WHAT'S UP? The Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks head to Indianapolis, Indiana, to conclude a three game road-trip this Saturday, February 14. The Leathernecks (15-9, 7-4 Summit League) are set to take on IUPUI (12-12, 7-4 Summit League) in a crucial league matchup, as both teams are tied for second in The Summit League standings. Western, winners of the first meeting between the two schools, looks to take the regular season sweep of the Jaguars. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. inside The Jungle. 

BROADCAST INFORMATION: 
Live Radio: Leatherneck Sports Network (92.5 FM WKXQ or wkxqfm.com)
Live Stream: IUPUI Live (accessible via iupuijags.com/watch)
Live Stats: Iupuijags.com

SCOUTING IUPUI: The Jaguars are one of the hottest teams in The Summit League, as they have won five out of their last six games, with the one loss coming to Western Illinois. IUPUI's five recent wins include a victory over first-place South Dakota. Three Jaguars average in double figures on the year, as Nevena Markovic (11.0), Akilah Sims (10.5), and Shaquira Scott (10.0) lead the offensive attack. Markovic is also the team's top rebounder, bringing in 6.2 boards per contest. The Jags are led by Austin Parkinson, a former Purdue standout, who is in his fifth season at the helm.

SERIES HISTORY: Western Illinois leads the all-time series 25-12, and look to claim the regular season sweep over IPUI this season. After dropping its past five contests to the Jaguars, Western Illinois closed out the first half of Summit League play with a 73-62 victory inside Western Hall back on Jan. 29. Four players scored in double figures as Ashley Luke's double double (23 points, 10 rebounds) led the way. She was joined by Tori Niemann, Michelle Maher, and Sophie Reichelt, as all three Leathernecks recorded 11 points.

LAST TIME OUT: The Western Illinois women's basketball team took its four-game winning streak into Omaha on Sunday (Feb. 8) afternoon. The Leathernecks fought back to regain the lead late in the game only to see the victory slip away in the closing minutes, dropping a 54-51 decision to Omaha. Western Illinois moved to 15-9 overall, and 7-4 in Summit League action, with the decision, while Omaha improved to 2-9 in The Summit League (7-16 overall). Both teams got off to a slow start with the Mavs leading 13-11 midway through the first half. However, the Leathernecks would soon start to warm up, using a 10-0 run to jump ahead of Omaha. Sophie Reichelt opened with the first five points of the run with a triple from the left wing and a pull-up jumper in the paint. A layup from Tori Niemann and a three pointer from Michelle Maher ensued, and the Leathernecks were quickly on top 21-17 with five minutes left in the half. The sharp shooting would cool off as the Mavericks took a slim 26-24 lead into halftime. Western struggled shooting the ball as they went 9-of-35 (25.7%) from the field and just 3-of-11 from beyond the arc in the first half. After the break, Omaha maintained its advantage over Western, eventually building the lead to 11 points with 9:14 remaining in the game. However, Western would once again rise to the occasion and storm back to take the lead. Over the span of 4:13, Western used a 12-0 to come all the way back from 11 points down to take a one-point lead at 49-48 with just over 3 minutes remaining. The lead wouldn't last, and Omaha would claim the lead in the closing minutes. With 11 seconds left in the game, and the Purple and Gold trailing by three, Western had one final look to tie things up. Luke found Clemens in the left corner as time ticked down, and a shot fake would leave the freshman point guard with a good look to send the game to overtime. The attempt was no good, and Omaha walked away with the three-point victory.

THE STREAK CONTINUES: Dating back to the end of her freshman campaign, Ashley Luke has been one of the most consistent players in the country, as she has registered 61 straight games of 10 or more points. During the streak, Luke has scored exactly 10 points twice, 11-15 points 14 times, 16-20 points 23 times, 21-25 points 11 times, 25-30 points seven times, and 31+ points four times. Her career-high is 35 points, which she scored against South Dakota in the first round of the 2014 Summit League Tournament. Luke's streak is the second-longest known streak in the nation, with Kelsey Minato of Army's streak of 72-straight games (as of Feb. 13) being the only known streak longer than Luke's.

MAHER BREAKS THE RECORD: In Western Illinois' victory over Denver on Jan. 15, Michelle Maher became the program leader in career three pointers, passing Amanda Walker for the top spot. A 5-of-7 shooting performance against the Pioneers gave Maher 147 career three pointers, surpassing Walker's career total of 146. In her career, Maher has knocked down 155 triples. 

