PHOTO GALLERY
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Western Illinois dropped an 87-66 game at Florida State in the opening round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament (March 17). Western Illinois finished the year with a program record 26 wins (26-7 overall). It was the first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1995 for The Summit League Regular Season and Tournament Champion.
"It's hard to reflect on an entire season in a few minutes, but I told these kids in the locker room that happiness isn't real unless it's shared. I thought this group was the most caring and loving group I've ever coached," said head coach JD Gravina. "It was by far the most fun season as a coach, not just because we made the NCAA Tournament but because of getting to share it with this group. I thought tonight we played and fought really hard. We got off to a hot start and that was fun, and we were turning them over a little bit. But they ratcheted up their pressure and started going in transition. That's when they were able to flex their muscles."
Western Illinois opened the first quarter with a 19-12 lead over the Seminoles, capped off by a transition 3-pointer by Michelle Farrow. The lead increased to eight points when Morgan Blumer buried a shot from beyond the arc to make it a 22-14 advantage for the Leathernecks with 8:30 to go in the second.
A runner by Emily Clemens kept the Leathernecks ahead 24-18 at the 6:35 mark in the second, but the Seminoles (seeded 3rd) were able to retake the lead. Western only trailed by two at the half. Through two quarters of play, the Purple and Gold knocked down seven 3-pointers.
Florida State opened the third quarter with a three, followed by back-to-back transition layups go up 45-36 at the 6:04 mark. A long 3-pointer and a bank shot by Taylor Hanneman kept the game to within nine points, but a quick FSU run increased the Leathernecks' deficit to at 65-50.
The Seminoles lead increased to 18 points with 7:14 to go in the contest following two consecutive 15-foot jumpers. A bounce pass from Clemens to Braun for a layup, following by a Higginbotham and-1 put the score at 85-64 in favor of FSU with 2:11 to go in the game. With 1:38 to play, Clemens knocked down a free throw to tie a program record for the most points in a season with 623.
The Leathernecks were led by Taylor Higginbotham's 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Clemens finished the night with nine points and seven assists. Morgan Blumer added 12 points and six rebounds while Hanneman chipped in 11 points. As a team, Western finished 11-of-24 from beyond the arc.
"I think coming in as a freshman we finished a game or two above .500, and last year we really took that step with the post season berth," said Clemens. "This year I think we were hungry for more, we have a group of selfless individuals and some of us, like Morgan Blumer, who was a transfer had seen this experience and talked it up. We just knew collectively that we could take the next step. Coach Gravina believed in us and this year has been special."
Florida State, who was ranked No. 13 in the nation, was led by Shakayla Thomas' double-double of 23 points and 14 rebounds. Chatrice White also had a double-double of 19 points and 14 rebounds.
"Obviously they more than doubled us up on the boards which we knew would be a huge challenge. I thought our kids did a good job of continuing to fight," said Gravina. "There was a point that we were down 20 with a lot of time left and it looked like it could really get ugly but out team kept fighting. I'm proud of them and I hope that these girls realize we had a historic season. We had great support back home and that made for a fun year."
PROGRAM NOTES:
-26-7 record is the best in program history… first NCAA Tournament berth since 1995…
-Head coach JD Gravina concludes the 2016-17 season with 99 career wins at Western Illinois…
-11-game win streak snapped at NCAA Tournament… first loss since Jan. 25, 2017… 11-game win streak is tied for the most in program history (last time was Dec. 30, 2004-Feb. 5, 2005).
- The Leathernecks hung with the Seminoles in the first half thanks to making seven 3-pointers on 15 attempts. Western Illinois entered the game averaging 9.5 3s per game, which ranked sixth nationally and led the Summit League... Western Illinois entered the game with 303 made 3s, which ranked eighth in the nation. The Leathernecks finished with 11 3s on 24 attempts in the game (45.8 percent).
-The Leathernecks now have two NCAA Tournament Appearances (1995, 2017), six Summit League regular season titles (1994-95, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2016-17) and two Summit League Tournament Titles (1995, 2017)…
PLAYER NOTES:
-Emily Clemens' nine points ties her with Ashley Luke (2014-15) for the most points in a season with 623… now has 1123 points in her career… seven assists put her at 447 for her career, which ranks second all-time in program history… 1234 minutes played are the most in program history for a season… seven assists also mark her 24th five-plus assist game this season (career 39th)… also set a new program and Summit League record with 241 assists this season…
-Olivia Braun finished with 270 points, 126 rebounds, 88 blocks and 79 assists in her debut season with the Leathernecks… 88 career blocks also rank third all-time in program history…
-Senior Mallory Boyle caps off her career with 402 points, 232 rebounds, 131 steals and 113 assists… she also ranks third all-time in program history with 119 games played…
-Morgan Blumer capped off her junior and debut season with the Leathernecks with 89 3-pointers which are the most in program history for a season… she also finished with 553 points, 129 rebounds and 59 steals this season… 12 points against Florida State marks her 30th career double-digit scoring game…
-Taylor Hanneman's 11 points mark her seventh double-digit scoring game this season (career 17th)…
-Senior Jasmine Patrick caps off her career with 146 points, 165 rebounds and 33 assists in her two seasons as a Leatherneck… logged 585 total minutes and appeared in 55 games for Western Illinois…
-Taylor Higginbotham's 20 points marks her sixth 20-plus point game this season (career 11th)… scored the first nine points for Western Illinois in the Florida State game, and her 3-pointer at the 5:49 mark gave the Leathernecks a 9-4 lead in the first quarter…. Higginbotham's second three at 2:54 in the first quarter pushed the Western Illinois lead to 14-8 and gave her 12 of the Leathernecks' first 14 points…. Higginbotham had 15 points at halftime and finished with 20 points – the 23rd double-figure scoring game of the season and 43rd of her career… finished her sophomore campaign with 849 career points, 362 rebounds and 132 assists in two seasons thus far… also her 15th career game as the team scoring leader…
