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MACOMB, Ill.- The Western Illinois women's basketball team continues its quest for The Summit League regular season championship and the No. 1 seed in the tournament with a key matchup against Fort Wayne at home (Feb. 22).
LAST TIME VERSUS FORT WAYNE:
The Western Illinois women's basketball team picked up a 75-53 win at Fort Wayne to open Summit League play on Dec. 28. Taylor Higginbotham led the way with a game-high 23 points to go with four rebounds and four assists. She was one of five Leathernecks who scored in double figures. Of Higginbotham's 23 points, she scored 13 in the second half, which included her three field goals from beyond the arc. Emily Clemens followed with 14 points, five assists and four rebounds. Michelle Farrow tied her season high of 13 points for the second time, while Blumer (11) and Boyle (10) rounded out the double-digit scoring.
As a team, Western shot 49.2 percent (30-for-61) from the field and 50 percent (9-for-18) from beyond the arc. Fort Wayne (3-11, 0-1) was led by De'Jour Young's 15 points and five rebounds. Anna Lappenkuper added 13, while Rachel Rinehart recorded 10 points, five assists and five steals.
A LOOK AT YOUR LEATHERNECKS:
As a team, Western Illinois leads The Summit League in scoring offense (80.5 points per game), field goals made (763), 3-pointers made (246), assists per game (18.1), steals per game (11.7) and blocks per game (4.5).
Emily Clemens ranks first in the league and tied for 10th nationally with 183 assists this season. With 18.8 points per game, Clemens ranks first in The Summit League. Clemens also leads The Summit League and ranks 10th nationally in assists per game (6.8) and tops the league in steals per game (2.7). Teammate Morgan Blumer ranks third in the league with 17.0 points per game. Olivia Braun leads the league with 2.7 blocks per game. She is 15th nationally with 73 total blocks thus far.
With a Summit League-leading 11.7 steals per game as a team, the Leathernecks have four players who rank in the Top-4 for steals per game. Clemens sits atop The Summit League standings (2.7 per game), followed by Mallory Boyle (2.2) in second, Higginbotham in third (2.0) and Blumer ranks fourth with 1.9 steals per contest. Western Illinois is tied for 11th nationally in total steals (315) and tied for 10th nationally in steals per game (11.7).
SUMMIT LEAGUE TITLE SCENARIO:
The Leathernecks control their own destiny in quest for the regular season crown and the No. 1 seed in the league tournament. Wins over Fort Wayne (Feb. 22) and South Dakota (Feb. 25) give Western Illinois the sole possession of The Summit League regular season title. South Dakota is also tied with Western Illinois for first place with an 11-3 league record. A win over Fort Wayne and a South Dakota loss at IUPUI (Feb. 22) guarantees Western Illinois at least a share of the regular season crown.
SCOUTING THE MASTODONS:
Fort Wayne is 5-22 overall and 2-12 in the league under first-year head coach Niecee Nelson. The Mastodons are led by D'Jour Young, who averages a team-high 12.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Rachel Rinehart tops her team with 2.4 assists per game and 1.8 steals per contest. Most recently, Fort Wayne fell 76-59 to South Dakota State at home (Feb. 18) for senior day. They close out the regular season with road games at Western Illinois and IUPUI (Feb. 25).
SERIES HISTORY VS. FORT WAYNE:
Western Illinois opened the 2016-17 Summit League slate with a 75-53 win at Fort Wayne (Dec. 28). That win tied the all-time series 10-10. Both teams look to take control of the win column in the 21st meeting.
WIN RECORDS ON THE LINE:
A win over Fort Wayne Wednesday ties a program record for home wins in a single season with 12. The Leathernecks also aim for their 22nd regular season win. That would be the second most in program history behind the 2005-06 team, who recorded 23 wins.
MID-MAJOR POLL:
The Leathernecks sit at No. 24 in the CollegeInsider.com Women's Basketball Mid-Major Poll. To view the poll, click HERE
PROMOTIONAL:
If 500 more students attend the game, there will be a free spring break trip that includes a $1400 travel voucher for two lucky students.
Fans can hear Danny Frey call all of the women's basketball regular season games throughout the area on the Leatherneck Sports Network.
All Western Illinois women's basketball regular season home games are scheduled to be video streamed on Fighting Leatherneck All-Access, and select games are slated to air on WatchESPN/ESPN3.
Flagship: 94.3 FM WRMS (Beardstown) Affiliates: 102.7 FM WJEQ (Macomb) | 106.7 FM WPWQ (Quincy) | 107.5 FM KWBZ (Quincy).
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