Men's Basketball Heads To Ames To Take On Iowa State

Leathernecks and Cyclones are slated to tipoff at 7 p.m.

GAME FIVE
MEN'S BASKETBALL: WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS AT IOWA STATE CYCLONES
Nov. 25, 2017 • 7:00 p.m. (CT) • Ames, Iowa • Hilton Coliseum

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MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois Leathernecks (4-0) will travel to Ames, Iowa at 7 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 25) for a non-conference matchup at Iowa State (3-2). WIU looks to go 5-0 for the second time in three seasons. Before the 2015-16 campaign, the last time Western began a season 5-0 was 1986-87.

BALL ON FIRE: Western Illinois leads the Summit league in field goal percentage with 56.7 of their shots going through. Brandon Gilbeck is leading the charge, shooting 78.4 percent from the field. The percentage is eight points higher than Charlton Hurst, who ranks second in the league. Against Saint Mary's of Minn., the Leathernecks shot 85.2 percent from the field in the second half (23-27). Not only is WIU first in The Summit League in field goal percentage, the Leathernecks are seventh in the nation. Dalan Ancrum is netting 21.0 points per game, which is second in the The Summit League. He is also fourth in field goal percentage, putting down 56.6 percent of his shots. Ancrum went 11-14 from the field against SIUE, including 5-6 from behind the arc against the Cougars.

THE CLUTCH GENE: Although Dalan Ancrum put the game-winning shot through the net on Wednesday evening, scoring at the end of contest is not new to Ancrum this year. The senior has a combined 25 points in the final five minutes of contests this year. Issac Johnson in second on the squad with 7 and no one after that has more than four points combined. Ancrum is 7-9 from the field, and is perfect behind the arc in the final five minutes of the game, making all five trifectas he's attempted in crunch time. Ancrum has also attempted six free throws in this time period, shooting 100% from the line at the end of games.

HAND IN YOUR FACE: Against Division I opponents, Western Illinois is second in the nation in defensive field goal percentage. The Leathernecks only let opponents shoot 35.7 percent from two-point range, which is nearly 14 percent better than the national average (49.6 percent).

CLAMPING DOWN: The Leathernecks lead The Summit League in many defensive categories, including fewest fouls, rebounding margin and scoring defense. Perhaps the most impressive is scoring defense, as the Leathernecks only give up 49 points per contest, which is seventh nationally.

TAKIN' CARE OF THE ROCK: WIU been extremely effective with the ball on offense, ranking third in The Summit League with only 50 turnovers. The Leathernecks' assist-to-turnover ratio is equally impressive, with the WIU offense logging 1.36 assist for every turnover they commit. Not only is the offense not afraid to pass, they crash the boards, pulling down 10.75 offensive rebounds per matchup.

MR. POPULAR: When facing Division I opponents, the Leathernecks trot out Dalan Ancrum, Kobe Webster, C.J. Duff, Jeremiah Usiosefe and Brandon Gilbeck 44.0% of the time. The second-most used lineup is Dalan Ancrum, Delo Bruster, C.J. Duff, Jeremiah Usiosefe and Jalen Morgan, which is used 13.0 percent of game.

SCOUTING THE CYCLONES: The Cyclones began the season 0-2 with losses to Missouri and Milwaukee before winning three in a row against Appalachian State, Tulsa and Boise State. The Cyclones sit at 3-2 and are led by Donovan Jackson, who is putting in 17.2 points per contest. Iowa State also features Nick Weiler-Babb and Lindell Wigginton, who are both double-digit scorers averaging 15.6 and 11.4, respectively. This will be the seventh meeting between the two programs, with Iowa State holding a 6-0 advantage. This will be the first contest between the Leathernecks and Cyclones since 2002.

LOOKING AHEAD: After the bout in Ames, the Leathernecks will play host to four straight games inside Western Hall beginning with IUPUI on Nov. 28 for a non-conference matchup. Western will then play host to Miami (OH) on Dec. 2, American on Dec. 6 and Milwaukee on Dec. 9.

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Players Mentioned

#15 Dalan Ancrum: G/F; 6' 6"; Senior; Westwood

#11 Delo Bruster: G; 5' 11"; Junior; Shawnee Mission South/Quality Education Academy

#40 C.J. Duff: G; 6' 1"; Sophomore; Carmel

#52 Brandon Gilbeck: C; 7' 0"; Junior; River Valley

#22 Jalen Morgan: F; 6' 8"; Junior; Pike

#32 Jeremiah Usiosefe: G; 6' 5"; Sophomore; The Hill Academy

#10 Kobe Webster: G; 6' 0"; Freshman; Park Tudor

Players Mentioned

#15 Dalan Ancrum
: 6' 6"; Senior; Westwood
: G/F

#11 Delo Bruster
: 5' 11"; Junior; Shawnee Mission South/Quality Education Academy
: G

#40 C.J. Duff
: 6' 1"; Sophomore; Carmel
: G

#52 Brandon Gilbeck
: 7' 0"; Junior; River Valley
: C

#22 Jalen Morgan
: 6' 8"; Junior; Pike
: F

#32 Jeremiah Usiosefe
: 6' 5"; Sophomore; The Hill Academy
: G

#10 Kobe Webster
: 6' 0"; Freshman; Park Tudor
: G