Leathernecks Play Fort Wayne, South Dakota State In Summit League Matchups

Western Illinois plays host to the Mastodons (Jan. 18) and takes on the Jackrabbits (Jan. 20) on the road

GAME NINETEEN
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS vs FORT WAYNE MASTODONS
Jan. 18, 2018 • 7 p.m. • Macomb, Ill. • Western Hall

LIVE STATS: HERE
LISTEN: HERE
WATCH: HERE

GAME TWENTY
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS at SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
Jan. 20, 2018 • 2:00 p.m. • Brookings, S.D. • Frost Arena

LIVE STATS: HERE
LISTEN: HERE
WATCH: HERE

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MACOMB, Ill.— Western Illinois Women's Basketball has a pair of Summit League games against Fort Wayne Thursday (Jan. 18) at home and South Dakota State on the road Saturday (Jan. 20).

LAST TIME OUT:
Western Illinois surged past Omaha 90-51 Saturday afternoon (Jan. 13) inside Baxter Arena for its third Summit League win of the season. Led by the game-high 29 points and five three-pointers from Emily Clemens, the Leathernecks improved to 13-5 overall and 3-1 in league play, while the Mavericks fell to 8-8 and 0-4 in Summit League action.

Taylor Higginbotham followed with her seventh double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Morgan Blumer contributed with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Michelle Farrow rounded out the double-digit scoring with 10 points and a career-high eight rebounds and six assists.

SCOUTING THE MASTODONS:
Fort Wayne sits at 4-14 overall and 1-4 overall in league play following an 85-43 loss at South Dakota on Jan. 13. The Mastodons have also fallen to Oral Roberts (73-48), Denver (73-55) and Western Illinois (100-67). Their lone win is a 76-65 victory over Omaha on Jan. 6.

In the last meeting between the Leathernecks and Fort Wayne, Western Illinois won the contest 100-67 on Dec. 30 in the league opener. For the sixth straight season, Western Illinois picked up a win in its Summit League opener behind the 28 points and 11 assists from senior point guard Emily Clemens.

The Leathernecks trail the all-time series 12-11, and are 10-6 all-time against the Mastodons in the JD Gravina era.

SCOUTING THE JACKRABBITS:
South Dakota State sits at a perfect 4-0 this season in league play, and 15-4 overall. They are led by Macy Miller, who tops the league in scoring with 17.9 points per game, returning this season after sitting out all of 2016-17 with an injury. She was the 2015-16 Player of the Year and the 2016-17 Preseason Player of the Year in the conference. The Jackrabbits also have two other players who are Preseason All-League honorees in Madison Guebert and Ellie Thompson.

The Leathernecks were picked second in the preseason poll behind the Jackrabbits. Last season, Western Illinois split both meetings with South Dakota State, as they fell 73-58 on the road but won 83-77 at home to take sole possession of first place, en route to capturing the league regular season championship. Thus far, they have wins over Omaha (89-64), North Dakota State (83-63), Denver (69-58) and Oral Roberts (77-70). Western trails the all-time series 19-2, as last season's win was the program's first since 2008 over the Jackrabbits.

LEAGUE LEADERS:
Western Illinois leads The Summit League in 15 different categories as a team. Individually, Emily Clemens fronts the league and ranks in the top-25 nationally in assists (142/fourth), assists per game (7.9/fourth), free throws made (92/15th), minutes played (618:00/fourth), steals (63/seventh) and steals per game (3.5/ninth). Olivia Braun tops the league and ranks 24th nationally with 40 blocked shots thus far. Taylor Higginbotham's seven double-doubles are a league-high, while Clemens has the most 10-plus assist games with three thus far.

LOOKING AHEAD:
Following this weekend, Western Illinois returns home for back-to-back games against Denver (Jan. 24) and North Dakota State (Jan. 27). Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. next week.

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Players Mentioned

#12 Morgan Blumer: G; 5' 11"; Senior; Milton / Florida Gulf Coast

#3 Olivia Braun: F; 6' 1"; Senior; St. Catherine's / Toledo

#2 Emily Clemens: G; 5' 4"; Senior; Muscatine

#22 Michelle Farrow: G; 5' 10"; Senior; Waukesha West

#24 Taylor Higginbotham: G; 5' 10"; Junior; Germantown

Players Mentioned

#12 Morgan Blumer
: 5' 11"; Senior; Milton / Florida Gulf Coast
: G

#3 Olivia Braun
: 6' 1"; Senior; St. Catherine's / Toledo
: F

#2 Emily Clemens
: 5' 4"; Senior; Muscatine
: G

#22 Michelle Farrow
: 5' 10"; Senior; Waukesha West
: G

#24 Taylor Higginbotham
: 5' 10"; Junior; Germantown
: G