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Western Illinois University Athletics

Senior Night
66
Winner South Dakota State SDSU 23-6 (13-3)
65
Western Illinois WIU 15-14 (8-8)
Winner
South Dakota State SDSU
23-6 (13-3)
66
Final
65
Western Illinois WIU
15-14 (8-8)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
South Dakota State SDSU 19 17 14 16 66
Western Illinois WIU 18 12 17 18 65

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

Leathernecks Drop One-Point Heartbreaker to South Dakota State on Senior Night

Paige Harmon, Michelle Maher, Sophie Reichelt, and Liz Skotowski were honored prior to tipoff

MACOMB, Ill. – The Western Illinois women's basketball honored four seniors Saturday (Feb. 27) evening as the Leathernecks closed out the regular season against South Dakota State. Western Illinois took a one-point lead on the visiting Jackrabbits with 25 seconds left in the game, but a late jumper by SDSU pushed the Jacks past Western, 66-65.
 
"That game was both why I love coaching and one of the few things I dislike about coaching," said head coach JD Gravina. "One of the most fun games I've been a part of and really intense on both ends. Our girls just clawed and clawed. At one point they (South Dakota State) was up 11 and they are the type of team that can run away with it, but we made some really good plays down the stretch."

Prior to Saturday's contest, Paige Harmon, Michelle Maher, Sophie Reichelt, and Liz Skotowski were recognized for their four years of dedication to the Leatherneck basketball program. All four started the game, with Harmon making her first start of the season while Skotowski entered the starting lineup for the fourth time on the year.
 
Early on, it was apparent that the contest would go down to the wire, as neither team was able to build a significant lead. Harmon got Western Illinois (15-14 overall, 8-8 Summit League) going early as she tallied the first five Leatherneck points. The native of Oswego, Illinois, had her best game of the year as she finished a perfect 3-of-3 from the field and tallied a season-high eight points. Maher followed soon after with an old fashioned three-point play to give the Leathernecks an 8-6 lead.
 
SDSU (23-6, 13-3) was able to grab the lead late in the first quarter, and while the Jackrabbits maintained their lead on Western throughout most of the game, the visitors were never able to pull away from Purple and Gold. Each South Dakota State bucket was answered by the Leathernecks. After South Dakota State opened up a 10-point lead midway through the third quarter, the Leathernecks came storming back, outscoring the visitors 13-4 over 3:13 to pull within one. Five players tallied buckets for Western during the run to put pressure on the Jackrabbits, ranked No. 8 in the latest Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
 
In the final quarter, the Leathernecks battled back to regain a late lead. With under three minutes remaining, and Western trailing by eight, Western used an 11-2 run to bring Western Hall to its feet. Maher kicked-started the run by knocking down a pair of triples. Maher led all scorers Saturday with 21 points, including three triples in the final quarter. Mallory Boyle then stole the ensuing inbounds pass and found Taylor Higginbotham to cut the deficit to one. Following a free throw from SDSU, Harmon passed up an open jumper to find Reichelt at the top of the key. Reichelt drilled a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left to give Western the one-point lead on SDSU. Ellie Thompson answered at the other end for the Jacks, and a last-ditch effort by Maher went unanswered as the Leathernecks fell in a heartbreaking defeat.
 
Maher was joined in double figures by Emily Clemens (14) and Reichelt (11), while Clemens' seven assists led all players.
 
For the third straight season, the Fighting Leathernecks finished the regular season with a winning record and a .500 record or better in Summit League play. The Purple and Gold earned the No. 5 seed in next week's Summit League tournament where they will face No. 4 Oral Roberts. WIU and ORU split the regular season matchups, with each team claiming a victory on their home court. Tipoff of Western's quarterfinal matchup against the Golden Eagles is set for 12 p.m. on Sunday, March 6.
 
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