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MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois takes on the defending Summit League Tournament Champion South Dakota State Jackrabbits this Saturday (Jan. 19) for a 2 p.m. tip in Brookings.
LAST TIME OUT:
Junior Morgan Blumer had quite a day as the Western Illinois women's basketball team defeated North Dakota State 110-81 Saturday (Jan. 14) to improve to 15-4 overall and 5-1 in Summit League play.
The junior guard set career-highs in points (36), rebounds (15), field goals made (12) and 3-point field goals made (seven). Her seven 3s tie a single game-record for made 3-pointers, joining Michelle Maher (2014, two times), Saule Kontautiate (2013), Vicki Adelman (1995) and Lori Schrock (1988). Her 36 points tied her for third in program history for most points in a single game.
Taylor Higginbotham also tied her career-high of 28 points for the second time this season and set a new career-high in steals (five). She recorded six assists and no turnovers. Emily Clemens was the third Leatherneck to eclipse the 20-point mark, as she finished with 24 points and six assists.
QUICK NOTES FROM LAST GAME:
- Four turnovers marks the fewest in program history for a single game.
- 5-1 Summit League record is the best start for the Leathernecks in conference play since 2007-08 (6-0 start)… Western's 15-4 record ties the 2005-06 team for best start in program history through 19 games.
- Fifteen made 3-pointers is tied for fifth in program history for a single game… (15 vs. Clarke on Nov. 15, 2012) (15 vs. Oakland on Feb. 4, 2012).
- Fourth time this season WIU has surpassed the 100-point mark.
- First time this season with three players who scored 20-plus points in one game (Blumer-36, Higginbotham-28 and Clemens-24).
- 9-0 home record… three home wins shy of tying the most home wins for a single season (12: 2002-03, 2004-05).
- 12-0 when leading at halftime.
- Western is 6-0 when scoring 80-plus, 2-0 when scoring 90-plus and 4-0 when scoring 100-plus points this season.
- Sixth game this season of recording 20-plus assists.
AROUND THE SUMMIT LEAGUE:
As a team, the Leathernecks lead The Summit League in points per game (81.6), blocks (4.6), steals (12.3), assists (18.6) and 3-pointers made/attempted (180-543).
The Leathernecks rank third nationally in total steals (233) and 13th nationally in steals per game. Offensively, Western Illinois is sixth nationally in 3-pointers made, tied for eighth in 3-pointers made per game (9.5) and 12th in both scoring offense and assist-turnover ratio (1.32).
Juniors Emily Clemens and Morgan Blumer rank second and third in the league, respectively, in points per game with 18.8 and 16.9. Clemens tops The Summit League with 127 total assists this season, good for an average of 6.7 per contest. She is also tied for first with 683 total minutes played this season. Clemens' 127 assists this season rank her eighth nationally.
Four of the top five conference leaders in steals are Leathernecks. Clemens leads The Summit League with 56 total steals (2.9 per game), followed by Mallory Boyle in second (42/2.2 per game), Morgan Blumer in third (40/2.1 per game) and Taylor Higginbotham in fifth (32/1.7).
Olivia Braun ranks 11th nationally and leads The Summit League with 51 total blocked shots this season. Her 2.7 blocked shots per game also leads the league.
SCOUTING THE JACKRABBITS:
The Jackrabbits pose a tough test this weekend, as their 15-4 overall record and 6-1 mark in league play has tied them for first in The Summit League. South Dakota State ranks sixth in the CollegeInsider.com Women's Basketball Mid-Major Poll. They are on five-game win streak, and have won seven of the last eight. The Jackrabbits have Summit League wins over North Dakota State (69-66), Fort Wayne (73-51), Omaha (76-64), IUPUI (68-49), Oral Roberts (78-57) and, most recently, Denver (72-63). Their lone Summit League loss is to South Dakota (65-62).
The preseason Summit League favorites are led by Madison Guebert's 15.1 points per game. Kerri Young (14.9) and Ellie Thompson (12.2) also average double-digit scoring for the Jackrabbits. As a team, they rank third in The Summit League in points per game (69.0), and second in blocks (3.6) behind Western Illinois.
South Dakota State is led by head coach Aaron Johnston, who is in his 17th year with the program. The Jackrabbits are the reigning Summit League Tournament Champions and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament last season.
SERIES HISTORY VS. SOUTH DAKOTA STATE:
After winning the first meeting 67-60 in 2008, the Leathernecks have dropped the last 18 meetings. Last season, Western fell 85-63 on the road, followed by a narrow loss at home (66-65) at home.
BLUMER NAMED SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Western Illinois junior Morgan Blumer earned her first-career Summit League Player of the Week award Tuesday (Jan. 17), the league office announced.
Blumer's selection marks the fifth time this season a Western Illinois player earned the award, the most by any other Summit League program. She joins Emily Clemens (three times-Nov. 21, Nov. 28 and Dec. 12) and Taylor Higginbotham (Jan. 2) as the third Leatherneck to be named Summit League Player of the Week.
The Milton, Wis. native recorded career-highs in points (36), rebounds (15), field goals made (12) and 3-point field goals made (seven) in the 110-81 home win over North Dakota State (Jan. 14). Her seven 3-pointers tied a single game-record for made 3-pointers, joining Michelle Maher (2014, two times), Saule Kontautiate (2013), Vicki Adelman (1995) and Lori Schrock (1988). Her 36 points tied her for third in program history for most points in a game.
She also tallied 19 points and six rebounds in the 78-74 road win at Omaha (Jan. 11), giving the Leathernecks their first lead of the game after her go-ahead basket with 12 seconds to go.
Over the week, the junior guard averaged 27.5 points game, 10.5 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals per contest. She also had zero turnovers and shot a combined 20-for-34 (58.8 percent), 9-for-17 from beyond the arc (52.9 percent) and 6-for-7 (85.7 percent) from the charity stripe.
CLEMENS ASSIST WATCH:
With six assists against North Dakota State, Emily Clemens is now four helpers shy from passing Carol Anderson (1982-85) for seventh all-time in program history for total career assists.
1. 542 Jolene Hanig ..................................... 1988-91
2. 437 Michelle Maher ................................. 2013-16
3. 405 Rebecca Henricson .......................... 2011-14
4. 374 Amy Houtzel...................................... 1989-92
5. 362 Kim Hurley......................................... 1978-81
6. 341 Deirdre LaFrance............................... 1994-97
7. 336 Carol Anderson................................. 1982-85
8. 333 Emily Clemens................................... 2014-Pr.
9. 314 Valerie Vincent.................................. 1992-95
10. 290 Vicki Adelman................................... 1992-95
PROMOTIONAL:
Fans can hear Danny Frey call all of the women's basketball regular season games throughout the area on the Leatherneck Sports Network.
All Western Illinois women's basketball regular season home games are scheduled to be video streamed on Fighting Leatherneck All-Access, and select games are slated to air on
WatchESPN/ESPN3.
Flagship: 94.3 FM WRMS (Beardstown) Affiliates: 102.7 FM WJEQ (Macomb) | 106.7 FM WPWQ (Quincy) | 107.5 FM KWBZ (Quincy).
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