GAME FIVE
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS AT ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI
Nov. 21, 2017 • 7:00 p.m. (CT) • Champaign, Ill. • State Farm Center
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GAME SIX
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS AT CHICAGO STATE COUGARS
Nov. 22, 2017 • 7:00 p.m. (CT) • Chicago, Ill. • Jones Convocation Center
MACOMB, Ill.— Western Illinois continues its road slate with a pair of road games Nov. 21 and Nov. 22 this upcoming week against Illinois and Chicago State. Both of the contests are set for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
LAST TIME OUT:
Western Illinois women's basketball fell 96-94 off a Northern Illinois buzzer-beater for its first loss of the season Saturday (Nov. 18).
The Leathernecks (3-1) were led by the five 3-pointers and 32 points from Morgan Blumer, along with the 21 points and nine assists from Emily Clemens.
Western Illinois jumped out to a 29-22 lead after the first quarter. The Huskies tied the game at 42-42 with 3:08 to go in the third, but a 9-0 Western run made it 51-42 at the half. The Leathernecks held their largest lead of the game (58-44) with 8:36 to go, and held a nine-point lead at the end of the third.
Northern Illinois tied the score at 85-all with 5:20 to go, but a crucial three by Clemens gave Western a 3-point lead. The Huskies eventually took a one-point lead with 2:23 to go after draining a three, but Blumer was there to help the Leathernecks retake a 94-92 lead with 10 seconds to go.
A pair of NIU free throws tied the game at 94-94, and eventually took possession for the last shot. With one second to go, the Huskies' Kelly Smith hit the game-winner. Northern Illinois' Courtney Woods led the way with a game-high 39 points, while four others hit double figures. Along with Blumer's 32 and Clemens' 21, Taylor Higginbotham added 13 as the third Leatherneck in double figures.
SCOUTING THE ILLINI:
The University of Illinois Fighting Illini currently sit at 3-1 overall this season with wins over Fort Wayne (64-50), Chicago State (66-56) and Bradley (72-62). Their lone loss is at the hands of Florida Gulf Coast on the road, 61-85.
The Fighting Illini are led by the 16 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest of Alex Wittinger, while Brandi Beasley is the other member of the team who averages double-digits in scoring with 11.5 points per game.
The Leathernecks face off against Illinois for the first time since March 15, 2006, where they fell 58-37 on the road. Western Illinois looks to snap a 5-game skid to the Fighting Illini. The last time the Purple and Gold won against Illinois was during the 1978-79 season, where they won 84-69 at home.
Illinois is led by head coach Nancy Fahey, who is in her first season with the team and in her 31st season overall. She previously guided the Washington University Bears to an NCAA record five Division III National Championships.
SERIES HISTORY: WIU trails 9-7
1971-72 .................L.....44-49
1971-72 .................W...53-33
1972-73 .................W...57-35
1972-73 .................W...62-46
1973-74 .................W...59-39
1973-74 .................W...48-35
1974-75 .................L.....55-61
1975-76 .................L.....63-67 .... A
1976-77 .................W...53-47 ....H
1977-78 .................L.....49-65 .... A
1978-79 .................W...84-69 ....H
1979-80 .................L.....81-86 .... A
1980-81 .................L.....53-69 ....H
1981-82 .................L...67-101 .... A
Nov. 30, 1983 ........L.....67-88 .... A
Mar. 15, 2006.........L.....37-58 .... A
B1G 10 / POWER FIVE OPPOSITION:
Head coach JD Gravina looks for his first win over a Power-5 opponent in his coaching career (2011-Present). He is currently 0-10 against Power-5 opponents, with three of them being decided by 10 points or less. Last season, the Leathernecks fell short to Missouri on the road (71-68), and the year before, Gravina's team fell 98-81 at Iowa in overtime. The last time the Leathernecks played a Power-5 school was in the First Round of the 2017 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, where they fell 66-87 at the No. 3 seeded Florida State.
The last time Western Illinois defeated a Power-5 team was back on Dec. 11, 1997, with a 68-66 win at home in overtime over Missouri, a Big 12 member back then.
FROM THE PARKING LOT!:
Western Illinois averages 12.3 made 3-point field goals per game, which is good enough for sixth in the nation. The Leathernecks are also second in the nation with a total of 49 3-pointers drained through four games, and have attempted 125 from beyond the arc—the third most in the nation.
THE FACILITATORS:
With an average of 24.5 assists per game, Western Illinois ranks seventh-nationally in that category. The Purple and Gold also rank third nationally with 98 total assists. Taking care of the ball has been the Leathernecks' blueprint thus far, as they lead the nation with a 2.18 assist-to-turnover ratio. For the Western backcourt, sophomore Olivia Kaufmann ranks 29th nationally and leads The Summit League with a 5.25 assist/turnover ratio.
Fellow teammate Emily Clemens and Summit League Preseason Player of the Year currently leads the entire nation with 41 total assists and 10.3 assists per game as of Nov. 19. She also leads the conference in double-doubles (2), free throws made (23, 10th nationally), free throw percentage (95.8, 55th nationally) and steals (15, sixth nationally). Kaufmann also ranks 23rd nationally with 21 assists thus far.
LAST MEETING WITH ILLINOIS:
March 15, 2006, WNIT First Round:
Freshman Sarah Miller scored 12 points as the Western Illinois women's basketball team fell in the preliminary round of the WNIT at Illinois, 58-37.
Illinois (16-14) held Western (23-7) to just 12 points in the first half and 22.7 (5-22) percent shooting from the floor to take a 22-12 lead into the half. Miller and junior DeeDee Murphy combined for eight of Western's 12 points in the first stanza.
The Illini used a 20-12 run to take a 42-24 lead with 11:56 to go in the game and went on to maintain at least a 16-point lead en route to the 58-37 victory. Illinois outshot Western, 41.0 (25-61) percent to 27.8 (15-54) percent and won the battle of the boards, 48-32. Miller led Western with 12 points on 4-for-9 shooting from the floor and 4-for-8 from the free throw line. Senior Zane Teilane scored 10 points on 4-for-17 shooting from the floor and recorded nine rebounds and three blocked shots.
Danyel Crutcher led Illinois with 16 points on 8-for-12 shooting from the floor and added 11 rebounds. Audrey Tabon added a game-high 13 rebounds in the win. Western Illinois ended the season 23-7.
Senior Zane Teilane— a two-time Mid-Continent Defensive Player of the Year and a Third Round Pick of the Detroit Shock in the 2006 WNBA Draft— ended her career as Western's all-time leading scorer with 1,547 points at the time, the all-time leading rebounder with 969 boards, and all-time leading shot blocker with 406 rejections after the loss to Illinois.
Teilane was also recently inducted into the Western Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame in the fall of 2017.
SCOUTING CHICAGO STATE:
The Cougars are 0-3 this season with losses to Northwestern (63-36), Illinois (66-56) and Jackson State (87-69). The Leathernecks lead the all-time series 34-2, including a 54-50 win last season on Dec. 17. In that last meeting, Taylor Higginbotham hit a late free-throw to seal the game. She scored a team-high 14 points and added seven rebounds, three steals and a block. Clemens had 13 points to go with six assists, six rebounds and four steals. Braun was the third Leatherneck in double figures with 12 points, five rebounds and two assists. Western Illinois has another meeting Chicago State Nov. 29 inside Western Hall.
