch of the military service. The school began use of the Marine Corps' official nickname, "The Fighting Leathernecks", in 1927 when then-athletic director and head baseball, basketball and football coach Ray "Rock" Hanson was granted permission by the U.S. Navy, based on his status as a Marine hero, to use the Marine's official seal, bulldog mascot and nickname.