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Western Illinois University Athletics

Michelle Maher
WIU Visual Productions Center
89
NDSU NDSUWBB 7-21 (2-13)
100
Winner Western Illinois WIU 15-13 (8-7)
NDSU NDSUWBB
7-21 (2-13)
89
Final
100
Western Illinois WIU
15-13 (8-7)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
NDSU NDSUWBB 14 34 21 20 89
Western Illinois WIU 16 26 31 27 100

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

Michelle Maher Rewrites Record Books as Leathernecks Outlast Bison, 100-89

Michelle Maher scores program-record 41 points in Summit League victory over North Dakota State.

MACOMB, Ill. – Michelle Maher's record-breaking performance lifted the Western Illinois women's basketball team past North Dakota State, 100-89, Thursday evening (Feb. 25) inside Western Hall. Three Leathernecks added double-doubles as Western Illinois (15-13 overall, 8-7 Summit League) collected the regular season sweep over the Bison (7-21, 2-13).
 
Maher rewrote the record books Thursday as she scored a game-high 41 points in the victory. The mark set a new program record for points in a single game, surpassing the previous record of 38 set by Lori Hasket on January 20, 1996. Maher's effort is tied as the sixth-best performance in Summit League history, tied for the second-best single-game output in a league game, and tied for the 12th best performance in all of NCAA Division I basketball this season. The native of Park Ridge, Illinois, went 14-of-19 from the field, including 6-of-10 from 3-point range, finished 7-of-9 at the free throw line while adding seven rebounds and five assists. Her 14 made field goals are tied for the sixth-most in WIU history and helped vault her into sixth place on the Western Illinois all-time scoring list (1,401).
 
"Definitely a day to remember for me as my days are winding down," said Maher. "Obviously I couldn't have done it without my teammates. The ball screens and the extra pass go a long way and I'm really thankful."
 
The Leathernecks also received incredible efforts from Sophie Reichelt, Emily Clemens, and Taylor Higginbotham, as all three players tallied double-doubles. Reichelt ended the game with 27 points and 10 rebounds to notch her second-straight double-double. The Mill Creek, Washington, native has tallied six double-doubles this season and five in Summit League play. Clemens had a career day as she finished with 12 points and a career-high 12 assists with only one turnover. It is the first career double-double for the sophomore. Higginbotham rounded out the Purple and Gold attack as she finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds to collect her third-ever double-double. The quartet of Maher, Reichelt, Clemens, and Higginbotham accounted for 94 of the 100 Leatherneck points, while Mallory Boyle, Western's fifth starter, tallied the final six points.
 
"I thought all of our starters played tremendous," said head coach JD Gravina. "Everything might get overshadowed by Michelle Maher's 41 points, but she had a terrific game. I didn't realize she was anywhere near that, to be honest. As a coach you are just watching and cheering for good plays. I knew she was having a terrific game but to put up 41 is pretty amazing and to add seven rebounds and five assists to go with it is great too. And then you look at it, we had three others with double-doubles.
 
Western secured its 15th win of the season thanks to a second half in which the Leathernecks shot a blistering 61.3% (19-of-31) from the field. The Leathernecks also took advantage of the undermanned Bison, who only had eight players dressed for the game, as WIU's attacking mentality led to 20 trips to the free throw line in the second half. Western was able to convert on 15 of its attempts while limiting NDSU to 12 total attempts in the final 20 minutes of play.
 
North Dakota State and Western battled through six ties and eight lead changes Thursday, as the two teams went back and forth over the first 24 minutes of the game. WIU would ultimately take the lead for good with 6:24 remaining in the third quarter as Higginbotham's triple put Western ahead 57-55. Higginbotham's bucket sparked an eventual 14-6 run to create some breathing room versus the visiting Bison. NDSU would even the score three times down the stretch, but the Leathernecks had an answer each time as they picked up their fifth-straight victory over the Bison.
 
"That's a good win. I know North Dakota State has only won two games in the league but if you have looked at the results, especially lately, they have been in almost every game and have two of the best players in the league in Taylor Thunstedt and Marena Whittle. We haven't been taking good shots and in the first half there were a couple runs where we started taking those out of rhythm but I was proud of the girls that we identified that, we got it figured out, and we had a really good offensive game," added Gravina.
 
Western Illinois closes out the regular season on Saturday (Feb. 27) as the Leathernecks welcome South Dakota State for Senior Night. Maher, Reichelt, Liz Skotowski, and Paige Harmon will be honored prior to tip for their four years of dedication to the Leatherneck program. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m. and is part of a doubleheader as the WIU men play host to South Dakota for their Senior Night immediately after.
 
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