Leathernecks Travel To Colorado State For WNIT First Round Matchup

Western Illinois earns its third berth in the WNIT.

WESTERN ILLINOIS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL AT COLORADO STATE RAMS
FORT COLLINS, COLO. | THURSDAY, MARCH 15 | 8 PM (CST) | MOBY ARENA

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FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Western Illinois women's basketball secured its third berth in program history to the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) Monday night (March 12).

The Leathernecks take on Colorado State on the road this Thursday (March 15).

The Purple and Gold (22-9, 10-4) finished third in The Summit League standings and made it to the semifinal round of the league tournament before falling to South Dakota State. The Leathernecks are now on their way to their sixth postseason appearance in program history (three WNIT appearances, two NCAA Tournaments and one WBI appearance).

THE RESUME: With 22 wins, Western Illinois secured back-to-back seasons of 20 or more wins for the first time since 2002-04. Highlighted by its first-ever win over a nationally ranked opponent in Stanford (then-No. 18), the Leathernecks also defeated Illinois on the road for two Power Five road wins this season (Pac 12, Big 10).

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: The Rams finished the 2017-18 slate at 20-11 overall with an 11-7 record in the Mountain West Conference. Recently, Colorado State fell to Boise State in the conference tournament semifinals. Hannah Tvrdy paces the team with 11.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game. The Leathernecks and Rams have played two common opponents in Gonzaga and Denver. Colorado State defeated Gonzaga 65-49 on Nov. 13, 2017, and also defeated Denver 61-56 a few weeks later on Nov. 30.

SERIES HISTORY: Western Illinois trails the all-time series 1-0. The only time both teams squared off was on Dec. 5, 1987, where the Leathernecks fell 70-51 at Colorado State.

HISTORY IN THE WNIT: The Purple and Gold have two WNIT games under its belt dating back to 1971-72 and sit at 0-2 in opening-round games.

In 2002-03, Western strung together the first of four consecutive regular season titles. The team posted a 21-9 overall record and 12-2 conference mark in large part to shooting a program-best 46 percent from the field. After losing to Valparaiso in the conference tournament, the Westerwinds advanced to the team's first WNIT. Western would drop a double-overtime game at Missouri, 72-69.

Led again by conference Player and Defensive 'Player of the Year' Zane Teilane, the Westerwinds posted a 23-7 overall record and 13-3 mark in conference play during the 2005-06 season. Teilane averaged a double-double throughout the entire season, scoring 16.4 points and pulling down 10.7 rebounds per game. The team brought home an unprecedented fourth regular-season title in 2005-06. Coach Crane guided Western to its second WNIT appearance in three years as the team faced Illinois on March 15, 2006, but would lose to the Fighting Illini, 58-37.

TRIO MAKING HISTORY: Morgan Blumer is looking to join Emily Clemens and Taylor Higginbotham as the program's third active 1,000-point scorer. She is currently three points shy from the mark with 997 points. Through her two season with the program, Blumer is looking to become the fastest Leatherneck to ever reach the 1,000-point mark. Should she do so, it would be the first time in program history the Leathernecks have three 1,000-point scorers on a team.

LEATHERNECK SPORTS NETWORK:
Fans can hear Danny Frey call all of the women's basketball games throughout the area on the Leatherneck Sports Network.
Flagship: 94.3 FM WRMS (Beardstown) Affiliates: 104.1 FM WMQZ (Macomb) | 106.7 FM WPWQ (Quincy).

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Players Mentioned

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

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

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

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

Upcoming Events and Recent Results

Players Mentioned

#12 Morgan Blumer

#2 Emily Clemens

#24 Taylor Higginbotham

Players Mentioned

#12 Morgan Blumer

#2 Emily Clemens

#24 Taylor Higginbotham