MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois women's basketball team entertains SIU-Edwardsville on Sunday, November 14, inside Western Hall. The in-state showdown is set to tip-off at 2:30 p.m. as part of a double header with the WIU men's team. Following a 108-46 victory to open the season, the Leathernecks look to move to 2-0, while the Cougars head to Macomb with a 1-0 record on the year.
 
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Television: ESPN3 and Leatherneck All-Access
Radio: 94.3 WRMS FM (online at wrmsfm.com)
Live Stats: sidearmstats.com/wiu/wbball
 
SCOUTING SIU-EDWARDSVILLE: The SIU-Edwardsville Cougars enter Sunday's contest with a 1-0 record following a 93-67 victory over Northern Illinois in its season opener. The Cougars, picked to win the Ohio Valley Conference this season, is led by Preseason Player of the Year Shronda Butts. Butts, who finished her junior campaign averaging 15.6 points per game and 3.2 assists per contest, opened the 2015-16 season with 17 points and eight assists in the victory over NIU. Lauren White (16 pts.), Sidney Smith (15) and Donshel Beck (13) all scored in double figures for the Cougars in the season opener. The Cougars shot 50 percent (9-of-18) from beyond the arc en route to the 26-point victory. SIU-Edwardsville is led by fourth year head coach Paula Buscher.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Sunday will mark the 14th time the Cougars and Leathernecks have met, with Western owning a 7-6 advantage in the all-time series. The two teams met in the 2012-13 season and 13-14 season before taking last year off. Prior to the 2012 meeting, the two teams had not met since January 20, 1986. The Cougars have owned the advantage in the series of late, having won four consecutive meetings.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Freshman Taylor Higginbotham scored 25 points off the bench in her first regular season collegiate game Friday (Nov. 13) night as the Leathernecks cruised past NAIA Central Methodist, 108-46. Western matched a program record with 17 made 3-pointers en route to the 62-point victory. Western starts off the season 1-0, while Central Methodist, who played the game as an exhibition, remains at 2-1. Higginbotham, a native of Germantown, Wisconsin, led all scorers Friday evening in her first regular season appearance in the Purple and Gold. She ended the night 9-of-12 from the field and 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. The freshman also added three assists and four steals in 22 minutes off the bench. As a team, the Leathernecks' 17 made 3-pointers against the Eagles matches the program record for triples in a single game (17 – vs. Culver-Stockton, 1/2/14). WIU shot 41.5 percent from beyond the arc while limiting Central Methodist to 25 percent (4-of-16).
 
NEWCOMERS SHINE IN DEBUT: In Western Illinois' season opener against Central Methodist, three Leathernecks made their Purple and Gold debut. Freshman Taylor Higginbotham came off the bench to shine, as she led all scorers with 25 points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc and 9-of-12 shooting from the field. After sitting out last year due to NCAA transfer rules, sophomore Taylor McClintock stepped onto the court for the first time against Central Methodist, finishing with 10 points in 20 minutes of action. Junior Jasmine Patrick transferred to Western following two seasons at Grossmont College, and she made an impact with 10 points and matching the game-high in rebounds with nine.
 
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.