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Western Illinois University Athletics

Jordan Hughes

Men's Basketball WIU Athletic Communications

WIU looks to bounce against American on Wednesday

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

GAME EIGHT
MEN'S BASKETBALL: WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS VS AMERICAN EAGLES 
Dec. 6, 2017  •  7:00 p.m. (CT)  •  Macomb, Ill.  •  Western Hall 
LIVE STATS: HERE
LISTEN: HERE

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MACOMB, Ill. - Leatherneck basketball is back in action on Wednesday (Dec. 6) against American at Western Hall. This will be the second meeting between both schools, with the first meeting coming last year, a bout the Eagles won 57-50 in Washington, D.C. This year's matchup will tipoff at 7 p.m. and will broadcasted by Scott Kornberg on the Leatherneck Sports Network.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Leathernecks took Miami (Ohio) into double-overtime inside Western Hall. Down 73-70 with eight seconds to go, Dalan Ancrum pulled up from 26 feet and knocked down the 3-pointer to even up the score with six seconds left. On the next Redhawk possession, Miami's Darrian Ringo pulled from the right wing and made the 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds left for the win. Ancrum ended with a game-high 22 points. He also pulled down seven rebounds and dished out four assists. Kobe Webster knocked down some big shots late that kept that kept the Leathernecks alive, but WIU was eventually outlasted.
 
SHOOTER'S ROLL: Shots have been falling for the Leathernecks all season. WIU ranks 29th in the NCAA and first in The Summit League by shooting 50.2 percent from the field so far this season. The Purple and Gold are dangerous from behind the arc as well, knocking down at least eight buckets from behind the arc each game. Brandon Gilbeck is having a tremendous 2017-18 campaign shooting the ball, ranking fifth nationally and first in the League shooting 70.4 percent.
 
KNOCK 'EM DOWN: Dalan Ancrum is second in the League in points at 19.9 points per game. He is only behind Fort Wayne's Bryson Scott (21.7) and ahead of South Dakota State's 'Preseason Player of the Year' Mike Daum (20.1). Ancrum's season has featured four 20-point performances (vs. St. Mary's, Eastern Illinois and Miami (Ohio)), including one 34-point game at SIUE.
 
HANDS UP!: The Western Illinois defense has been extremely effective so far this season. The Leathernecks rank 42nd in the nation in field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to only shoot 44.1 percent from the field. In the middle of WIU's defense is Brandon Gilbeck, who is averaging 3.1 block per contest this season, so opponents have adjusted and began to shoot more 3-pointers. An average of 40.1 percent of opponents points have come from behind the arc so far this season, which ranks 15th in the nation.
 
MR. POPULAR: When facing Division I opponents, the Leathernecks trot out Dalan Ancrum, Kobe Webster, C.J. Duff, Jeremiah Usiosefe and Brandon Gilbeck 34.9% of the time. The second-most used lineup is Dalan Ancrum, Delo Bruster, C.J. Duff, Jeremiah Usiosefe and Jalen Morgan, which is used 11.9 percent of game. The Leathernecks also rank 347th out of 351 teams in bench minutes, with non-starters only playing in 19.7% percent of team minutes.
 
MINUTE MAN: Dalan Ancrum and Kobe Webster have each logged a 40 minute game this year. Ancrum is averaging 33.8 minutes per game. Ancrum and Webster are both coming off games which they saw a lot of minutes, with Ancrum bring on the floor for all 50 minutes of the double-overtime game and Webster seeing 43 of the 50 minutes of action. In Division I games, Ancrum has been on the floor for 94.8 percent of Western's minutes. His time on the floor ranks 7th in the nation out of roughly 2200 players in percentage of minutes.
 
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Western Illinois has been a stranger to the offensive glass so far this season. WIU only pulls down a offensive rebound in 20.9 percent of possessions this season, which ranks 335th out of 351 teams. On the other hand, American ranks 349th in the NCAA in giving up offensive rebounds. So far this season, the Eagles have given up offensive rebounds on 41.2 possessions, which ranks just above Maryland Eastern Shore (42.2) and Incarnate Word (50.5).
 
GET IT OUT OF HERE: Brandon Gilbeck's 20 blocked shots this season have been impressive. Not only is he averaging 3.1 blocks per contest, when he is on the floor Gilbeck blocks 13.4 percent of opponents attempts. This ranks 14th in the nation among the roughly 2,200 ranked players in the NCAA this season.
 
SCOUTING THE EAGLES: American comes into the contest on a two-game skid with losses to Maryland Eastern Shore and St. Francis. The Eagles are led by sophomore Sa'eed Nelson, who leads the team in points, rebounds, assists and steals. After tonight's matchup, the Eagles head home for a bout against Howard.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: After tonight's game, the Leathernecks play host to Milwaukee on Dec. 9 in Western Hall and then have 10 days off, returning to action versus Eastern Illinois on the road Dec. 19.
 
Tip-Ins:
- In three straight games, the Leathernecks have featured a player that has played in every minute of a contest.
-Against Iowa State it was Dalan Ancrum and when WIU played IUPUI Kobe Webster logged 40 minutes. In the double-overtime bout versus Miami (OHIO), Ancrum played all 50 minutes of the contest. 
-Against Miami (Ohio), Jalen Morgan led the team in rebounds for the first time this season as he pulled down 10.
-The Leathernecks committed 19 fouls against the Redhawks on Dec. 2, the most fouls WIU has racked up to date.
-Brandon Gilbeck has now led his team in blocks in 45 games, including all seven games this season.
-Since Nov. 25 at Iowa State, the Leathernecks have given up fewer assists each game. The Cyclones only recorded 17 assists, while the Jaguars logged 14 and the Redhawks only dished the ball 13 times.
 
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Players Mentioned

Dalan Ancrum

#15 Dalan Ancrum

G/F
6' 6"
Senior
Westwood
Delo Bruster

#11 Delo Bruster

G
5' 11"
Junior
Shawnee Mission South/Quality Education Academy
C.J. Duff

#40 C.J. Duff

G
6' 1"
Sophomore
Carmel
Brandon Gilbeck

#52 Brandon Gilbeck

C
7' 0"
Junior
River Valley
Jalen Morgan

#22 Jalen Morgan

F
6' 8"
Junior
Pike
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
Delo Bruster

#11 Delo Bruster

5' 11"
Junior
Shawnee Mission South/Quality Education Academy
G
C.J. Duff

#40 C.J. Duff

6' 1"
Sophomore
Carmel
G
Brandon Gilbeck

#52 Brandon Gilbeck

7' 0"
Junior
River Valley
C
Jalen Morgan

#22 Jalen Morgan

6' 8"
Junior
Pike
F
Jeremiah Usiosefe

#32 Jeremiah Usiosefe

6' 5"
Sophomore
The Hill Academy
G
Kobe Webster

#10 Kobe Webster

6' 0"
Freshman
Park Tudor
G