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Men's Basketball WIU Athletic Communications

WIU Back In Action Against EIU and Butler

Leathernecks tipoff at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, 7 p.m. on Thursday in Hinkle Fieldhouse

GAME TEN
MEN'S BASKETBALL: WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS VS EASTERN ILLINOIS PANTHERS
Dec. 19, 2017  •  7:30 p.m. (CT)  •  Charleston, Ill.  • Lantz Arena 
LIVE STATS: HERE
LISTEN: HERE

GAME ELEVEN
MEN'S BASKETBALL: WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS VS BUTLER BULLDOGS
Dec. 21, 2017  •  7:00 p.m. (CT)  •  Indianapolis, Ind.  •  Hinkle Fieldhouse
LIVE STATS: HERE
LISTEN: HERE

MACOMB, Ill. - The Leathernecks are back on the court after a 10-day hiatus on Tuesday (Dec. 19) and Thursday (Dec. 21) against Eastern Illinois and Butler, respectively. WIU first heads to Charleston, Ill. to try and complete a series sweep of the Panthers, as the Purple and Gold won the Nov. 15 matchup 56-54 inside Western Hall.
 
The Leathernecks then travel to Indianapolis and Hinkle Fieldhouse for a Dec. 21 tilt at 7 p.m. This will be the fourth all-time contest between the two schools, with Butler leading 3-1.
 
LAST TIME OUT: In a game in which the Leathernecks never trailed, Western Illinois rolled past Milwaukee 90-69 on Dec. 9 inside Western Hall. The Purple and Gold captured a 35-point lead in the first half and did not see its lead drop below 22 until Jeremiah Bell made a 3-pointer with three seconds remaining. Western had five double-digit scorers for the first time since against Denver on Jan. 11. Kobe Webster (21), Brandon Gilbeck (17), Jeremiah Usiosefe (16) and Dalan Ancrum (13) all netted more than 10 points.
 
IT'S GOING IN: WIU has been extremely effective from the field through nine contests this season, shooting at a 51.7 percent clip. The Leathernecks rank ninth in the NCAA and first in The Summit League in field goal percentage. Western is led by Brandon Gilbeck, who is third in the country in field goal percentage (75.3). Dalan Ancrum also ranks in the top 100 at 88th in the NCAA by shooting 54.1 percent. Gilbeck shot 8-for-9 (17 points) against Milwaukee and Ancrum shot 5-for-8 with 13 points.
 
ONE OF A KIND: Brandon Gilbeck is only one of two players in the NCAA who averages 14 points, eight rebounds and 3.5 blocks.
 
FRESHMAN PHENOM: Kobe Webster ranks among one of the best freshman in the country and best in The Summit League. Webster is only one of three freshman in the country to average 15 points, 4.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds. If he continues throughout the entire season, he will end as the only Leatherneck in the last 26 years to average these numbers, regardless of class.
 
BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL: Western Illinois is the only team in the country that is ranked in the top 10 in field goal percentage (51.7) and top 30 in field goal percentage defense.
 
LOCK 'EM DOWN: The Western Illinois defense has been impressive in the 2017-18 campaign, limiting opponents to only 62.4 points per contest, which ranks 20th in the country and first in The Summit League. The shots that opponents have been able to get off have not been falling, as WIU is 29th in the country in field goal percentage defense.
 
CRASHING THE GLASS: Although WIU ranks 347th out of 351 teams in offensive rebounding percentage, the Leathernecks have the 42nd-best rebounding margin in the country, along with the first in The Summit League. The Purple and Gold rank ninth in the NCAA in defensive rebounds per game, with WIU snagging 30.88 per contest.
 
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: In the first matchup on Nov. 15, the Leathernecks forced 19 Panther turnovers while only committing 14. Look for the Purple and Gold to try to force the Panthers into turnovers. Additionally, EIU held Western to 37 percent from the field, the second-lowest percentage the Leathernecks have shot all season (lowest vs. Iowa State- 32.8%).
 
KEEPING THE WHISTLE QUIET: Out of all 351 teams in D-I, WIU has committed the fewest personal fouls of any team in the land. The Leathernecks have only fouled opponents 118 times through nine games this season.
 
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS: Eastern Illinois comes into the game on a four-game skid at 2-7. The Panthers are looking for their first win in the month of December. This will also be the first home game for the Panthers this month, as they have played at Marquette, Bradley, Green Bay and South Alabama. EIU is led by Jajuan Starks who is averaging 12.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. Muusa Dama ranks ninth in the OVC in rebounding, as he pulls down 7.2 rebounds a game.
 
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS: Butler comes into the game on Thursday (Dec. 21) with a 8-3 record (as of 12/18). The Bulldogs play Morehead State on Tuesday (Dec. 19). Kelan Martin leads the team with 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Tyler Wideman is impressive on the offensive glass as more than half of his rebounds come from the offensive side of the court. At the helm of the Butler program is LaVall Jordan, who is in his first season. Jordan came to Butler from Milwaukee, a team the Leathernecks beat last season 75-59.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: After tonight's game, the Leathernecks head to Indianapolis for a tilt against Butler on Thursday. After Thursday, WIU gets another 10-day break in their schedule and are back in action closing out non-conference play Dec. 31 against Lincoln Christian at 2 p.m. inside Western Hall. Western opens up Summit League play Jan. 3 at South Dakota.
 
 
Tip-Ins
-The last time Western Illinois and Eastern Illinois met, Western Illinois won, 56-54.
-In that meeting on Nov. 15, Dalan Ancrum netted 21 points on 7-18 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds, his season high in rebounds.
-Brandon Gilbeck's 33 blocks are more blocks than NDSU, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Omaha and Denver have recorded as teams.
-Jeremiah Usiosefe is coming off of a career night against Milwaukee, scoring 16 points, recording eight rebounds and dishing out nine assists. Usiosefe set a career-high in points and assists along with 3-point field goals made (4).
-The Leathernecks have already scored at least 90 points four times this season through nine games. Last year in 28 games, WIU only netted 90 points on five occasions.
-The last time these teams met there were only 110 combined points which accounts for the least amount of points in a WIU game this season.
 
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Players Mentioned

Dalan Ancrum

#15 Dalan Ancrum

G/F
6' 6"
Senior
Westwood
Brandon Gilbeck

#52 Brandon Gilbeck

C
7' 0"
Junior
River Valley
Jeremiah Usiosefe

#32 Jeremiah Usiosefe

G
6' 5"
Sophomore
The Hill Academy
Kobe Webster

#10 Kobe Webster

G
6' 0"
Freshman
Park Tudor

Players Mentioned

Dalan Ancrum

#15 Dalan Ancrum

6' 6"
Senior
Westwood
G/F
Brandon Gilbeck

#52 Brandon Gilbeck

7' 0"
Junior
River Valley
C
Jeremiah Usiosefe

#32 Jeremiah Usiosefe

6' 5"
Sophomore
The Hill Academy
G
Kobe Webster

#10 Kobe Webster

6' 0"
Freshman
Park Tudor
G