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Ben Pyle

Summit Journey Continues with Trip to Dakotas

The Leathernecks will hit the road to face North Dakota State and South Dakota State.

GAME TWELVE
 
Who | Western Illinois at North Dakota State  
When | Thursday, January 2 at 8 p.m. CT
Where | Scheels Center – Fargo, N.D.   
TV | NDSU All-Access; ESPN+
Radio | WRMS (Danny Frey)
Social Media | Twitter + Facebook #TRADITIONofTOUGH
 
GAME THIRTEEN
 
Who | Western Illinois at South Dakota State  
When | Saturday, January 4 at 4:15 p.m. CT
Where | Frost Arena – Brookings, S.D.
TV | Jackrabbits All-Access; ESPN3
Radio | WRMS (Danny Frey)
Social Media | Twitter + Facebook #TRADITIONofTOUGH

The Last Outing | Western Illinois opened Summit League play with an 82-75 victory over South Dakota.

In the first frame, neither squad was able to pull ahead by more than five points, and the score sat within one or two possessions until Zion Young drained a corner trey with 17:31 left in the second. The bucket pushed his team up, 48-40, and the Leathernecks took the game's first, and lone, double-digit edge a few seconds later.

Western never trailed the rest of the way and used an 8-0 run to separate for good after a 66-66 tie (8:58).

Player of the Week | Zion Young will enter the new year as The Summit League's Co-Player of the Week, league offices announced Monday (Dec. 30).

He was a rebound shy of his second career double-double in the Leathernecks' 82-75 victory over South Dakota and entered halftime without a single point or rebound before flipping the switch to finish with a team-high 21 points and a game-high nine boards. 

The award was Young's first, as well as the first of the season for Western Illinois.

Starting Five | Western has sent the same starting lineup to the floor in all but one game this season, and all five scored in double figures in the team's Summit League opener versus South Dakota. WIU leads the league in scoring at 78.5 PPG.

Zion Young | team-high 21 points, game-high nine rebounds
Kobe Webster | 18 points, seven assists
C.J. Duff | 12 points, seven rebounds
Ben Pyle | 11 points, eight boards
James Claar | 10 points, seven rebounds

Keep it Going | The Leathernecks' win over South Dakota marked their first league-opening win since the 2016-17 season. The team currently has back-to-back victories under its belt and is seeking its first three-game winning streak since the 2017-18 campaign, where it opened the year 4-0.

Pyle It Up | Ben Pyle is currently 24-for-24 at the free-throw line, starred by a perfect 6-for-6 effort at Kansas City (Nov. 30). He is the only perfect* FT shooter in the Summit League.

*with 20 or more attempts
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