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Garret Covington FP at Denver
Garret Covington
70
Western Illinois WIU 6-10, 3-2 SL
84
Winner Denver DEN 10-7, 2-2 SL
Western Illinois WIU
6-10, 3-2 SL
70
Final
84
Denver DEN
10-7, 2-2 SL
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Western Illinois WIU 37 33 70
Denver DEN 43 41 84

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

Men’s Basketball Falls at Denver Wednesday

Five Leathernecks scored in double figures

DENVER – Western Illinois men's basketball looked to continue its hot Summit League start Wednesday (Jan. 11) at Denver, but the Pioneers shot better than 50 percent from the field on their way to a 84-70 victory over the Leathernecks.
 
WIU dropped to 6-10 overall and 3-2 in Summit League play after the loss, while DU evened its league record improving to 2-2 and is 10-7 overall.
 
"We didn't start well, we didn't play well, we didn't shoot well," said head coach Billy Wright. "So when you have that combination, it's hard to get a win, especially on the road. I thought our kids fought hard. We were down double digits and cut it to one point, and we just didn't make the defense stops that we needed to."
 
Five Leathernecks scored in double figures, led by senior Garret Covington's 17. The Edwardsville, Ill. native struggled to get in a groove shooting, making only 4-of-18 from the field and missing all six of his attempts from long range. He did, however, go 9-of-9 from the free throw line and led Western with four assists.
 
Brandon Gilbeck scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds, Mike Miklusak added 11 points and six boards, Delo Buster also scored 11 points and Jeremiah Usiosefe finished with 10 points.
 
After having great success shooting the ball in recent outings, the Leathernecks were only able to connect on 36.5 percent (23-63) of their attempts from the field and only made 29.2 percent (7-24) of their shots from three.
 
Denver, on the other hand, shot 52.6 percent (30-57) from the field and 47.1 percent (8-17) from long range. The Pioneers also out-rebounded Western, 38-30.
 
"Make no mistake about it, we emphasize defense. We understand there's going to be nights where you're not going to shoot as well, but tonight we didn't do enough at the defensive end to get the win," concluded Wright.
 
The Leathernecks found themselves down 29-20 midway through the opening half but fought back to take a one-point lead with 3:54 to play before the halfway point.
 
Denver would then use the final four minutes of the first half and first two minutes of the second to climb out to a 10-point advantage, 47-37.
 
Western once again responded, using a 14-2 run to regain the lead at 51-49 with 13 minutes remaining in regulation.
 
The Pioneers would quickly fire back with a 16-3 run, jump back out to a double-digit advantage, and eventually put the game out of reach, coasting to their second Summit League victory of the season.
 
Denver also had five players score in double figures, led by Joe Rosga who finished with 25 points. Rosga went 7-of-11 from the field and 4-of-6 from three. He also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
 
A trip to Omaha, Neb. is up next for the Western Illinois men's basketball team, as the Leathernecks face the UNO Mavericks Saturday (Jan. 14) at 7 p.m.
 
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