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MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois is slated for two straight Summit League contests at home against Denver (Jan. 5 at 7 p.m.) and Oral Roberts (Jan. 7 at 4:30 p.m.). The Leathernecks sit at 11-4 overall, have a 1-1 mark in league play and are perfect at home this season (6-0). Head coach JD Gravina looks to pick up his 199th and 200th win of his career this week.
LAST TIME OUT:
Western Illinois most recently fell 66-52 at IUPUI to fall to 1-1 in Summit League play. Morgan Blumer scored a team-high 17 points with eight rebounds. Western's 10 turnovers marked the first time since the season opener against Monmouth (Nov. 11) that the Leathernecks committed 10 or less turnovers. The Leathernecks' 52 points represented the second time this season Western has scored below 60 points. Western fell to 1-4 when trailing at halftime, and their loss to IUPUI snapped a six-game winning streak.
AROUND THE SUMMIT LEAGUE:
Emily Clemens tops The Summit League with 6.9 assists per game. She also ranks second in points per game (18.7) and free throw percentage (89.8). Clemens sits at fourth in The Summit League with a 2.7 assist/turnover ratio. Olivia Braun ranks second in the league with 2.1 blocks per game.
The Leathernecks rank first in The Summit League in points (80.0), rebounds (39.4), assists (18.7), steals (12.8), blocks (3.8), field goals made (438) and 3-pointers made (143). For steals per game, Clemens (3.1) Mallory Boyle (2.5) and Morgan Blumer (2.3) make up the top-3 spots.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS:
Denver sits in eighth out of nine teams in The Summit League with a 3-12 overall record and a 0-2 mark in league play. The Pioneers have three players who average in double figures in Jacqlyn Poss (12.8), Samantha Romanowski (12.4) and Lauren Loven (11.6). The Pioneers are 3-3 at home and 0-8 on the road this season. Denver is looking to snap a six-game losing skid.
SERIES HISTORY VS. DENVER:
The Leathernecks lead the all-time series 5-1. After falling 87-83 in the first-ever meeting on Jan. 26, 2014, Western won the last five meetings, which included a sweep over the Pioneers last season (63-60 and 80-69).
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES:
Oral Roberts is 10-5 overall with a 2-0 mark in Summit League play. The Golden Eagles are undefeated at home (6-0) with a 4-5 record on the road. They also have two road wins over schools in Power-5 conferences at Oklahoma (74-67) and Arkansas (70-60). Oral Roberts has four players that average double-digit scoring in Lakota Beatty (15.0), Faith Ihim (13.8), Kaylan Mayberry (11.4) and Maria Martianez.
Ihim's 8.1 rebounds per game and 56.0 field goal percentage tops The Summit League. As a team, Oral Roberts ranks second behind Western Illinois in field goals made (405) this season. Their 26.7 defensive rebounds and 38.9 total rebounds per game rank third in The Summit League. The Golden Eagles lead the league in fewest turnovers, only committing 13.5 per game. They rank second in steals per game (9.3) behind Western Illinois.
SERIES HISTORY VS. ORAL ROBERTS:
The Leathernecks and Oral Roberts meet for the 41st time. The Golden Eagles lead the all-time series 23-18, winning the last two meetings, four of the last five and 11 of the last 13. Last season, Western and Oral Roberts split their regular-season meetings. The Leathernecks picked up a 72-61 win at home on Jan. 1, 2016, and fell 79-55 on the road Feb. 20, 2016. Western was also eliminated from last season's Summit League Tournament by Oral Roberts, falling 68-55 in Sioux Falls, S.D. (May 6, 2016).
CLEMENS ASSIST WATCH:
Emily Clemens currently ranks ninth all-time in program history for career assist. She is five shy of tying Valerie Vincent for eighth all-time in program history.
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. 314 Valerie Vincent................................... 1992-95
9. 309 Emily Clemens.................................. 2014-Pr.
10. 290 Vicki Adelman................................... 1992-95
PROMOTIONAL:
This Wednesday, Jan. 5 against Denver, Western Illinois athletics will be running its Dollar Dog promotion, where fans can buy hotdogs for only $1. Saturday, Jan. 7, against Oral Roberts will be the Youth Basketball Night promotion.
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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