MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks hit the road for the final two games of the regular season this weekend, taking on the top two teams in The Summit League. Western opens the final roadtrip on Thursday, February 26th, as the Leathernecks (17-10, 9-5) take on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits (19-8, 10-4). Western, who currently sits in a tie for third place in the league standings, can move into a share of second place with the Jackrabbits with a victory. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside Frost Arena. 

BROADCAST INFORMATION: 
Live Radio: Leatherneck Sports Network (92.5 FM WKXQ or wkxqfm.com)
Live Stream: GoJacks Live Events (accessible via gojacks.com)
Live Stats: GoJacks.com

SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA STATE: South Dakota State enters the contest in second place in The Summit League with a 10-4 league mark and a 19-8 overall record. Megan Waytashek (14.1 points per game), Macy Miller (14.0) and Mariah Clarin (11.8) all average in double figures scoring, while Clarin also leads the team in rebounds, bringing 7.2 per game. SDSU has outscored its opponents by an average of 9.2 points this season under 14th year head coach Aaron Johnston. SDSU is currently riding a three game winning streak, including a victory over league-leading South Dakota last time out, and are winners of seven of its past eight games.

SERIES HISTORY: Thursday will mark the 17th ever meeting between the two programs with SDSU holding a 15-1 advantage in the series. Western took the first ever meeting, a 67-60 victory, on January 14, 2008, while the Jackrabbits have claimed 15-straight. On January 21st the two teams met in Macomb with South Dakota State taking a 71-64 decision. Ashley Luke finished with a team-high 20 points and seven rebounds while Michelle Maher (11 points, four assists, no turnovers) and Liz Skotowski (11 points on 4-of-6 shooting) also contributed to the effort.

LAST TIME OUT: 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. 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 consecutive 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. 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. 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.

REPRESENTING ILLINOIS: The 2014-15 WIU record of 17-10 is one of the best this year in comparison to other universities in Illinois. Of the 10 public universities in the state of Illinois that participate in Division I women's basketball, Western Illinois' 17 victories rank as the most among the institutions. Western Illinois also has more victories over one private university (Loyola), and only trail DePaul and Northwestern (both private) for the outright lead among Illinois universities.

BEST SINCE 06: The 2014-15 season is shaping up to be the best season of Leatherneck Basketball in almost a decade. Western's 17 wins are the most wins in a single since since the 2005-06 season in which the Leathernecks went 23-7 and competed in the WNIT. The Purple and Gold have had two winning streaks reach four games long this season, the first time since the 05-06 campaign in which a Leatherneck team has had two winning streaks in a season reach four games.

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 64 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 14 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 75-straight games (through Feb. 22) 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 157 triples. 

LONG BALL AMONG NATIONS BEST: Western Illinois has found success from beyond the arc this season, having made 206 field goals from three-point range. The Leathernecks' average of 7.6 made three-point field goals per game is among the best in Division I, as the team ranks 30th nationally. The team hit 14 triples in its victory over Denver, tied for the fifth most in a game in Leatherneck history. The 206 made triples are the 4th most in a single season in Leatherneck history. 

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: 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. On the year, Western has swept a total of four opponents, as the Purple and Gold also swept IUPUI, Denver, and North Dakota State. The victory at IUPUI was the first home conference loss for the Jaguars in 2014-15, and the four sweeps are the most since the 2007-08 team that also recorded four sweeps on the season. 

FARROW HOT FROM DEEP: Redshirt freshman Michelle Farrow has been the team leader from beyond the arc this year, with a team-best 47 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 42.7% from long distance. Against Denver on Feb. 21, Farrow scored a career-high 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. The six made triples fall one shy of the program record for most three pointers made in a game. Earlier 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 Summit League 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 84.0% from the free throw line. Against Fort Wayne on Jan. 31, Ashley Luke was a perfect 14-of-14 from the charity stripe, the 2nd best FT performance in school history. Luke's 17-of-17 outing against Southeast Missouri her sophomore year is the best performance in program history. 

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 1,444 career points, the 4th most in program history, trailing Kelle Lindbeck by 42 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 44 career double-doubles are the 6th most among active Division I players, while her career average of 9.7 rebounds per game ranks 12th on the active career leaders list. Luke has scored 1,467 career points, the 13th most in Division I, and her 16.9 points per game ranks 20th most among active players.