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Western Illinois University Athletics

Mike Miklusak FP
WIU Visual Productions Center
89
Winner North Dakota State NDSU 14-6, 6-1 SL
57
Western Illinois WIU 6-12, 3-4 SL
Winner
North Dakota State NDSU
14-6, 6-1 SL
89
Final
57
Western Illinois WIU
6-12, 3-4 SL
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
North Dakota State NDSU 48 41 89
Western Illinois WIU 22 35 57

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

North Dakota State Downs Western Illinois in Men’s Hoops Saturday

NDSU shot 56.2% (32-57) from the field and 81.3% (13-16) from three, while WIU shot 37.9% (22-58) from the floor and 34.8% (8-23) from long range

MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois men's basketball was unable to overcome its slow start as North Dakota State topped the Leathernecks 89-57 in Macomb Saturday afternoon (Jan. 21) in Summit League action.
 
WIU falls to 6-12 overall and 3-4 in league play after the loss, while league-leader NDSU improves to 14-6 overall and 6-1 in league action.
 
"Hats off to North Dakota State, and that's why they're in first place in our conference right now," said head coach Billy Wright. "We just didn't defend in the first half. It got better as time went on, but we dug ourselves in too deep of a hole. They were just too good tonight, and we have to find a better way to be ready to play for 40 minutes."
 
North Dakota State was incredible shooting the ball, making 56.2% (32-57) of its attempts from the field and 81.3% (13-16) from three. Western on the other hand struggled, making only 37.9% (22-58) attempts from the floor and 34.8% (8-23) from long range.
 
The Leathernecks did play much better in the second half compared to the first. WIU was outscored 41-35 during the second 20 minutes of action compared to the first half's 48-22 deficit. And WIU shot 46.7% from the field compared to the first half's 28.6 shooting percentage.
 
Seniors Garret Covington and Mike Miklusak led the Leathernecks in scoring. Covington finished with 17 points to go along with his team-high seven assists, while Miklusak recorded 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
 
"You play how you practice, and we didn't have a good week of practice. We have to get back in and get this thing worked out. Give North Dakota State credit, they did a really good job attacking and making their open shots, and we didn't do a good job in the first half of keeping them in front of us. I thought we did a good job in the second half, but all things said, we didn't do a good job for 40 minutes," concluded Wright.
 
The first half was all North Dakota State as the Bison jumped out to an early 23-6 advantage after NDSU made 9 of its first 15 shots, and the Leathernecks were only able to make 3 of their first 11.
 
An 8-2 run from WIU followed, cutting the Leathernecks' deficit from 17 points to 11, 25-14, midway through the first.
 
NDSU proceeded to outscore Western 23-11 up until halftime and the Bison took a 48-22 lead into the break.
 
The second half, similar to the first, was all North Dakota State as the Leathernecks were only able to cut their deficit to as little as 22 points as the Bison picked up their league-leading sixth Summit League win of the season.
 
A.J. Jacobson was on fire all game long and led NDSU in scoring with 23 points. He made 8-of-11 from the floor and 6-of-7 from beyond the arc. Four other Bison scored in double figures: Paul Miller (19), Carlin Dupree (12), Dylan Miller (11) and Tyson Ward (11).
 
Western Illinois hits the road for its next league contest, playing the Coyotes of South Dakota in Vermillion on Wednesday (Jan. 25). Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.
 
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