MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois women's basketball team gets set to make its fourth postseason appearance in program history as the Leathernecks play host to Southern Illinois in the opening round of the Women's Basketball Invitational. Western earned the No. 4 seed in the tournament with a 15-15 record while the No. 5 Salukis finished the season with a 20-12 mark. First round action is set to tip at 7 p.m. inside Western Hall.

BROADCAST INFORMATION:
vs. Southern Illinois
Radio: 94.3 WRMS FM and 104.1 WMQZ FM
(also available online at wrmsfm.com)
Video: NONE
Live Stats: GoLeathernecks.com

LEATHERNECKS IN THE TOURNAMENT: Western Illinois will be making its first-ever appearance in the WBI and its fourth-ever appearance in a postseason tournament. The Leathernecks are 0-3 all-time in tournament play, having competed in the 1995 NCAA Tournament and the 2003 and 2006 WNITs. 

SERIES HISTORY: Western Illinois and Southern Illinois have met 32 times previously, with the Salukis owning a 25-7 advantage in the series. It has been 24 years since the two teams have met, as Western Illinois hosted Southern Illinois on February 27, 1992. The Leathernecks are looking to snap a 20-game losing streak to the Salukis. 

MAHER MAKES HISTORY: In Western Illinois' 100-89 victory over North Dakota State on Feb. 25, senior guard Michelle Maher rewrote the record books as she broke the WIU single-game scoring record. Maher scored a game-high 41 points, surpassing the previous record of 38 set by Lori Haskett 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 13th best performance in all of NCAA Division I basketball this season. Her 14 made field goals are tied for the sixth-most in WIU history.

TRIPLE...DOUBLE-DOUBLE: In Western Illinois' 100-89 victory over North Dakota State on Feb. 25, a trio of Leathernecks tallied double-doubles. Sophie Reichelt scored 27 points while hauling in 10 rebounds, Emily Clemens added 12 points and 12 assists, and Taylor Higginbotham tallied 14 points and 11 rebounds. The performance marked the first time since February 11, 1993, in which three Leathernecks tallied a double-double in a single game. 

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 344 times this year, the third fewest in the country. The Leathernecks tally 14.5 assists per game, 3rd-best in The Summit League, to record a 1.27 assist to turnover ratio, 15th-best in DI. Emily Clemens and Michelle Maher lead the charge, as Clemens (2.22) and Maher (1.86) rank first and third, respectively, in the league in assist to turnover ratio. The duo also rank in the top three in the league in total assists with Clemens ranking second (120) and Maher ranking third (117).

THREES FOR DAYS: The Leathernecks are one of the most prolific 3-point shooting teams in the country, as the team ranks sixth nationally in 3-point field goals attempted (844), seventh in 3-point field goals made (267), and eighth in threes per game (9.2). Three Leathernecks (Sophie Reichelt, Taylor Higginbotham, and Michelle Maher) have tallied at least 40 triples on the year, led by Maher's 54.

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 15.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game while Maher, who has started 117-of-119 career games played (out of 120 possible games) at Western, ranks second in scoring (15.1 ppg). 

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 4.1, and has surpassed her steal total from a season ago (31) with 63 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. Clemens also ranks second in The Summit League and 33rd nationally in free throw percentage (85.0%).
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 5th place on the all-time scoring list with 1,437 career points and second in career assists with 430.

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 (11.7 ppg) and has tallied 10 or more points in 19 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 6.9 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.

LEATHERNECKS EARN SUMMIT LEAUGE RECOGNITION: Seniors Michelle Maher and Sophie Reichelt, along with freshman Taylor Higginbotham, were recognized by The Summit League Thursday (March 3) afternoon, as the league announced its annual awards. Maher and Reichelt each earned Second Team All-Summit League honors while Higginbotham earned All-Newcomer Team accolades. Maher, a preseason Second Team All-Summit League pick, collected her second yearly award after earning Honorable Mention honors as a sophomore. The Park Ridge, Illinois, native was twice named The Summit League's 'Player of the Week' this year as she earned the accolade in the league's first and last week of the season. Reichelt claimed her first yearly award after leading the Leathernecks in scoring and rebounding during her senior season. The native of Mill Creek, Washington, averaged 15.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game and has scored in double figures in 15 straight games to end the season. Higginbotham earned her All-Newcomer accolade following a season in which the freshman finished third on the team in scoring, averaging 12 points per game. A threat off the bench the first 10 games of the year, Higginbotham made her first career start against UIC, and has started 13 games over the second half of the season.

ON THE AIR: Danny Frey is in his second season as Voice of the Leathernecks. Joining Frey on the on the air throughout the season will be former Leatherneck standout Tori Niemann. In just two seasons, Niemann, a two-time Honorable Mention All-Summit League selection, finished her Western career second in career field goal percentage (.527), seventh in career free throw percentage (.760), and 10th in career scoring average (12.1).

IMPROVEMENT UNDER GRAVINA: In his first five 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 72 career wins in five seasons at Western are second-most of any coach over their first five seasons in charge. Gravina sits in in third place for career wins with 72. 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.