MACOMB, Ill. -Â The Western Illinois men's basketball team (6-11, 3-3) continues its Summit League slate at home this weekend when league-leader North Dakota State comes to town... The Leathernecks and Bison are slated to tipoff at 2 p.m. inside Western Hall on ESPN3.
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OPENING TIP
-Â Western is 3-3 in Summit League play... The Leathernecks kicked off league play 3-1 with a win at league-favorite Fort Wayne, a loss at IUPUI, and then earned back-to-back wins against South Dakota State and Oral Roberts at home... WIU most recently fell at Denver and at Omaha.
- After reaching as high as 10th nationally in 3-pointers made per game, senior guard Garret Covington has not made a shot from long range in the last two contests (0-10)... Prior to WIU's last two games, Covington had made a 3-pointer in every game this season and 35 games straight dating back to last season.
- Brandon Gilbeck, who ranks first in the league and #17 nationally with 2.6 blocks per game (45 total), has improved during WIU's league slate... He averaged 4.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game during non-league play and is averaging 9.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game... During league play he also recorded his first two career double-doubles and scored 10-plus points in the last four games.
- Mike Miklusak has been productive all season long, averaging 15.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game... He has scored in double figures in all but one contest he's played... He has four double-doubles on the season... His 8.8 rebounds per game leads The Summit League.
LEATHERNECKS VS. BISON SERIES HISTORY: North Dakota State leads the all-time series 13-7... The series was tied prior to the beginning of the 2013-14 season before NDSU topped Western in the league tournament in 2013 and swept WIU in each of the last three seasons... All games have been Summit League regular season league games or Summit League Tournament games, with the Leathernecks winning the first-ever meeting on January 12, 2008, 83-67, in Macomb... The Bison went on to win six of the next seven meetings before WIU earned five consecutive during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons.
A LOOK AT THE NORTH DAKOTA STATE BISON:Â The North Dakota State Bison are 12-6 overall and 4-1 in Summit League play as of Jan. 19... The Bison play Thursday night (Jan.19) at home against Fort Wayne before coming to Macomb...The Bison have topped South Dakota State, Omaha, IUPUI and South Dakota to open league play, and most recently fell at Denver on Jan. 14... Paul Miller leads NDSU with 14.8 points per game, and has made 36 3-pointers on the season... Dexter Werner leads the Bison on rebounds (7.5), steals (1.6) and blocks (1.1)... Khy Kabellis leads North Dakota State with 2.7 assists per game... North Dakota State is coached by David Richman (NDSU, 2002) who is in his 3rd year at the helm and has a 55-29 record while coach of the Bison.
GILBECK'S BLOCK PARTY:Â So far this season sophomore center Brandon Gilbeck has a Summit League-high 45 blocks... He is 14 blocks away from moving into sole possession of fifth place on Western's blocks in a season top 10, and 21 away from fourth place.
1. 83 - Shelby Thurmond (1992-93)
2. 75 - James Granstra (2009-10)
3. 66 - Shelby Thurmond (1994-95)
4. 65 - Terell Parks (2012-13)
5. 58 - Janthony Joseph (1996-97)
6. 46 - Terell Parks (2011-12)
7. 45 - Brandon Gilbeck (2016-17)
8. 44 Janthony Joseph (1995-96)
WIU FROM THREE:Â Western Illinois, who is off to a 3-3 start in league play, has attempted more 3-pointers during Summit League action than during the non-league portion of its schedule... 38% of their shot attempts were from three during non-league compared to 46.1% during league play... During the first three games (2-1 record) of league play 54% of Western's attempts were from long range compared to 38% during the last three game (1-2 record)the last three games.Â
RECORD BREAKING NIGHT: Heading into the 2016-17 season the Western Illinois program record for 3-pointers in a game was 15 which happened twice... WIU broke that record at Fort Wayne with 18 triples (Dec. 29) and then made 16 shots from long range two games later against South Dakota State (Jan. 4).
AT HOME: Western is 48-26 (.649) inside Western Hall since the beginning of the 2011-12 season... The Leathernecks went 10-4 (.714) during their 2011-12 campaign, 12-2 (.857) during the 2012-13 league slate, 7-5 in 2013-14 (.583), 8-6 (.571) in 2014-15, 7-6 (.500) in 2015-16, and WIU is 4-3 on LeRoy A. Ufkes Court inside Western Hall so far this season.
#1 IN CAREER POINTS: Garret Covington ranks first in points at Western Illinois during the program's NCAA Division I era... Covington enters the weekend with 1,677 career points (3rd in all of the program's history)... Covington scored 422 (14.6 PPG) as a freshman, 434 (15.5 PPG) as a sophomore, 483 (17.9 PPG) as a junior and has 338 (19.9 PPG) so far this season... He has scored 30-plus points four times during his career with 34 vs. Oral Roberts at home this season being his career best.
#1 IN 3-POINTERS: Garret Covington also ranks first in 3-pointers at Western Illinois during the program's NCAA Division I era... Covington enters the weekend with 263 career 3-pointers... He made 70 triples (2.5 per game | 38.7%) as a freshman, 63 (2.3 per game | 35.6%) as a sophomore, 77 (2.9 per game | 42.3%) as a junior, and 53 (3.1 per game | 39.8%) so far as a senior... He has made a career-high six 3-pointers three times, including twice this season (vs.SDSU and vs. ORU)... The first time he his six in a game was suring his sophomore season vs. Idaho at home when he made them consecutively (tied WIU's record for consecutive threes in a game).
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