MACOMB, Ill. – The Western Illinois women's basketball team secured its sixth victory of the season Saturday (Dec. 5) afternoon, defeating Ashford University by a final score of 86-58. The Leathernecks (6-3) used a third quarter in which the team outscored Ashford (1-7) by 16 points to help tally the 28-point victory.
 
Four Leathernecks scored 10 or more points Saturday, as Sophie Reichelt (21), Michelle Maher (17), Taylor Higginbotham (16), and Emily Clemens (13) led the way. Clemens tallied a season-high and matched a career-high with the 13 points Saturday, while Higginbotham scored in double figures for the eighth time in nine games.
 
"I thought that the starting group did a did a great job in the third quarter to come of the locker room and make a really good run and played hard defensively," said head coach JD Gravina. "The big thing is that we gave up 19 points in the second quarter and a lot of those were on one-on-one plays and not staying low, not staying disciplined. It was a real energy booster for us in the third when we brought in fresh legs."
 
Western Illinois, who never trailed Saturday, jumped out to an early 18-8 lead over the visiting Saints, a NAIA institution located in Clinton, Iowa. Higginbotham's triple with 3:08 remaining capped a 7-0 WIU run, with Reichelt and Michelle Farrow notching layups prior to Higginbotham's long ball. The Purple and Gold would finish the day with 12 triples, matching their season average, a number that ranks second nationally.
 
After Ashford cut the lead to five midway through the second quarter, Western expanded the lead to double digits once again, as a 13-5 run pushed the WIU advantage to 13 with 27 seconds remaining. The Leathernecks would lead by double figures the rest of the way Saturday.
 
Western Illinois put the game out of reach in the third quarter, as the Purple and Gold outscored Ashford, 28-12. The 16-point advantage was built behind a 17-2 Leatherneck run during the quarter. Three different Leathernecks, Maher, Farrow, and Mallory Boyle, combined to tally four triples during the scoring spree. Maher scored a team-high nine points in the quarter, while Reichelt added six points and four rebounds. The Purple and Gold shot 64.7 percent (11-of-17) from the field while limiting Ashford to just 3-of-10 shooting.
 
Western Illinois did a phenomenal job holding onto the ball against the Saints, as the team committed seven turnovers on the afternoon. The number ranked tied for the fourth fewest in program history, two shy of the program record for fewest turnovers in a game. Maher and Clemens once again directed the offense to near perfection, as the duo accounted for seven assists and one turnover.
 
The Purple and Gold head north their next time out, as Western travels to Grand Forks to take on the University of North Dakota. Tip-off on Tuesday, December 8, is set for 7 p.m.
 

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