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Western Illinois University Athletics

Covington FP
64
Winner North Dakota State NDSU 15-7, 7-2 SL
62
Western Illinois WIU 8-12, 3-6 SL
Winner
North Dakota State NDSU
15-7, 7-2 SL
64
Final
62
Western Illinois WIU
8-12, 3-6 SL
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
North Dakota State NDSU 36 28 64
Western Illinois WIU 29 33 62

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | WIU Athletic Communications

Comeback Effort Falls Short for Western Illinois Men’s Basketball

The Leathernecks dropped Sunday’s league contest 64-62 to North Dakota State

Coach Wright Postgame Radio Interview | Coach Wright Postgame Press Conference | Photos

MACOMB, Ill. – The Fighting Leathernecks' comeback effort fell short Sunday afternoon (Feb. 1) as North Dakota State defeated Western Illinois 64-62 inside Western Hall.
 
"We all feel bad, we all feel disappointed," said head coach Billy Wright. "We feel like we could have won this game tonight. Obviously we're not into moral victories, but at the same time I feel like my team is definitely improving. We didn't play our best but we still had an opportunity to win. We did some good things out there, we just didn't do enough to win."
 
After trailing by 11 points early in the second half, Western took its first lead of the game with only 2:54 remaining in regulation thanks to a 7-0 run. NDSU quickly grabbed the advantage back and held on to it for the remainder of the contest. WIU had two possessions in the final minute of action to tie the game or take the lead, but were unable to capitalize.
 
North Dakota State remains in second place in the league standings after the win and improved to 15-7 overall on the year, and 7-2 league in league play. Western falls to 8-12 overall and 3-6 in league action.
 
Garret Covington, a sophomore guard from Edwardsville, Ill, led WIU in scoring with 13 points. He also had two assists, two rebounds and a steal.
 
Junior guards J.C. Fuller and Jamie Batish each finished with 12 points. Fuller added a team-high four assists, two rebounds and a steal. Batish, who connected on 4-of-5 three-point attempts, grabbed three rebounds and recorded one assist.
 
Jabari Sandifer finished with 10 points. The sophomore guard from Naperville, Ill. also had five rebounds and three assists.
 
Western shot better than NDSU from the field (43.8 percent – 40.0) and the three-point line (53.3 percent – 37.5). Neither team was successful from the free throw line as WIU made only 12-of-20 free throws (60.0 percent) and NDSU made only 14-of-21 (66.7 percent).
 
North Dakota State had more rebounds (37-32) than Western, more steals (7-3) and less turnovers (7-10). Western dished out more assists (14-10) and had three blocks to NDSU's one.
 
Western hits the road for its next three games beginning with a contest at South Dakota Thursday night (Feb. 5) at 7 p.m.

 
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