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Western Illinois University Athletics

Remy Roberts Burnett FP
WIU Visual Productions Center
59
Winner Denver DEN 11-16, 5-9 SL
46
Western Illinois WIU 8-17, 3-11 SL
Winner
Denver DEN
11-16, 5-9 SL
59
Final
46
Western Illinois WIU
8-17, 3-11 SL
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Denver DEN 24 35 59
Western Illinois WIU 20 26 46

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

Leatherneck Men’s Basketball Falls to Denver on Saturday Night

J.C. Fuller and Jalen Chapman each finished with a team-best 10 points

Coach Wright Press Conference | Photos

MACOMB, Ill. – The Fighting Leathernecks dropped their home finale Saturday night (Feb. 21) to the Denver Pioneers, 59-46, in front of a season-best 2,154 fans.
 
Western Illinois' two senior student-athletes, Mohamed Conde and Remy Roberts-Burnett, were honored prior to the game for all of their dedication to the men's basketball program and Western Illinois University.
 
WIU jumped out to a five-point advantage, 10-5, early in the game. Denver quickly knotted things up and took a 24-20 lead into halftime. The second half was all Pioneers as DU quickly built its lead up to double digits and never looked back.
 
"This was just a frustrating night," said head coach Billy Wright. "We knew they were very efficient with their offense, their screening, their cutting, their backdoors, and everything. You have to stay totally aware and alert their entire possession. We did a pretty good job in the first half of maintaining our defensive positioning and not giving up too many open shots. But to their credit, they really out-fought us and that's the disappointing part. We'll get that corrected." 
 
Western Illinois drops to 8-17 overall and 3-11 in Summit League action after the loss, while Denver improves to 11-16 on the season and 5-9 in league action.
 
Juniors J.C. Fuller and Jalen Chapman led Western in points with 10 each. Fuller, a guard from Sioux City, Iowa, added five rebounds and two assists. Chapman, a forward from Bronx, N.Y., also added four boards, a block, and a steal.
 
Nearly earning a double-double was sophomore guard Garret Covington who finished with nine points and a team-best 10 rebounds. The Edwardsville, Ill. native also dished out a team-high three helpers in the loss.
 
Conde contributed eight points and five rebounds.
 
As a team, the Leathernecks finished with seven assists and seven turnovers. The Pioneers had 15 assists and only three turnovers.
 
Denver edged Western in rebounds, 29-28, and shot better from the field (43.8 percent – 40.0) and long range (33.3 percent – 23.5). WIU edged DU from the free throw line, 85.7 percent to 81.8.
 
The Leathernecks conclude the regular season on the road next week at IUPUI (Feb. 26) and Fort Wayne (Feb. 28).
 
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