LONG BALL AMONG NATIONS BEST: Western Illinois has found success from beyond the arc this season, having made 191 field goals from three-point range. The Leathernecks' average of 8.0 made three-point field goals per game is among the best in Division I, as the team ranks 2nd nationally. The team hit 14 triples in its victory over Denver, tied for the fifth most in a game in Leatherneck history.

LUKE NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: It was announced on Feb. 5 that junior Ashley Luke was a CoSIDA Capital One Academic-All District selection. Luke is one of five nominees for the All-District team from District 5, which includes all Division I schools in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. Luke and the four other selections will now be eligible for Academic All-American honors, in which Luke was a 2013-14 Third Team Academic All-American a season ago. 

NONCONFERENCE SUCCESS: Western Illinois posted an 8-5 nonconference mark this season, one of the best nonconference records in recent history for the Leathernecks. The eight wins matches the most nonconference wins under JD Gravina, as his squad a year ago also recorded eight wins. The .615 winning percentage in nonconference games this season is the best winning percentage for a Leatherneck team since the 2005-06 team that went on to finish 23-7 and claim the Mid-Con regular season title.

LEATHERNECKS SWEEP MASTODONS: On January 31, Western Illinois knocked off Fort Wayne by a 59-55 final. The victory completed the season-sweep for Western Illinois over the Mastodons, after picking up a 98-85 road win to open league play. The pair of wins gives Western Illinois its first-ever regular season sweep of Fort Wayne. 

DISHING THE ROCK: Coach JD Gravina said that he would like to see junior Michelle Maher lead the league in assists this season, and she is in contention for the top spot. Maher currently ranks second the league in assists per game with 4.4 assists per contest. Maher also does a great job of not turning the ball over, as her 2.0 assist to turnover ratio also ranks second in the  league (50th nationally).

FARROW HOT FROM DEEP: Redshirt freshman Michelle Farrow has been the team leader from beyond the arc this year, with a team-best 40 made three pointers. Farrow was hot from deep during a six game stretch for the Leathernecks (Nov. 29 through Dec. 21), as Farrow shot 65% from three-point range (17-of-26). On the year Farrow is shooting 41.7% from long distance. At one point this season, Farrow was fourth nationally in three-point field goal percentage. 

KNOCKING EM DOWN FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE: The Leatherneck went 4-0 to open 2015 and much of the success can be attributed to the team's performance at the free throw line. In the four games, the team shot a combined 86% from the free throw line. Western Illinois was 9-of-10 against Eureka, went 19-of-20 to end nonconference against Milwaukee, was 35-40 in the conference opener against Fort Wayne, and shot 19-of-25 against Omaha. Combined, the team was 82-of-95 during the stretch. This season, Tori Niemann is shooting a team-best 85.1% from the free throw line.

LUKE JOINS 1,000 POINT CLUB: Junior Ashley Luke entered Leatherneck history during Western Illinois' contest against Florida Atlantic on Nov. 24, as she became just the 14th player in program history to record 1,000 career points. Luke becomes the first Leatherneck to join the club since Zane Teilane, who was a member of Western Illinois from 2003-2006. Currently, Luke has 1,397 career points, the 5th most in program history, trailing Tiffany Cornelious by 15 points for 4th on the all-time list.

ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS: In just over two seasons at Western Illinois Ashley Luke has proven herself to be one of the top players in today's game. Her 41 career double-doubles are the 8th most among active Division I players, while her career average of 9.5 rebounds per game ranks 12th on the active career leaders list. Luke has scored 1,397 career points, the 12th most in Division I, and her 16.6 points per game ranks 17th most among active players.

UMKC DRAWS RECORD CROWD: Western Illinois' first ever 'Elementary Day' was a success on and off the court, with over 1,000 students in attendance as the Leathernecks hosted UMKC on November 25. With the aid of the students, the game drew 1,443 fans inside Western Hall, a new women's basketball attendance record.

BY THE NUMBERS: In head coach JD Gravina's tenure, the Leathernecks are 42-17 when scoring at least 70 points. When scoring 69-or-fewer points, Western is 13-43 over the same timespan. The Leathernecks also know how to close out a late lead, as they are 46-5 under Gravina when leading with five minutes remaining.

