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MACOMB, Ill. – The Western Illinois women's basketball team (13-4, 3-1) travels to Omaha (8-8, 1-2) for a mid-week road matchup on Wednesday, Jan. 11 for a 7 p.m. tip.
LAST TIME OUT:
In an overtime thriller, JD Gravina picked up his 200th career win as the Leathernecks defeated Oral Roberts 76-72 at home Saturday (Jan. 7).
A pair of Emily Clemens free throws sealed the game with 2.6 seconds to go for the four-point win.
Both Emily Clemens and Taylor Higginbotham each led the way with a game-high 20 points. The duo was also one assist and a rebound shy of being the second and third Leathernecks to record double-doubles in the contest along with Morgan Blumer, who totaled 19 points and 11 rebounds. Clemens also eclipsed the 800-point mark in her career, while Higginbotham surpassed 600 career points. With nine blocks, Olivia Braun recorded the second-most blocks in a single-game, just one shy of Zane Teilane, who had 10 twice (2003 and 2006).
AROUND THE SUMMIT LEAGUE:
Western Illinois has three players that top The Summit League in steals per game. Clemens tops the league with 3.1, while Blumer and Mallory Boyle are tied for second with 2.2 per contest. As a team, the Leathernecks lead the league with 12.4 per game. Clemens also tops the league in total assists (117/fourth nationally), and in assists per game (6.9/14th nationally).
The Leathernecks also lead The Summit League in rebounds (40.2), assists (18.5), blocks (4.3), field goals made (491) and 3-pointers made (160). Olivia Braun ranks first in The Summit League in in total blocks (46/eighth nationally) and blocks per game (2.5/20th nationally).
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS:
Omaha is currently 8-8 overall with a 1-2 mark in Summit League play. The Mavericks have a win over IUPUI (64-44) and losses to Oral Roberts (67-65) and South Dakota State (76-64). They are led by Mikaela Shaw, who averages 15.8 points per game and leads The Summit League with 8.3 rebounds per game.
Omaha was picked fifth in The Summit League preseason poll (WIU sixth) and Shaw was tabbed a Preseason All-Summit League First Team member. They are led by head coach Brittany Lange, who is in her fourth season with the Mavericks.
SERIES HISTORY VS. OMAHA:
The Leathernecks lead the all-time series 6-4 over the Mavericks. In the last meeting, Western snapped a two-game losing skid with a 74-55 win on Jan. 30, 2016. WIU has won four of the last six meetings.
HIGGINBOTHAM TABBED SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Western Illinois sophomore guard Taylor Higginbotham captured her first career Summit League Player of the Week honor, the league office announced (Jan. 9). Her award marks the fourth time a Leatherneck has been named Summit League Player of the Week this season (Emily Clemens-three times).
The sophomore tallied a career-high 28 points along with six rebounds and five assists against Denver, followed by a 20-point, nine rebound performance in the 76-72 overtime win over Oral Roberts. Against the Golden Eagles, she surpassed the 600-point mark in her career as a Leatherneck.
Over the week, Higginbotham had an average of 24 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game and shot 15-of-33 (45.5 percent) from the field and 7-of-15 (46.7 percent) from beyond the arc. She was also 11-of-15 from the charity stripe.
CLEMENS ASSIST WATCH:
After recording nine assists against Oral Roberts, Emily Clemens takes sole possession in being eighth all-time in program history for career assists. She needs 14 more to move to seventh all-time.
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. 323 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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