MACOMB, Ill. - WIU wraps up regular season play this weekend when the Leathernecks face North Dakota State on Thursday (Feb. 22) and Denver on Saturday (Feb. 24). The Purple and Gold look for a series split against both teams, as the Leathernecks fell in each first meeting.
LAST GOODBYES: Saturday will be designated as Senior Night for Leatherneck basketball. Dalan Ancrum, Lynrick Moxey and Chris Snyder will be honored pregame for their commitment to the Leatherneck program.
LAST TIME OUT: Isaac Johnson was once again impressive Saturday (Feb. 17) in Western Illinois' 82-62 loss at South Dakota State. The freshman scored 20 points and pulled down 13 rebounds in Frost Arena on Military Appreciation Day for the Jackrabbits. C.J. Duff got the scoring going for the Leathernecks as the sophomore netted the first seven of 11 points for the Leathernecks. South Dakota State's Mike Daum scored eleven straight points for the Jackrabbits, as they jumped out to a 17-11 lead. Ancrum registered his first field goal of the contest at the 3:25 mark in the second half after he finished a drive down the lane with a dunk.
ALL EYES ON THE NEW KID: Kobe Webster ranks among one of the best freshmen in the country in many statistical categories. Webster is only one of nine players, and the only freshman, in the country to average 16.8 points, 3.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds while shooting above 39.9 percent from 3-point land. If continues the entire season, he will end as the only freshman (seventh player, regardless of class) to post these numbers in The Summit League since 1992-93. The Indianapolis native will go down as the only player in Western Illinois program history since at least 1990 claim this stat line.
ALL AROUND CONTRIBUTION: Kobe Webster ranks third in The Summit League in assists per game this season, dishing out 3.9 assists per contest. He is only .6 assists behind the league-leader Jon Konchar. This figure ranks 12th around the country among freshman players. He is the only player in the Summit League to be in the Top-6 (6th, 16.6) in scoring and Top-3 in assists (3rd, 3.7).
THAT'S RIGHT, HE'S ONLY A FRESHMAN: Kobe Webster is one of only two players, and the only underclassman, in The Summit League to average at least 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists during league play.
IMPROVING THE STROKE: WIU has struggled from the free throw line during Summit League play this season. WIU has shot below 70 percent in seven Summit League contests this season. Western Illnois has shot above 76 percent in three of its last five contests against South Dakota (77.8), Oral Roberts (89.5) and Fort Wayne (76.5).
CRASHING THE DEFENSIVE BOARDS: The Leathernecks crash the boards on defense, averaging 28.00 defensive rebounds per contest, a figure that ranks 30th in country. On the offensive glass, the Leathernecks rank 335th with only 7.46 per game. WIU ranks 351 out of 351 in offensive rebounds percentage this season, pulling down only 18.6 percent of misses, over 10 percent less than the NCAA average (28.9 percent).
SPEED IT UP: When the Leathernecks have more than 73 possessions in a game, WIU is 5-4. When only having the ball fewer than 73 times, Western is 6-10.
ISOLATION: Western Illinois is ranked 341st in assist percentage so far this season, assisting on only 40.9 percent of makes. In league play, WIU drops to just 33.6 percent, nearly 20 percent below the national average of 52.6 percent. The Leathernecks have only recorded double digit assists in two of their last eight games.
SWAT TEAM: The Leathernecks lead The Summit League in blocks per contest by swatting 3.8 blocks per games. Individually, Brandon Gilbeck is leading the way with 2.8 blocks per game (15th nationally, first in The Summit League) blocks per game and is rejecting 9.7 percent of opponents' attempts. Out of 2,167 ranked players in the country, Gilbeck is 31st in the NCAA in defensive block percentage.
MACHINE FROM SPRING GREEN: Spring Green, Wisconsin native Brandon Gilbeck is one of two players in the NCAA who averages at least 11.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks while shooting 65.5 percent from the field.
SHOW YOUR HANDS, MOVE YOUR FEET: Out of all 351 teams in D-I, WIU has committed the fifth-fewest personal fouls of any team in the land. The Leathernecks have only fouled opponents 340 times through 25 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 (329th nationally).
TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK: After turning the ball over more than 10 times in seven out of its first eight league games, Western Illinois has committed fewer than 10 turnovers in four straight contests.
SCOUTING THE BISON: North Dakota Dakota State comes into the game in fifth place in The Summit League. The Bison are led by Paul Miller, who leads NDSU in points and assists.
Tip-Ins
-This will be the 24th meeting between Western Illinois and North Dakota State, with the Bison claiming a 16-7 advantage in the all-time series.
-Earlier this season, the Leathernecks fell to North Dakota State, 80-69, in Fargo. Kobe Webster netted 24 points and Dalan Ancrum scored 15 while grabbing out three rebounds. Brandon Gilbeck added six points and six rebounds.
-Before the bout in Brookings, Kobe Webster had scored 20 points in five of his last six games. He is coming off his lowest season total after scoring only four points against SDSU.
-After not scoring more than eight points in his first seven contests of the season, C.J. Duff has scored more than eight in eight of his last nine games.
-Isaac Johnson has found his stroke after replacing Jeremiah Usiosefe in the starting lineup, compiling back-to-back 20-plus point performances against Fort Wayne (Feb. 14) and South Dakota State (Feb. 17).
