Skip To Main Content

Upcoming Events and Recent Results

Western Illinois University Athletics

Emily Clemens
Photo courtesy of Fort Wayne Athletics
100
Winner Western Illinois WIU 11-4, 1-0 SL
64
Fort Wayne FW 3-11, 0-1 SL
Winner
Western Illinois WIU
11-4, 1-0 SL
100
Final
64
Fort Wayne FW
3-11, 0-1 SL
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Western Illinois WIU 22 31 28 19 100
Fort Wayne FW 9 21 17 17 64

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | WIU Athletic Communications

Leathernecks Cruise Past Fort Wayne In Summit League Opener

Western had four players reach double figures in the win.

FORT WAYNE, Ind.— For the sixth-straight season, Western Illinois picked up a win in its Summit League opener. Behind the 28 points and 11 assists from senior point guard Emily Clemens, the Leathernecks defeated Fort Wayne 100-64 to improve to 11-4 overall and 1-0 in league play.
 
"I'm very proud of our mental approach following the tough loss at Bradley," said head coach JD Gravina. "Even yesterday, I could tell our players were humbled, but focused on getting better. We came out strong and improved on keeping our aggressiveness high throughout the game."
 
Western Illinois was able to get an early jump on the Mastodons (3-11, 0-1) after Michelle Farrow had five of the team's 10 points at the first media timeout. After getting the Mastodons into foul trouble, the Leathernecks were in the bonus, and took a 13-4 lead with 1:45 to go in the first following two drained shots from the charity stripe by Clemens.
 
Clemens then got a layup at the first quarter buzzer to give the Leathernecks a 22-9 lead. The lead eventually grew to 39-19 after Western drained its sixth 3-pointer to force a Fort Wayne timeout with 5:09 to go in the second. A Krishna Merriman 3-point play made it 46-23 Leathernecks with just over three minutes to spare in the quarter.
 
At the half, Western led 53-30 over Fort Wayne, with Clemens, Morgan Blumer, Farrow and Taylor Higginbotham all in double figures. Western opened the third with an 11-3 run that resulted in another Fort Wayne timeout, and eventually led 81-47 entering the fourth.
 
Every player for the Purple and Gold scored, as the Leathernecks were able to close out the game with the 36-point win.
 
After being away from Western Hall since Dec. 5, the Leathernecks return to Macomb for a pair of Summit League games against South Dakota (Jan. 4) and Oral Roberts (Jan. 6). Tipoff for those games are scheduled for 7 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. respectively.
 
PROGRAM NOTES:
-Third time this season Western has had two players with 20 or more points…
-Head coach JD Gravina improves to 10-6 all-time against Fort Wayne…
-Seventh straight win over the Mastodons in the all-time series (Fort Wayne lead 12-10)….
-Leathernecks improve to 1-0 in the league and head coach JD Gravina improves to 6-1 in Summit League opening games…
-Second time this season the Leathernecks have scored 100 or more points (last against Illinois College on Nov. 12, 122-40)…
 
PLAYER NOTES:
-Emily Clemens compiled her 11th career double-double, her third of the season, along with her 28th-career performance of 20 or more points… She was only six points shy of her career-high (34) and two assists shy of her career-high (13) …
-Taylor Higginbotham recorded her 17th career game of 20 or more points…. It also marks the fifth time this season she has done so…
-Morgan Blumer also recorded her 41st career double-digit scoring game, and Michelle Farrow notched her 18th career game in double figures…
 
Print Friendly Version