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Western Illinois University Athletics

Annabel Graettinger
Larry Dean

Leathernecks Wrap Calendar Year in Summit League Action

The Leathernecks will welcome South Dakota State and Denver to Western Hall for its Summit League-opening weekend.

Series History: South Dakota State manages a 22-2 lead in an all-time series that dates back to January 2008. Western's last victory over the Jackrabbits occurred inside Western Hall in an 83-77 decision on Feb. 15, 2017, where three Leathernecks finished in double-figures guided by current assistant coach Emily Clemens' 20 points. 

In 11 meetings against Denver, WIU is currently in the midst of a 10-game winning streak since dropping the series opener. A season ago, the two programs combined for 36 made 3-pointers to set an NCAA single-game. 

The Pioneers went 18-for-42 from beyond the arc while WIU finished 18-for-30.

Western's Last Outing: Western crowned its non-conference slate with an 85-78 victory over Furman in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic. The two-day tournament also saw the Leathernecks take on Texas-El Paso (UTEP) in an 84-72 setback. 

•    Taylor Higginbotham represented the Leathernecks' on the all-tournament team; she recorded a season-high 24 points versus UTEP and a double-double (16 points/12 rebounds) against Furman
•    Olivia Kaufmann and Avery Hamm each posted career-highs against the Paladins with 26 and 18 points, respectively; all six of Hamm's field goals came in 3-point territory 
•    The matchup with Furman marked the first time this season the Leathernecks won a game when trailing with five minutes left; the Paladins led by 73-69 with 3:42 remaining before Western went on a 6-0 run 

Summit League Player of the Week: Taylor Higginbotham ascended to No. 2 on the Leathernecks' career scoring list this past weekend, and for her efforts, the WIU senior was crowned The Summit League's Player of the Week (Dec. 22). 

Higginbotham entered the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic sitting fifth all-time, before notching 40 points in action against Texas El-Paso (UTEP) and Furman. 

The accolade marked Higginbotham's third career player of the week honor and Western's first of the season. 

Running Point: Western Illinois has a new floor chief, and her name is Olivia Kaufmann. She's the Leathernecks' primary ball handler with a team-high 37 assists and is also the team's leading scorer with 15.2 points per game. 

The junior became the Leathernecks' starting point guard this season and has seen the most action on the floor with 375 minutes played.  

The Lone Ranger: Taylor Higginbotham is the lone senior on the Leathernecks' 2018-19 roster, and she sits second all-time on the Leathernecks' career scoring list after passing Ashley Luke (2013-15) and Robin Hasemann (1988-91) in the team's 85-78 victory over Furman. 
 
Higginbotham currently has 1,551 points while also ranking sixth in Western history in rebounds (679) and steals (211). Her former teammate and current assistant coach Emily Clemens became the program's all-time leading scorer a season ago and finished her career with 1,699 points.  
 
League Leading: The Leathernecks sit atop The Summit League in several categories:
 
Free-Throw Attempts – 270 (10th in the NCAA)
Free-Throws Made – 198 (5th in the NCAA)
Steals – 154 (4th in the NCAA)
Three-Point Attempts – 406 (3rd in NCAA)
Turnovers Forced – 24.08 per game (5th in the NCAA)
 
*nation marks as of Dec. 24

The Long Ball: Western sits second in the nation with 125 made 3-pointers. As a team, WIU has made 10 or more treys in five games this season including a program-record 28 against MacMurray College earlier this season (Nov. 12) which also set an NCAA Division I record. 

Taylor Higginbotham leads the charge with 20 treys while Elizabeth Lutz adds 20 and Olivia Kaufmann 17.  

Saving Grace: Grace Gilmore has started off her sophomore campaign on the highest of notes. She was inserted into the starting lineup this season, appearing in every game so far, and has already surpassed several of her 2017-18 stats.
 
2017-18: Minutes (169), Rebounds (36), Steals (7), Points (77)
2018-19: Minutes (356), Rebounds (68), Steals (19), Points (105)

 
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