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Western Illinois University Athletics

Blumer
80
Winner Western Illinois WIU 20-6, 10-3
68
Denver DEN 6-19, 3-9
Winner
Western Illinois WIU
20-6, 10-3
80
Final
68
Denver DEN
6-19, 3-9
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Western Illinois WIU 19 26 20 15 80
Denver DEN 14 13 28 13 68

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

Western Illinois Picks Up 20th Win, Blumer Sets Program Record

The Leathernecks move into a tie for first place in the Summit League standings with win at Denver

JD GRAVINA POST-GAME RADIO INTERVIEW

DENVER, Colo. – The Western Illinois women's basketball team earned its 20th regular season victory on Saturday (Feb. 11) with an 80-68 win on the road at Denver.

Western Illinois is now 20-6 and 10-3 in Summit League action. The Pioneers fell to 6-19 and 3-9 in league play. The win marks the fourth 20-win season for the Leathernecks and its first since the 2005-06 season.

"This game was a great way to cap off a tough road trip," said head coach JD Gravina. "For this team to win five straight, with four on the road, that is an impressive accomplishment."

Morgan Blumer set a new program record for the most 3-pointers in a single season with 69. She went 4-for-8 from behind the arc and scored a game-high 22 points and seven rebounds.

In the first quarter, both teams exchanged baskets to tie the score up at 9-9 at the 4:50 mark. Western Illinois eventually jumped out to a five-point lead to close out the quarter after Emily Clemens drove in the lane and dished a pass to Michelle Farrow, who knocked down the corner shot from beyond the arc.

The Leathernecks opened the second quarter with a Taylor Hanneman 3-pointer, followed by a nice assist by Jasmine Patrick to Clemens, who was wide-open on a backdoor cut. Western got its double-digit lead, 24-14, with just under eight minutes to go until the half.

A 9-3 Leatherneck run, cued by Clemens finding Taylor Higginbotham in transition for a fast-break score, gave Western a 33-17 lead to force a Denver timeout at the 5:07 mark. With 1:57 to go in the second, Western led by 22, its largest of the game. The advantage would be 45-27 at the half, with the Leathernecks outscoring the Pioneers 26-13 in the second quarter alone.

Western got a quick basket in the third quarter off a skip pass from Clemens to Higginbotham for a 49-32 Leatherneck lead. The next play, Blumer set the record with a corner three with less than six minutes to play in the third. An up-and-under move later by Olivia Braun resulted in a 3-point play, which put WIU up 61-48. The Pioneers, however, were able to dwindle Western's lead to just 10 points at the end of the third quarter.

Despite seeing their lead cut to 10 points, Western Illinois never let the game fall into single-digits. The Pioneers trailed by 18 with under two minutes to go, but a late run made it a 12-point game with 1:06 left. The Leathernecks did not give up a basket in the last minute, as they were able to hold and complete the regular season sweep against the Pioneers.

Clemens was second on the team in scoring with 16 points, while also contributing eight assists and five rebounds. Higginbotham was the final Leatherneck in double-digit scoring with 14 points, while Mallory Boyle had nine points and a game-high eight rebounds.

Jacqlyn Poss led the Pioneers with a 19-point effort, followed by Briana Johnson with 14 points, and Haley Simental with 13.

Western Illinois now shifts its focus to South Dakota State next Wednesday (Feb. 15) in Western Hall. Both teams are currently tied for first in The Summit League. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN3.

"We're excited to get back to Western Hall to play for a conference championship," said Gravina.

 PROGRAM NOTES:
-20 wins marks the most under head coach JD Gravina and the most since the 2005-06 season…
-Since 1972, the Leathernecks now have four 20-plus win seasons: 2002-03 (21-9 overall, 12-2 conference), 2003-04 (20-9, 13-3), 2005-06 (23-7, 13-3), and 2016-17 (20-6, 10-3)…
-10 conference wins marks the most since 2007-08 (12-6 league record)…also marks the ninth time in program history Western Illinois has won 10-plus conference games in a season…
-The Leathernecks are now tied for first in The Summit League standings with South Dakota State (also 10-3 in the league) who recently fell to IUPUI…

PLAYER NOTES:
-Emily Clemens' 16 points marks her 24th double-digit scoring game of the season (career 39th)… eighth career 40-minute game… 17th five-plus assist game of the season (career 32nd)… eight assists also gives her 383 of her career, 22 away from tying for third all-time… 13 points away from becoming the 16th Leatherneck to reach 1,000 in her career…
-Mallory Boyle tied her career-high of seven free-throws made for the third time (7-for-7)… also tied her season-high of one block for the second straight time… eight rebounds marks the sixth time this season as the rebounds leader  (career 12th)…
-Morgan Blumer's 69 3-pointers made is a new single-season record, passing Saule Kontautaite (2012-13) who had 68… 22 points marks her 23rd career double-digit scoring game and her sixth career 20-plus point performance… eighth career game as the scoring leader…
-Michelle Farrow's seven points puts her over the 500-point mark in her career (504)…
-Taylor Higginbotham's 14 points marks her 18th double-digit scoring game of the season (career 39th)…
   
 



 
 
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