MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois women's basketball team dropped a 68-61 decision to Oral Roberts inside Western Hall on Thursday, February 19. With the defeat, the Leathernecks fall to 16-10, 8-5 in Summit League play, and sit in third place in the league standings. The Golden Eagles improved to 14-13 (8-6) with the victory.

Ashley Luke's double-double led the way for the Leathernecks, as her 22 points were a team high and her 14 rebounds marked a game high. The native of Oak Creek, Wisconsin, has now tallied a double-double in seven straight contests and in 16 of the past 18 games.

Luke was joined by Tori Niemann (13 points) and Michelle Maher (10 points) in double-figures Thursday evening. For Niemann, Thursday marked the 12th time in the past 15 contests in which the senior has reached the 10-point mark while Maher has tallied 10 or more points in 14 games this year.

"Of course it's disappointing to lose at home. Oral Roberts came out and had a lot more energy, more intensity, and played a lot more physical. Jordan Gilbert just took over, 9-of-11 shooting, got to free throw line six times and made them all... 24 points out of a bench player," said head coach JD Gravina. "We have to take more pride in guarding, we've got to do a better job of early help. When you're not making free throws, everything gets a lot tougher. Offensively everything is just a grind, but we've shown we can grind out games and win. We just weren't able to do that tonight."

Western held the advantage early in the game, as the Leathernecks were able to jump out to an early 10-3 lead. Luke got the scoring started with a jumper in the paint, and Niemann followed with a quick triple, forcing a Golden Eagle timeout. Following a Oral Roberts 3-pointer, Luke hit another jumper and was backed up by three straight points at the free throw line, one by Maher and two by Niemann. The seven point advantage was the biggest lead Western would have against Oral Roberts.

Despite trailing for the first 16:50 of the opening half, Oral Roberts would take a 35-31 lead into the locker room, as the team ended the half on a 17-4 run over the final 6:33. Gilbert, who came off the bench in Thursday's contest, contributed four points in the run and would finish the game as the top scorer with 24 points.

The Purple and Gold stormed out of the gates in the opening minute of the second half to retake the lead. Niemann scored nine seconds into the half on a layup, with a nice assist coming from Maher at the top of the key. On the defensive end, Sophie Reichelt would steal an entry pass to Vicky McIntyre and answer with a triple on the offensive end. Western's 5-0 spurt would give them a slim 36-35 lead, their final lead of the night.

Oral Roberts, who took the season sweep with the victory, maintained the lead for the final 17:47 of the game en route to the seven-point decision. Western was able to trim the deficit to three points on three separate occasions down the stretch but were unable to put together a run to get back into the lead.

Western Illinois did a nice job of limiting the play of McIntyre, Oral Roberts' top player. McIntyre, who leads the nation in rebounds per game (15.7) while averaging 15.3 points per game, was held below her season averages as she finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Western Illinois will close out its home slate on Saturday, Feb. 21, as the Leathernecks play host to Denver on Senior Day. Niemann and Jenna Mueller will be recognized prior to the game, with tip-off slated for 4:30 p.m.