LEATHERNECKS GARNER PRESEASON RECOGNITION: Junior forward Ashley Luke and junior guard Michelle Maher each collected preseason accolades in The Summit League annual preseason voting. Luke was named the league's 'Preseason Player of the Year' while also being named a Fourth Team All Mid-Major selection by collegesportsmadness.com. ESPNW also named Luke as one of the top-10 mid-major players to watch this upcoming season. Maher was tabbed Summit League Preseason Second Team. The Leathernecks were slated to finish fourth this season according to the poll. The fourth place projection is the highest mark for the Leatherneck program since the 2006-07 season when the Purple and Gold were picked to finish fourth as well.

RECORD BREAKERS: The Leathernecks broke seven program records a season ago, with junior Ashley Luke single-handedly breaking five program records. Luke set the top mark in points scored (623), scoring average (20.8), field goals made (223), free throws made (177) and free throws attempted (255). As a team, the Fighting Leathernecks set program records in points scored (2,392) and field goals made (846).

IMPROVEMENT UNDER GRAVINA: In his three years at the helm of the Leatherneck basketball program, head coach JD Gravina has recorded more wins (26) in his first two years at Western Illinois than any other coach in program history, while his 40 wins in his first three years ranks second all-time for most wins over the first three years (Leslie Crane, 41, 1998-00). Gravina has also produced three All-Summit League selections as well as two 'Newcomers of the Year'. 

LUKE LANDS LINCOLN LAUREATE: It was announced on Oct. 29 that junior forward Ashley Luke (Oak Creek, Wisconsin) had been named the Western Illinois University recipient of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois' Student Laureate Award for 2014. The award, presented annually to an outstanding senior of each of Illinois' four-year degree-granting institutions, honors a student's overall academic excellence and extracurricular activities. Luke, a senior political science and journalism double major, will also be named the College Scholar for the WIU College of Arts and Sciences this semester and plans to pursue a master's degree in economics from Western.

ROSTER ADDITIONS: The team welcomes five new members to the program this season. Jenna Mueller has been added to the program as a graduate school transfer and will be immediately eligible for Western Illinois after appearing in 85 career games for Saint Louis University. Junior Krystal Corhn will also be immediately eligible to play this season after transferring from Highland Community College. Sophomore Taylor McClintock joins the Western family after spending her freshman year at Mercer and will redshirt this upcoming season to meet NCAA transfer requirements. The program added two freshmen to the roster in Emily Clemens and Tayler Miller. Clemens, a native of Muscatine, Iowa, was a two-time All-State honoree, earning First Team honors her senior year. As a senior, Clemens was also named the 'Conference Player of the Year'. Miller hails from St. Louis, Missouri where she concluded her high school career as the program's all-time leading scorer and rebounder.  

SUCCESS IN THE CLASSROOM: Western Illinois excelled in the classroom this past season, posting the fifth-highest GPA among Division I women's basketball programs. The Leathernecks recorded a cumulative team GPA of 3.607, highest among all programs in The Summit League. Five current members of the team were named to The Summit League Academic Honor in 2013-14, posting a minimum 3.0 grade point average. Of the five, three earned the Distinguished Scholar award: Ashley Luke, Tori Niemann and Liz Skotowski. During the Spring 2014 semester Michelle Farrow, Luke, and Niemann earned a 4.0 GPA.

BASKETBALL INKS ONE FOR 2015: Head coach JD Gravina announced that Taylor Higginbotham (Germantown, Wis., Germantown) has signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Western Illinois women's basketball program in 2015. Higginbotham, a 5-10 guard, averaged 13.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.7 steals per game last season for the Warhawks. Higginbotham is also a member of the Wisconsin Lakers AAU team which produced current Leathernecks Ashley Luke, Faith Lois, and Michelle Farrow.

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN: The Leathernecks will compete in a total of 29 regular season games as well as one exhibition game in 2014-15. Western will play 14 regular season games at home in Western Hall and will hit the road for 15 contests. The Leathernecks have a schedule that includes marquee match-ups against teams from the SEC (Missouri), Big East (Marquette), Conference USA (Florida Atlantic), and Horizon League (UIC).  

LEROY A. UFKES COURT: Western Hall, home of the men's and women's basketball programs, received a new court this offseason thanks to a donation from the family of a Western Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame member. LeRoy A. Ufkes Court is named after the 1996 Hall of Fame inductee, a supporter of the WIU Athletic Department for over 25 years. The new look is thanks to a donation from Joan Ufkes and the late LeRoy Ufkes. 

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.