Leathernecks Finish Road Trip At Oral Roberts

The Leathernecks and Golden Eagles are slated to tipoff at 7 p.m. on ESPN3

GAME FOURTEEN
MEN'S BASKETBALL: WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS AT ORAL ROBERTS GOLDEN EAGLES
Jan. 6, 2017 • 7 p.m. (CT) • Tulsa, Okla. • Mabee Center
LIVE STATS: HERE
LISTEN: HERE

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MACOMB, Ill.- WIU (8-5) concludes its five-day road trip in Tulsa, Okla. on Saturday (Jan. 6) against Oral Roberts (6-11). The Leathernecks and Golden Eagles are set to tipoff at 7 p.m. inside the Mabee Center.

LAST TIME OUT: Despite limiting the Coyotes' offense to only 33 percent shooting, the Western Illinois Leathernecks fell in their Summit League opener 62-50 against South Dakota. Western Illinois started off the game hot from behind the arc as Kobe Webster and C.J. Duff each hit 3-pointers from within the first minute and a half of the contest. However, WIU finished the game 4-24 from beyond the arc.

FRESHMAN PHENOM: Kobe Webster ranks among one of the best freshman in the country and best in The Summit League in many statistical categories. Webster is only one of eight players in the country to average 14.5 points, 4.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds while shooting above 40 percent from 3-point land. As freshman, Webster is joined by only Trae Young of Oklahoma and Tremont Waters of LSU as the only freshmen this season to post these numbers. If continued the entire season, he will end as the only Leatherneck in the last 26 years to average these numbers, regardless of class.

SHOOTERS SHOOT: WIU has been extremely effective from the field through thirteen contests this season, shooting at a 49.2 percent clip. The Leathernecks rank 29th in the NCAA and first in The Summit League in field goal percentage. Western is led by Brandon Gilbeck, who is fourth in the country in field goal percentage (68.9).

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 68 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.

BOTH ENDS OF THE COURT: Western Illinois is in the top-50 nationally in both field goal percentage (20th, 49.2) and field goal percentage defense (47th, 39.9). The Leathernecks are one of ten teams in the land to shoot about 49 percent and hold opponents below 40 percent.

NOT IN MY PAINT: The Leathernecks lead The Summit League in blocks per contest by swatting 4.8 blocks per contest. Individually, Brandon Gilbeck is leading the way with 2.9 (17th nationally, 1st in The Summit League) blocks per game and is rejecting 11.7 percent of opponents attempts. Out of 2,167 ranked players in the country, Gilbeck is 19th in the NCAA in defensive block percentage.

KEEP YOUR HANDS ON THE BALL: The Leathernecks look to limit turnovers against Oral Roberts, as WIU has committed 17 or more turnovers in seven of its last ten contests. In its last contest versus South Dakota, the Leathernecks only committed 15 turnovers, their second-lowest figure since Nov. 22 against SIUE. The fewest number of turnovers was Dec. 31 against Lincoln Christian, a contest in which WIU only turned the ball over nine times.

NO WHISTLE HERE: Out of all 351 teams in DI, WIU has committed the second-fewest personal fouls of any team in the land. The Leathernecks have only fouled opponents 188 times through twelve games this season. On the offensive end, WIU does not get many of its points from the free throw line, as only 15.6 percent of its points are from the stripe. This is 310th in the country out of 351 squads.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES: Oral Roberts comes in second place in The Summit League at 6-11 and claiming a 2-0 conference record. The Golden Eagles are riding a two game winning streak after beating Omaha, 93-74, and Fort Wayne, 76-60. Sam Kearns is coming off of a 21-point outing against Fort Wayne and first-year head coach Paul Mills looks to start 3-0 in league play.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Leathernecks return home to Western Hall versus Omaha on Jan. 11 along with WIU's final non-Division I game against Oak Hills Christian on Jan. 13.

Tip-Ins
- This will be the 41st meeting between Western Illinois and Oral Roberts, with the Golden Eagles claiming a 31-9 advantage in the all-time series.-
- Western Illinois looks to spilt the road trip and maintain fourth place in The Summit League after falling to South Dakota on Wednesday (Jan. 3), 62-50.
- The Leathernecks have already tied last year's mark by scoring at least 90 points five times this season through thirteen games. Last year in 28 games, WIU only netted 90 points on five occasions.
- Last season, these programs met twice with Western Illinois sweeping the season series. In Tulsa, WIU topped Oral Roberts 63-60 as C.J. Duff logged 12 points, three rebounds and three assists.
- This will be the first meeting between Billy Wright and Paul Mills.
- This matchup with feature the top-two shot blockers in the league as Brandon Gilbeck (2.9 blocks per game) and Albert Owens (1.7 blocks per game).

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Players Mentioned

#40 C.J. Duff: G; 6' 1"; Sophomore; Carmel

#52 Brandon Gilbeck: C; 7' 0"; Junior; River Valley

#10 Kobe Webster: G; 6' 0"; Freshman; Park Tudor

Players Mentioned

#40 C.J. Duff
: 6' 1"; Sophomore; Carmel
: G

#52 Brandon Gilbeck
: 7' 0"; Junior; River Valley
: C

#10 Kobe Webster
: 6' 0"; Freshman; Park Tudor
: G

Upcoming Events and Recent Results

Players Mentioned

#40 C.J. Duff

#52 Brandon Gilbeck

#10 Kobe Webster

Players Mentioned

#40 C.J. Duff

#52 Brandon Gilbeck

#10 Kobe Webster