MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois women's basketball team heads to Jacksonville, Florida, for the University of North Florida Classic, held over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The Leathernecks will play in a pair of games over the weekend, facing Towson on Friday, November 28, and Bethune-Cookman on Saturday, November 29.  Both games will tip at 1 p.m. (ET) on the campus of North Florida, the tournament hosts. 

BROADCAST INFORMATION: 
Radio: Friday vs. Towson - 94.3 WRMS FM (online at wrmsfm.com)
Saturday vs. Bethune-Cookman - 101.3 WVIL FM (online at lbsportsproductions.com)
Live Stats: sidearmstats.com/unf/wbball/

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: Towson University, located in Towson, Maryland, is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). The Tigers (1-3) picked up their first win of the season their last time out defeating Maryland-Baltimore County by a final score of 61-51. The team is led by Raven Bankston, who averages 20.8 points per game, and Daijha Thomas' team-leading 11.3 rebounds per contest. The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats are based out of Daytona Beach, Florida, and are members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The Tigers are off to a 2-3 start, securing victories over Edward Waters (67-48) and Western Carolina (66-59). The Wildcats are paced by Kendra Cooper and Taylor Houston, who average 11.5 and 11.4 points per game, respectively. 

SERIES HISTORY: This weekend will mark the first time that the Leathernecks will face both Towson and Bethune-Cookman.  

LAST TIME OUT: Michelle Maher matched her career-high of 29 points and Taylor Higginbotham notched her first career double-double Tuesday (Nov. 24) afternoon as the Western Illinois women's basketball team dropped an 89-84 decision to Southeast Missouri State. The contest was back-and-forth as the Leathernecks (3-2) and Redhawks (4-1) played through 12 ties and 11 lead changes during the second-annual 'Elementary Day'. Maher led all scorers Tuesday, scoring a season-high 29 points. The 29-point effort matched a career-high for the Park Ridge, Illinois native as she was 8-of-14 from the field and 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. The senior also added three rebounds, three assists, and three steals in 38 minutes. Higginbotham continued her strong start to her collegiate career, recording her first double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. The freshman fell three assists shy of a triple-double, as she tallied seven helpers. Tuesday marked the first time this season that Western Illinois dropped a game in which they were leading at halftime. Taylor McClintock tallied her second-straight game of 10-plus points, finishing with 15.

1,000-POINT CLUB: In Western Illinois' 78-74 victory over SIU-Edwardsville, senior Michelle Maher became the 15th 1,000-point scorer in program history when she connected on a 3-pointer with 5:08 remaining in the first quarter. Maher currently sits in 14th place on the all-time scoring list with 1,014 career points.

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. Higginbotham leads all Leathernecks this season, averaging 19.3 points per game and has scored in double figures in all four contests.

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 currently ranks eighth in program history in career assists with 337.

IMPROVEMENT UNDER GRAVINA: In his first four years at the helm of the women's basketball program, head coach JD Gravina has been one 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. Now in his fifth season, Gravina sits in in a tie for third place for career wins with 60. 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.