MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois women's basketball finished its three-game home stretch Thursday night (Nov. 14) in Western hall by defeating the Indiana State Sycamores, 83-72. 

"I'm really proud of our mentality tonight," said head coach JD Gravina. "Indiana State really counter-punched everything we had but, our players kept battling. It's nice to be able to win a game like that without shooting the ball well."

The Leathernecks kept the Sycamores off the board until 7:46 as they advanced a 15-2 run, only allowing two points on separate free-throw situations. Indiana State made its first field goal with three minutes remaining in the quarter and with a turnover gained momentum to put the game within four at its end, 19-15.

Western extended its lead at 5:41 as Grace Gilmore sunk a layup to make the score 28-19. With a free throw from Olivia Kaufmann, they held a nine-point lead going into halftime, 36-27.

The Sycamores made a strong push to come back and take a one-point lead in the first four minutes of the second half. WIU, moving the ball around on offense, was able to regain its lead and advance yet again with six free throw opportunities. The Leathernecks took their largest lead of the game at 61-44 with 23 seconds remaining in the third frame.

The team's five starters all notched double-digits as Kaufmann poured in a season-high 25, while Annabel Graettinger contributed 13, Gilmore 11, Evan Zars 11, and Danni Nichols 10. Zars also recorded her first regular season double-double with a game-high 10 rebounds.

Western will hit the road for a quick turnaround as it takes on Purdue on Sunday (Nov. 17) to continue a challenging stretch in its pre-league schedule.