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Western Illinois University Athletics

Kyra Washington
Sarah Twidwell
78
Denver DEN 8-7, 1-1
87
Winner Western Illinois WIUWW 5-10, 1-1
Denver DEN
8-7, 1-1
78
Final
87
Western Illinois WIUWW
5-10, 1-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Denver DEN 9 26 22 21 78
Western Illinois WIUWW 28 16 17 26 87

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Leathernecks Will Enter the New Year with Success

Western defeated Denver, 87-78, for its first Summit League victory of the year.

MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois' women's basketball team crowned its Summit League-opening weekend with an 87-78 win over Denver Sunday (Dec. 30). Five Leathernecks scored in double-figures, highlighted by a double-double by senior Taylor Higginbotham who recorded a game-high 23 points with a career-high 17 rebounds.

"I'm really proud of this team and their improvement," said head coach JD Gravina. "They committed to having great practices and focusing on the process. It's shown in our wins and losses. Tonight, we rebounded really hard and played with a lot of energy." 

Western and Denver traded 25-point quarters in the first half, but it was the Leathernecks who held the edge at the break. Coming out of the gate, Higginbotham was the first to strike the scoreboard, converting on a contested layup for the first points of her 11-point quarter. The Leathernecks limited DU to single-digits until a 3-pointer at the start of the second frame where the Pioneers kicked off a 14-2 run. 

The stretch cut Denver's deficit to 30-23 with 4:55 to go before halftime and Grace Gilmore pushed the WIU advantage back to double-digits on a right baseline drive. The two squads exchanged baskets after the score as Western Illinois controlled a 44-35 lead at halftime. 

Denver made it a one-possession game, 53-51, with 5:19 left in the third quarter after Claire Gritt converted on an old-fashioned 3-point play. The visitors then took a 55-54 lead on a layup by Madison Nelson, but Kyra Washington drained a corner 3-ball to put Western back in front 59-57 with 1:25 to go. After three quarters, the Leathernecks clung onto a 61-57 advantage and never surrendered their advantage.

Annabel Graettinger finished the afternoon with 17 points, while Gilmore added 14, and Olivia Kaufmann 13. Washington was a spark off the bench with 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting from the field with three treys.

In their first road game of the new year, the Leathernecks (5-10, 1-1 SL) will take on Oral Roberts Saturday, Jan. 5, at 2 p.m.  The game precedes a trip to the Peace Garden State where Western is scheduled to face North Dakota State (Jan. 11) and North Dakota (Jan. 13). 
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