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George Hartmann

Men's Basketball Travels to Omaha for Mid-Week Tilt

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

The Leathernecks look to snap a four-game losing skid.

Western Illinois (8-17, 3-9) at Omaha (16-9, 10-2)                                    
Date/Tipoff: Feb. 20, 2019 | 7 p.m.
Location: Omaha, Neb.
Site: Baxter Arena
Radio: Danny Frey on the Leatherneck Sports Network (WRMS 94.3 & WJEQ 102.7)
 
Last Time Out: The Western Illinois men's basketball team lost its fourth consecutive game after dropping an 80-67 decision to South Dakota (10-15, 4-8) on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 16).
 
The first half concluded with the Coyotes on top, 35-29, and the margin of difference was their largest of the period. After scoring six unanswered points to start the contest, the visitors remained ahead for the majority of the half (19:02). C.J. Duff lifted the Leathernecks up by one, 25-24, on a 3-pointer from the corner with 5:12 remaining.
 
Tyler Peterson responded with a fast-break layup on the very next possession and the Coyotes maintained the lead for the rest of the afternoon.
 
The South Dakota advantage quickly grew to 14 points (46-32) just four minutes into the second half on an open triple by Trey Burch-Manning. Western battled to cut the deficit to single digits at 53-44 on an old-fashioned 3-point play by Ben Pyle at 9:54 mark, but that was as close as the Purple and Gold got before the Coyotes pulled away for good.
 
Kobe Webster had a team-high 16 points with seven rebounds while Duff scored 15. Brandon Gilbeck scored 10 points and hauled in seven rebounds. Zion Young made his first collegiate start and Keshon Montague returned to action after an injury for the first time this season since Dec. 20, 2018.  
 
Series History against Omaha: The Mavericks now have the edge in the all-time series 11-10 after defeating the Leathernecks 80-71 on Jan. 17 in Macomb.
 
Scouting the Mavericks: Omaha is currently on a four-game winning streak that included a Mitch Hahn buzzer beater to edge South Dakota State, 85-84 last Wednesday (Feb. 13) in front of the largest crowd for basketball in the history of Baxter Arena. The Mavs found a way to get by Purdue Fort Wayne last Saturday (Feb. 16) by a final score of 74-71. Zach Jackson collected a double-double of 27 points and 10 rebounds.

Jackson paces five double-digit scorers with 18.6 points per game. JT Gibson (13.8), Mitch Hahn (12.8), KJ Robinson (11.6) and Matt Pile (10.8) round out the double-digit scorers for Omaha. Pile leads the squad with 7.4 rebounds a night and Robinson averages 3.0 assists per game. Derrin Hansen is in his 14th season as the Omaha head coach and guided the Mavericks through the Division-I transition. Hansen owns a 222-197 overall coaching record.   
 
Gilbeck Doing Gilbeck Things: Brandon Gilbeck recorded the first triple-double in Summit League history since Demetrius Johnson of IPFW in 2007. The senior center put together a stat line of 12 points, 16 rebounds and 10 blocks at Purdue Fort Wayne on Thursday (Feb. 7). The 10 blocked shots tied JaKeenan Gant of Louisiana for the most blocks amongst NCAA Division I players this season and are tied for fifth most in Summit League history.
 
The 7-footer leads the nation with 94 blocks and recently broke his own previous Western Illinois program blocked shots record (85).
 
For Threeeee!: Western Illinois ranks 21st in the nation with a 38.5 percent team 3-point field goal shooting percentage. C.J. Duff leads the way shooting an impressive 44.2 percent (50-for-113) from deep.
 
20-Something: Kobe Webster has eclipsed the 20-point scoring plateau nine 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.
 
Take Them, They're Free: The Leathernecks rank 53rd among NCAA Division I teams in free throw percentage by connecting on 73.1 percent of their shots from the charity stripe this season. 
 
Rip It Down!: In addition to being the top shot blocker in the nation, Brandon Gilbeck is tied for 78th in the nation with 211 total rebounds and is alone in 61st for rebounds per game (8.5). 
 
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