MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks take their four-game winning streak to Omaha, Nebraska on Sunday, February 8, for a Summit League contest against the Omaha Mavericks. Western Illinois enters the contest in second place in The Summit League standings with a 7-3 league record (15-8 overall), while the Mavs are 1-9 in the league (6-16 overall) and sit in last place in The Summit League. Western Illinois, who has secured regular season sweeps over Fort Wayne and North Dakota State this season, look to pick up a sweep against the Mavs after claiming a 71-56 victory in Macomb earlier this spring. Tip-off inside Sapp Fieldhouse is set for 2 p.m.

BROADCAST INFORMATION: 
Live Radio: Leatherneck Sports Network (94.3 FM WRMS or wrmsfm.com)
Live Stream: Mavericks Live Events (accessible via omavs.com)
Live Stats: Omvas.com

SCOUTING OMAHA The Mavs are currently 6-16 overall and 1-9 in Summit League play. Omaha, currently on a five-game losing streak, is led by Brittany Lange in her second season at the helm of the program. Two players, Mikaela Shaw and Brianna Bogard, average in double figures as the score 13.7 and 10.2 points per game, respectively. Shaw is the team's leading rebounder, as she brings in 8.6 boards per contest. Taijhe Kelly does a great job protecting the basket, as she has 66 blocks on the season. Last time out, the Mavs dropped a 66-52 home contest to Oral Roberts.

SERIES HISTORY: Western Illinois leads the all-time series 5-2, and have claimed the last three meetings. This is the second meeting between the two program this season, with Western Illinois picking up a 71-56 victory over Omaha back on Jan. 4 inside Western Hall. Ashley Luke recorded a double-double as she had 16 points and 17 rebounds in the victory. Michelle Farrow was 5-of-6 from beyond the arc and ended with 17 points, while Tori Niemann ended with 14 points. The Leathernecks committed six turnovers in the game, the second-fewest in program history.

LAST TIME OUT: The Western Illinois women's basketball team secured a regular-season sweep of North Dakota State on Friday (Feb. 6) evening, as the Leathernecks held off the Bison for a 66-60 victory. Western has now won four consecutive games in Summit League play, and sit in sole possession of second place in the league with a 7-3 record (15-8 overall). Sophie Reichelt, who had a career-day the last time the two teams met back on Jan. 24, continued her stellar play against the Bison as she recorded her second consecutive double double (18 points, 11 rebounds). She was joined in the double double category by Ashley Luke who recorded a career-high 19 rebounds while adding 17 points. In a game where neither team led by more than six points at any point, it was the Leathernecks who held the final advantage. With the Bison holding a slim 53-50 lead following a Brooke LeMar floater in the paint, the Leathernecks made their move. Michelle Farrow came down on the next possession and knocked down a three that would spark a mini 6-0 run. A few possessions later, Luke would convert the old-fashioned three point play, as she was fouled while easing in a layup. The spurt gave Western a narrow three-point advantage, a lead the team would not relinquish in the final 8:40 of the game. The Bison would make things interesting, as they cut the deficit to 62-60 with just under two minutes remaining after LeMar (who led all scorers with 25 points) made one of two free throws and Holly Johnson hit a pull-up jumper in the paint. With 54 seconds remaining in the game, a Western pass was deflected out of bounds, leaving three seconds left on the shot clock. Tori Niemann was left wide open for an easy lay-in to push the Purple and Gold lead back up to four at 64-60. After the Bison came up empty on their final three possessions, Emily Clemens sealed the victory with a fast break layup with two seconds remaining to secure the 66-60 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 60 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 22 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 70-straight games (as of Feb. 4) 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.

LONG BALL AMONG NATIONS BEST: Western Illinois has found success from beyond the arc this season, having made 188 field goals from three-point range. The Leathernecks' average of 8.2 made three-point field goals per game is among the best in Division I, as the team ranks 17th 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. 

NON-CONFERENCE 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 non-conference wins under JD Gravina, as his squad a year ago also recorded eight wins. The .615 winning percentage in non-conference 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, and ranks 72nd nationally, with 4.5 assists per game. 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 (55th 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 43.3% 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 was 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 non-conference against Milwaukee, was 35-of-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.

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 40 career double-doubles are the 8th most among active Division I players, while her career average of 9.4 rebounds per game ranks 12th on the active career leaders list. Luke has scored 1,378 career points, the 11th most in Division I, and her 16.6 points per game ranks 13th 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 13-42 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.