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Sarah Twidwell

Men's Basketball Set to Clash with Coyotes in South Dakota

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

The Leathernecks are seeking back-to-back Summit League victories.

Western Illinois (7-13, 2-5) at South Dakota (9-11, 3-4)                                    
Date/Tipoff: Jan. 26, 2019 | 3:30 p.m.
Location: Vermillion, S.D.
Site: Sanford Coyote Sports Center
Radio: Danny Frey (WRMS 94.3 & WJEQ 102.7)

Last Time Out: Led by a 3-point onslaught from CJ Duff, the Western Illinois men's basketball team (7-13, 2-5) dominated Purdue Fort Wayne (12-9, 4-2) 87-58 on Saturday (Jan. 19).
 
Duff was perfect in the first half from behind the arc to pour in nearly half of his team's points at the 12-minute mark. The Leathernecks led Purdue Fort Wayne, 25-8, after a Duff corner triple, and limited the Mastodon's to single-digits until 11:18 to go before the half.  
 
The 'Dons embarked on a 9-0 run to pull the score to 25-17 less than two minutes later, but Duff put an end to the stretch with another 3-pointer. He tagged in Kobe Webster to assist from deep, and his teammate went back-to-back, right baseline to left baseline, to push Western's edge to 36-19 (5:23).
 
Up until the 3:52 mark, all of Duff's field goals came from 3-point territory and he didn't miss, shooting 5-for-5. The Leathernecks had 10 made treys before halftime – Webster chipped in with four – as they led, 44-27.
 
After a contested layup by Ben Pyle, Western crept out to a 58-35 advantage (14:34), and hovered around a 20-point edge until Duff hit back-to-back treys with 6:26 left.
 
The basket lifted the Leathernecks 79-52 to put the game away for good.
 
Duff finished the game with eight 3-pointers, just one shy of tying Western's single-game record set by Quentin Mitchell against Eastern Illinois during the 1988-89 season. His 30 points set a new career-high while also leading the team. The 15 made three-pointers as a team is three-shy of the program record.
 
Webster added 16 points with seven assists while Brandon GIlbeck contributed 10 with five rebounds.  
 
Series History against South Dakota: The Coyotes lead the season series 11-7 and they have won the last five meetings. Western Illinois came out on top last on Feb. 27, 2016 by a final score of 90-76 in Macomb.
 
Scouting the Coyotes: South Dakota grinded out a 70-56 win at North Dakota on Wednesday (Jan. 23) after only seven Coyote players saw the floor. Brandon Armstrong and Triston Simpson led the balanced attack with 13 points apiece. Stanley Umude chipped in 12 points despite being in foul trouble and senior leader Trey Burch-Manning returned after missing four games due to injury while nearly recording a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds.

Umude, a sophomore guard paces South Dakota with 13.7 points per game and 19 blocks on the season. Simpson has the most assists on the squad with 63 total and averages 12.8 points a night. The senior forward, Burch-Manning still leads the team with 6.5 rebounds per game while putting up 12.3 points a contest. Junior guard Tyler Peterson is a well-rounded player with a stat line of 11.6 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game and 2.4 assists per game. The Coyotes have improved defensively and have allowed the fewest points per game (67.3) in the Summit League so far. Todd Lee enters his first season as the head coach of his alma mater after five seasons as the associate head coach at Grand Canyon under former NBA player, Dan Majerle. The coaching veteran was 154-81 at the helm of Division II Kentucky Wesleyan.  
 
Nearly a Triple-Double: Freshman Ben Pyle finished with nine points, eight rebounds and nine assists in the blowout win over Purdue Fort Wayne (Jan. 21). Nine assists are the most assists by a Western Illinois player since Jeremiah Usiosefe had nine against Milwaukee (Dec. 9, 2017).
 
The Last Time It Happened: C.J. Duff scored 30 points on Jan. 19 against Purdue Fort Wayne marking the first time a Leatherneck scored 30 or more since Dalan Ancrum dropped 34 at SIUE on Nov. 22, 2017. Duff drilled eight three-pointers and he was the last Western Illinois player to make seven or more from behind the arc when he connected on seven trifectas at Purdue Fort Wayne as a freshman (Dec. 29, 2017).
 
Sending It Back: Brandon Gilbeck leads the nation in total blocked shots (77) and is second in blocks per game (3.85) as of Thursday, Jan. 24. The senior recorded a career-high nine at Eastern Illinois on Nov. 17 to highlight a stellar outing where he also posted a career-high 19 rebounds. 
 
The road game at EIU marked Gilbeck's first time leading the team in rebounds this season. He became the first Leathernecks to post 15 or more since Tate Stensgaard pulled down 15 against Eastern on Dec. 12, 2015. 
 
The Magic Number is 70: All of Western's seven victories this season have come when the Leathernecks score 70 points or more. 
 
How They Stack Up in The Summit League: Kobe Webster ranks fifth in The Summit League in scoring at 17.9 points per game and is fifth in assists (3.5 APG). He is tied for third with 2.6 3-pointers made per game and is also third in the league with a 2.1 assist/turnover ratio while Brandon Gilbeck is tied for third in the Summit with 8.4 rebounds a contest.
 
20-Something: Kobe Webster has eclipsed the 20-point scoring plateau eight times this season. The sophomore guard has also scored in double figures during every game this year except on Nov. 24 at Nebraska when he was limited to three points.
 
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