Men's Basketball To Play Host To Familiar Foe In IUPUI

The Leathernecks and Jaguars are slated to tipoff at 7 p.m. on ESPN3

MACOMB- Ill.- The Western Illinois men's basketball team looks to bounce back from a loss to Iowa State last week by hosting a former league opponent in IUPUI on Tuesday (Nov. 28) at 7 p.m. inside Western Hall.

LAST TIME OUT: Western Illinois coming off of a game against Iowa State, a contest in which the Leathernecks fell 70-45. WIU was only down by four at the break, in part to two Ancrum three-point shots in the final two minutes, but the Cyclones were guided by a 41-point second half to defeat the Purple and Gold.

IT'S GOIN' IN: Western's shots are falling in the first five games of the season, as the Leathernecks rank first in The Summit League in field goal percentage. Four Leathernecks (Lynrick Moxey, Brandon Gilbeck, Jeremiah Usiosefe and Dalan Ancrum) shoot over 50 percent from the field, Moxey (88.9), Gilbeck (75.0), Usiosefe (57.1) and Ancrum (52.2). Two Leathernecks are featured in the 'Top 5' in The Summit League, as Gilbeck leads the league in field goal percentage and Ancrum is fifth.

FINDING THE BOTTOM OF THE NET: Dalan Ancrum is second in the league in points at 19.6 points per game, between Fort Wayne's Bryson Scott (21.7) and South Dakota State's 'Preseason Player of the Year' Mike Daum (19.4).

LAST SHOT: Although Ancrum put the game-winning shot through the net against SIUE, and scoring at the end of contest has been a constant this season. The senior has a combined 25 points in the final five minutes of games this year. Isaac Johnson in second on the squad with seven and no one after that has more than four points combined. Ancrum is 7-10 from the field and 5-6 behind the arc in the final five minutes of the game. Ancrum has also attempted six free throws in this time period, shooting 100% from the line at the end of games.

LOCKING THEM DOWN: The Western defense has been impressive up to this point this season, as the Leathernecks rank second in the conference and 30th nationally in opponent field goal percentage.

MR. POPULAR: When facing Division I opponents, the Leathernecks trot out Dalan Ancrum, Kobe Webster, C.J. Duff, Jeremiah Usiosefe and Brandon Gilbeck 38.9% of the time. The second most-used lineup is Dalan Ancrum, Delo Bruster, C.J. Duff, Jeremiah Usiosefe and Jalen Morgan, which is used 9.3 percent of game.

SCOUTING THE JAGUARS: IUPUI comes into the match with only four games under its belt. The Jaguars are 2-2 with wins over Anderson University and Morehead State while losing to Eastern Illinois and Bradley. IUPUI is led by Aaron Brennan, who is averaging 16.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. The Jags have four players scoring in double figures, including Brennan, Ron Patterson (13.5), T.J. Henderson (10.3) and Evan Hall (10.0). IUPUI was in The Summit League school before moving to the Horizon League, and this will be the 48th meeting between the two programs. The Jaguars own 32-15 record over Western.

LOOKING AHEAD: This contest in the beginning of a four-game stretch at home, as Western will play host to Miami (OH) on Dec. 2, American on Dec. 6 and Milwaukee on Dec. 9. The Leathernecks do not hit the road again until Dec. 19 against Eastern Illinois.

TIP-INS
- Against Iowa State, Dalan Ancrum logged 40 minutes of playing time in regulation, the first time a Leatherneck has played a full 40 minutes since Mike Miklusak at Milwaukee (12/17/16).
- Isaac Johnson netted his first three-point field goal against Iowa State.
- C.J. Duff is coming off of a season-high in rebounds (seven) versus the Cyclones.
- This will be the seventh meeting against IUPUI for head coach Billy Wright.
- Wright will be looking to pick up his third overall and second consecutive victory over the Jaguars.
- Gilbeck has recorded at least two blocks in each bout this season, including two four-block performances against SIUE and Eastern Illinois.
- Gilbeck shot 90.9 percent from the field against Calvary (10-11).
- The Leathernecks have only recorded more than 10 offensive rebounds once this season, an 18-rebound performance against Calvary.
- Western Illinois limited Iowa State to only nine free throw attempts, the fewest attempts for the Cyclones season.

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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

#14 Lynrick Moxey: G; 6' 2"; Senior; Tampa Bay/Lamar CC (Colo.)

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

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

#35 Isaac Johnson: G; 6' 5"; Freshman; North

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

#14 Lynrick Moxey
: 6' 2"; Senior; Tampa Bay/Lamar CC (Colo.)
: G

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

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

#35 Isaac Johnson
: 6' 5"; Freshman; North
: G