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Clemens
Photo by Inertia Sports
39
Denver DEN 6-24
82
Winner Western Illinois WIU 24-6
Denver DEN
6-24
39
Final
82
Western Illinois WIU
24-6
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Denver DEN 2 15 9 13 39
Western Illinois WIU 19 14 20 29 82

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

Leathernecks Pick Up Record 24th Win, Defeat Denver In Summit League Championship Quarterfinal

Western Illinois moves on to the semifinal round of The Summit League Championship.

PHOTO GALLERY
POST-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Western Illinois women's basketball team cruised to an 82-39 win over Denver in The Summit League Championship Quarterfinal Round on Saturday (March 4). The top-seeded Purple and Gold knocked down a combined 15 shots from beyond the arc, which set a new Summit League Tournament single-game record.

"Obviously, that's how you want to take care of business," said head coach JD Gravina. "I thought our defense was able to suffocate them in the first quarter by forcing a ton of turnovers and not having them hit a field goal in the first quarter. They [Denver] started hitting some shots in the second quarter, and we knew they were a good jump-shooting team. I thought we went pedal to the metal in the second half. We kept our aggressiveness and were able to blow the game open."  

The Leathernecks (24-6 overall) have now set a new program record of 24 wins this season, and the 43-point win is the largest margin of victory for a Summit League Tournament game since 1993. Emily Clemens, who finished with a game-high 17 points and nine rebounds, broke the single-season WIU record for assists. She now has 214 assists for 2016-17 and ranks third-all time in The Summit League rankings for single-season assists. The win over Denver also sets a new season low for the fewest points allowed to a Division I opponent in a game.

After neither team found a bucket nearly three minutes into the game, Mallory Boyle scored seven of Western Illinois' first 10 points. Western jumped out to the quick 10-0 lead at the first quarter media timeout, and eventually increased its lead at 19-2 entering the second quarter.

A Jasmine Patrick layup and jumper made it a 23-4 Western lead, but the Pioneers went on a 7-0 spurt to cut the Leathernecks' lead to 15 with 4:55 to go in the second. With the seconds counting down before halftime, Clemens threaded a pass inside the paint to Olivia Braun, who went up strong and hit the off-balance layup with Denver defenders around her. At the half, the Leathernecks held on to a 33-17 lead.

Just 20 seconds in the the third quarter, Clemens found Blumer on a nice lob pass for an inside layup. The lead increased to 48-24 at the 4:30 mark in the third quarter after a 13-7 run. The lead increased to 50-24 with 1:58 to go in the third following a 10-foot jumper from Michelle Farrow. After three quarters of play, Western Illinois led 53-26.

Back-to-back shots from beyond the arc by Blumer and Farrow increased the Purple and Gold's lead at 59-26 with a little over nine minutes to go. With 6:12 remaining in the game, Taylor Higginbotham's 3-pointer increased the Leatherneck advantage to 66-31. As the clocked ticked under the four-minute mark, Clemens drove in the lane and hit a runner for an and-1. That play gave Western a 75-33 lead. From there, the Leathernecks were able to seal the 43-point win and advance to the semifinal round of The Summit League Championship.

The Leathernecks finished with five who scored in double figures. Clemens led the way with 17 points, followed by Blumer (15), Hanneman (11) and Boyle (10). Olivia Braun also recorded her first-career double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. Higginbotham had a game-high 11 rebounds.

"Before the season started, I thought the pressure would be immense to win a conference tournament game because of our history in the last four (quarterfinal round) games, but with this team, we didn't feel that," said Gravina. "I'm very proud of the way we played, but our girls know that there is a lot more business at hand moving forward."

The Pioneers were led by Jordyn Alt and Jacqlyn Poss with eight points each. Briana Johnson led the team in rebounding with 10 boards.

Western Illinois will take on the winner of (#5 seed) Omaha versus (#4) South Dakota, with that game scheduled for a Sunday, March 5 tipoff at noon. The winner of that game takes on the Leathernecks Monday (March 6) at noon on ESPN3.

PROGRAM NOTES:
-24 wins set a new program record for total wins in a season…
-15 made 3-pointers set a new Summit League Championship single-game Tournament record…
-First Summit League Championship opening round victory for the Leathernecks since 2012…
-39 points scored by Denver are the fewest points allowed by Western Illinois this season from a Division I opponent... previous season lows happened twice: against Illinois State (Dec. 20) and at Chicago State (Dec. 17) with 50 points allowed...
-Last time Western had five score in double-figures was Dec. 28 against Fort Wayne… fourth time this season…

PLAYER NOTES:
-Emily Clemens' 17 points marks her 23rd double-digit scoring game this season (career 43rd)… 13th game this season as the scoring leader (career 16th)… 214 assists this season is a new program record… also ranks third all-time in Summit League history for assists in a single season… Her nine assists are tied for fifth all-time in Summit League Tournament history for a single-game performance… 21st five-plus assist game this season (career 36th)… also tied her season-high of one block for the second time... 
-Olivia Braun recorded her first-career double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds… 10 rebounds also mark a new career-high… also tied her career-high of three steals for the second time… 10 points also marks her eighth-career double-digit scoring game… also tied her career-high of three steals for the second time... 
-Mallory Boyle's 10 points marks her fourth double-digit scoring game this season (career sixth)… also tied her career-high of two 3-pointers made for the second time... 
-Taylor Hanneman's 11 points marks her fifth double-digit scoring game this season (career 15th)…
-Jasmine Patrick tied her career-high of two free throws made for the second time... 
-Taylor Higginbotham's 11 rebounds marks her second double-digit rebound game this season (career sixth)… also marks her eighth game this season as the rebounds leader (career 16th)… 
 
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