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Western Illinois University Athletics

Jenna Mueller Tori Niemann
WIU Visual Productions Center
56
Denver DEN 8-20, 5-9
75
Winner Western Illinois WIU 17-10, 9-5
Denver DEN
8-20, 5-9
56
Final
75
Western Illinois WIU
17-10, 9-5
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Denver DEN 26 30 56
Western Illinois WIU 42 33 75

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

Leathernecks Send Seniors Out in Style with 75-56 Victory over Denver

Tori Niemann and Jenna Mueller honored as Leathernecks cruise past Pioneers on Senior Day

MACOMB, Ill. - The last home game for Western Illinois women's basketball seniors Tori Niemann and Jenna Mueller will be one to remember as the Leathernecks closed out the home portion of their schedule Saturday (Feb. 21) afternoon with a 75-56 victory over Denver. The 19-point victory moves the Leathernecks to 17-10 overall, 9-5 in The Summit League, while Denver falls to 8-20 (5-9).

"Obviously that was a really good team win and a really good defensive effort," said head coach JD Gravina. "They (Denver) are a good offensive team and shoot the ball really well and we held them to 56 points. I thought we did really good job with our improvements from against Oral Roberts, having better initial position, being down, and having good defensive posture." 

Ashley Luke continued her MVP-caliber season as she finished the game with 23 points, 16 rebounds, six assists, four steals, and a block. The Oak Creek, Wisconsin, native has now scored in double figures in 64 consecutive games, while her double-double streak has been extended to eight consectuive contests. Luke has recorded a double-double in 17 of the last 19 contests.

Michelle Farrow recorded a season-high 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting from behind the arc. The six made triples is tied for the second-most made three point field goals in a single game (7, set on five separate occasions). Faith Lois tied her season-high as she was the third Leatherneck in double-figures, scoring 10 points against the Pioneers.

"We had a lot of kids step up and have good games," added Gravina. "Ashley, had one of her most efficient games. A lot of times people just look at her numbers where she has this many points and rebounds, but that doesn't mean that someone has a good game. Tonight, 8-of-10 shooting, 7-of-9 from the free throw line, and six assists. That's a really good double-double. And then obviously Michelle Farrow came out of her shooting slump with a vengeance. Six threes, that was really fun to watch. We were doing a really good job of getting her the ball. Faith Lois, I thought, had a really good game for us off the bench."

The Leathernecks, who never trailed in Saturday's contest, were tested early by the Pioneers as the Purple and Gold only had a two point lead through the first 10 minutes of action. However, Western was able to pull away using a 20-9 run to end the half. Lois contributed a pair of triples while Farrow knocked one in from beyond the arc to fuel the scoring run. As the teams headed to the locker room, Western maintained a 42-26 advantage over Denver. 

In the opening minutes of the second half Western Illinois was able to put the game out of hand thanks to a 12-0 run. Luke converted the old-fashioned three-point play to get the run started as she was fouled converting on a jumper. Farrow went on fire immediately after as she hit triples on three-straight possessions for the Purple and Gold. All three of Farrow's triples came from Luke assists. Fifteen of Farrow's 18 points came in the second half as she was 5-of-6 from behind the arc in the final 20 minutes. 

Western was able to build the lead to as many as 29 points throughout the course of the second half before finishing off the 19-point victory. With 1:29 remaining in the game, Niemann and Mueller were substituted out to a thunderous round of applause from 1,292 Leatherneck fans. The crowd total ranks as the third-highest attended women's game in Western Hall history.

The Leathernecks, who improved to 9-1 in games following a loss, shot 43.5% from the field, 37.5% from three, and 80% from the charity stripe. Western dominated the paint, as they out-rebounded the Pioneers, 45-35, while outscoring them down low, 34-6.

Head coach JD Gravina's squad picked up its 11th victory inside Western Hall this season, tied for the second-most home victories in program history, and one victory shy of the school record of 12 (set twice, 2002-03 and 2004-05). 

Western closes out the regular season with a pair of road contests next weekend. Western Illinois hits the road for contests against South Dakota State (Feb. 26) and South Dakota (Feb. 28) before beginning postseason play with The Summit League Tournament, held March 7-10 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
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