MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois women's basketball team kicks off its final regular season roadtrip this weekend with a pair of Summit League contests. Western opens the weekend with a Thursday, February 18 contest at South Dakota before capping the trip with a Saturday, February 20, game at Oral Roberts. Western Illinois will look to avenge a home loss to the Coyotes, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. in the DakotaDome. Western will be going for the season sweep of the Golden Eagles, with a 2 p.m. tipoff set inside the Mabee Center.

BROADCAST INFORMATION:
at South Dakota
Radio: 94.3 WRMS FM and 104.1 WMQZ FM
(also available online at wrmsfm.com)
Video: Coyotes Live
Live Stats: GoYotes.com

at Oral Roberts
Radio: 92.5 WKXQ FM and 104.1 WMQZ FM
(also available online at wkxqfm.com)
Video: ORU Sports Network
Live Stats: ORUAthletics.com

SERIES HISTORY: Western trails the all-time series with South Dakota, 9-1, with the Coyotes claiming the last five meetings between the two. The two teams met back on January 27 in Macom with South Dakota picking up a 102-77 victory. Michelle Maher led the way offensively with a team high 18 points and seven assists. Nicole Seekamp tallied a double-double (18 points, 10 assists) to pace USD. Western and Oral Roberts rang in the New Year, and the start of Summit League play, on Janury 1 in Macomb. Taylor Higginbotham dropped a team-high 21 points and three blocks to lead the charge. Western now trails in the all-time series, 21-18.

PROTECT THE ROCK, DISH THE ROCK: The Purple and Gold are one of the top teams nationally when it comes to handling the basketball. Western Illinois turns the ball over only 11.3 times per game, the fifth fewest in the country. The Leathernecks tally 14.8 assists per game, 2nd best in The Summit League, to record a 1.30 assist to turnover ratio, 10th-best in DI. Michelle Maher and Emily Clemens lead the charge, as each tally a 2.12 assist to turnover ratio. Maher's 4.2 assists per game rank second in The Summit League.

THREES FOR DAYS: The Leathernecks are one of the most prolific 3-point shooting teams in the country, as the team ranks fourth nationally in 3-point field goals attempted (715), sixth in 3-point field goals made (229), and eighth in threes per game (9.6). Four Leathernecks (Sophie Reichelt, Taylor Higginbotham, Michelle Maher, and Taylor McClintock) have tallied at least 30 triples on the year, led by Maher's 42.

SENIOR LEADERS: The Leathernecks are led by a pair of veteran seniors in Michelle Maher and Sophie Reichelt. Reichelt currently leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 15.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while Maher, who has started 112-of-114 career games played (out of 115 possible games) at Western, ranks second in scoring (14.5 ppg). Maher also runs the offense, as her 106 assists are tops for the Leathernecks. 

THE RISE OF CLEMENS: Emily Clemens averaged 5 points and 2.4 assists off the bench as a freshman. This year, Clemens has started every game, seeing her minutes per game rise by over 10 a game. On the court, Clemens has upped her scoring average to 10.9, assist average to 3.6, and has surpassed her steal total from a season ago (31) with 58 this year. Clemens had a stretch this season where she scored 10 or more points in seven straight contests, including a career-high 27 points against North Dakota State.

1,000-POINT CLUB: In Western Illinois' 78-74 victory over SIU-Edwardsville, senior Michelle Maher became the 15th 1,000-point scorer in program history when she connected on a 3-pointer with 5:08 remaining in the first quarter. Maher currently sits in 8th place on the all-time scoring list with 1,346 career points.

TAYLOR TIMES TWO: Freshman Taylor Higginbotham and sophomore Taylor McClintock, both newcomers to the WIU program this season, have felt right at home in the Leatherneck offense. In her first collegiate game, Higginbotham came off the bench and led all scorers with 25 points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc and 9-of-12 shooting from the field in a victory over Central Methodist. The freshman ranks third on the team in scoring (12.4 ppg) and has tallied 10 or more points in 17 games this year. After sitting out last year due to NCAA transfer rules, McClintock has been a key bench presence for the Purple and Gold, as she is fifth on the team in scoring, averaging 7.8 points per game. McClintock has hit the 10-point mark on 11 occasions this year, including a career-high 17 against South Dakota

MILITARY TIES: Junior Jasmine Patrick truly embodies Western Illinois' military lineage. Prior to enrolling in college, Patrick spent five years serving active duty in the U.S. Navy.

MAHER EARNS PRESEASON RECOGNITION: Senior guard Michelle Maher earned preseason accolades leading up to the start of the season, as she was named Preseason Second Team All-Summit League. Maher, who is the all-time leader in made 3-point field goals, is also climbing the career assists list. The Park Ridge, Illinois, native currently ranks second all-time with 419 helpers.

IMPROVEMENT UNDER GRAVINA: In his first four years at the helm of the women's basketball program, head coach JD Gravina has been one of the most successful coaches in program history, as his 57 career wins in four seasons at Western are tied for the most of any coach over their first three seasons in charge. Now in his fifth season, Gravina sits in in third place for career wins with 71. Gravina's 2014-15 squad ended the season with a 10-4 mark inside Western Hall which ranked as tied for the second-most home victories since the 2004-05 team posted a perfect 12-0 mark at home.

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.