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Kobe Webster

Men's Basketball WIU Athletic Communications

WIU Back At Home Versus Omaha and Oak Hills Christian

Leathernecks play host to Omaha at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Oak Hills Christian at 7 p.m. on Saturday

GAME FIFTEEN 
MEN'S BASKETBALL: WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS VS OMAHA MAVERICKS
Jan. 11 , 2018  •  7:00 p.m. (CT)  •  Macomb, Ill.  •  Western Hall 
LIVE STATS: HERE
LISTEN: HERE

GAME SIXTEEN 
MEN'S BASKETBALL: WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS VS OAK HILLS CHRISTIAN WOLFPACK
Jan. 13, 2018  •  7:00 p.m. (CT)  •  Macomb, Ill.  •  Western Hall 
LIVE STATS: HERE
LISTEN: HERE
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MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois men's basketball returns home after opening league play on the road last week.  The Leathernecks play host to Omaha on Thursday (Jan. 11) and Oak Hills Christian (Jan. 13). Both contests begin at 7 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT: On a night in which junior Brandon Gilbeck recorded his 150th career block, a program record, the Western Illinois Leathernecks fell 81-66 to the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles on Jan. 6. Charles Gavin halted a 6-0 Golden Eagle run midway through the first half when he made a move on the block and scored, pulling the Leathernecks to within one point at 14-13.  Ancrum knocked down the next two buckets for the Leathernecks, putting them ahead 18-17 with 12:22 to go in the first half. The Golden Eagles pulled away and remained in control of the game and won 81-66.
 
FRESHMAN PHENOM: Kobe Webster ranks among one of the best freshman in the country in many statistical categories. Webster is only one of 13 players, including only three freshman, in the country to average 14.5 points, 4.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds while shooting above 39.5 percent from 3-point land. If continued the entire season, he will be the only Leatherneck, regardless of class, in the last 26 years to average these numbers.
 
SHOOTERS SHOOT: Dalan Ancrum is shooting 41.7 percent from behind the arc, which leads Summit League players who average 2.5 makes a game and have played in more than 75 percent of team's contests.
 
THE ONE AND ONLY: Brandon Gilbeck is the only player in the NCAA who averages 12.5 points, eight rebounds and 2.9 blocks while shooting 66 percent from the field.
 
GIVING SEASON: Kobe Webster leads The Summit League in assists per game this season, dishing out 4.7 assists per contest. This figure ranks 10th around the country among freshman players.
 
PLAYIN' TIME: After only playing in only one of the first six contests, Charles Gavin has logged minutes in six of the last seven games, including 26 minutes versus Oral Roberts. In the game, Gavin recorded a career-high eight points and four made field goals.
 
BOTH ENDS OF THE COURT: Western Illinois is in the Top 50 nationally in both field goal percentage (31st, 48.9) and field goal percentage defense (38th, 39.9). The Leathernecks are one of nine teams in the land, and the only Summit League program, to shoot above 48.5 percent and hold opponents below 40 percent.
 
GET IT OUT OF HERE: The Leathernecks lead The Summit League in blocks per game by swatting 4.8 blocks per contest. Individually, Brandon Gilbeck is leading the way with 3.1 (11th nationally, first in The Summit League) blocks per game and he is rejecting 11.7 percent of opponent's attempts. Out of 2,167 ranked players in the country, Gilbeck is 18th in the NCAA in defensive block percentage.

TRENDING DOWNWARDS: The Leathernecks look to keep their turnovers to a minimum against Omaha, as WIU has taken better care of the ball in league play. The Leathernecks only committed 12 turnovers against Oral Roberts, their fewest against a Division I opponent this season. Before the last road trip, WIU had committed 17 or more turnovers in seven of its last nine contests.
 
NO WHISTLE HERE: Out of all 351 teams in D-I, WIU has committed the second-fewest personal fouls of any team in the land. The Leathernecks have only fouled opponents 202 times through fourteen games this season. On the offensive end, WIU does not get many of its points from the free throw line, as only 15.2 percent of its points are from the stripe. This is 326th in the country out of 351 squads. The 145 made Leatherneck free throws place WIU 347th.
 
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS: Omaha comes into the game in eighth place in The Summit League with a 5-13 record and an 0-2 mark in the league. The Mavs are led by Zach Jackson, who tops the team in points (17.9) and rebounds (6.8).
 
LOOKING AHEAD: WIU finishes up its non-conference schedule against Oak Hills Christian on Saturday (Jan. 13). Tonight's game is the start of a four-game homestand with the Leathernecks also hosting Fort Wayne (Jan. 17) and South Dakota State (Jan. 20)
 
THE POPULAR CROWD: When facing Division I opponents, the Leathernecks trot out Dalan Ancrum, Kobe Webster, C.J. Duff, Jeremiah Usiosefe and Brandon Gilbeck 18.5 percent of the time. The second-most used lineup is Dalan Ancrum, Isaac Johson, Kobe Webster, Jeremiah Usiosefe and Brandon Gilbeck, which is used 9.3 percent of game. The Leathernecks also rank 330th out of 351 teams in bench minutes, with non-starters only playing in 24.2 percent of team minutes.
 
ALL-TIME GILBECK: Junior center Brandon Gilbeck led the Summit League with 85 blocks (3.0 per game) in 2016-17, the most ever in a season at WIU. Gilbeck has recorded 43 blocks so far this year and set the program record for career blocked shots Jan. 6 against Oral Roberts with 150.
 
Tip-Ins
-This will be the 19th meeting between Western Illinois and Omaha, with the Leathernecks claiming a 10-8 advantage in the all-time series.
-Brandon Gilbeck recorded his 150th career block against Oral Roberts on Jan. 6, making him the all-time program leader in blocked shots.
-Western Illinois looks to stop a two-game skid on tonight against Omaha. WIU has not started 0-3 in the league since the 2015-16 season, a campaign that the Purple and Gold began league play 0-9. Last season, the Leathernecks won back-to-back league contest versus Fort Wayne and IUPUI.
-Last season, these programs met twice with Omaha sweeping the season series. In the second meeting in Macomb, Mike Miklusak led the team with 26 points, six rebounds and two assists.
-The Leathernecks have already tied last year's mark by scoring at least 90 points five times this season through fourteen games. Last year in 28 games, WIU only netted 90 points on five occasions.
 
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Players Mentioned

Dalan Ancrum

#15 Dalan Ancrum

G/F
6' 6"
Senior
Westwood
C.J. Duff

#40 C.J. Duff

G
6' 1"
Sophomore
Carmel
Brandon Gilbeck

#52 Brandon Gilbeck

C
7' 0"
Junior
River Valley
Jeremiah Usiosefe

#32 Jeremiah Usiosefe

G
6' 5"
Sophomore
The Hill Academy
Kobe Webster

#10 Kobe Webster

G
6' 0"
Freshman
Park Tudor
Charles Gavin

#50 Charles Gavin

F/C
6' 7"
Junior
South/Otero Junior College

Players Mentioned

Dalan Ancrum

#15 Dalan Ancrum

6' 6"
Senior
Westwood
G/F
C.J. Duff

#40 C.J. Duff

6' 1"
Sophomore
Carmel
G
Brandon Gilbeck

#52 Brandon Gilbeck

7' 0"
Junior
River Valley
C
Jeremiah Usiosefe

#32 Jeremiah Usiosefe

6' 5"
Sophomore
The Hill Academy
G
Kobe Webster

#10 Kobe Webster

6' 0"
Freshman
Park Tudor
G
Charles Gavin

#50 Charles Gavin

6' 7"
Junior
South/Otero Junior College
F/C