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Western Illinois University Athletics

Taylor Higginbotham
Kellyn Whitlow
70
North Dakota State NDSU 6-15, 3-6 Summit
82
Winner Western Illinois WIUWW 10-13, 6-4
North Dakota State NDSU
6-15, 3-6 Summit
70
Final
82
Western Illinois WIUWW
10-13, 6-4
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
North Dakota State NDSU 21 9 17 23 70
Western Illinois WIUWW 25 15 24 18 82

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Higginbotham Sits Atop WIUWBB All-Time Scoring List in Leatherneck Win

Taylor Higginbotham became Western’s all-time leading scorer in the team’s 82-70 victory over NDSU.

MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois women's basketball team (10-14, 6-4 Summit League) finished Sunday's contest against North Dakota State with an 82-70 victory and a new all-time leading scorer. 

Senior guard Taylor Higginbotham surpassed her former teammate and current assistant coach Emily Clemens with a lay-in at the 8:43 mark of the third quarter and finished the game with 1,715 points. Clemens previously set the program's career record at 1,699 a season ago.  

"This place, this school, this town, the whole thing, just means a ton to me," said Higginbotham. "I came in here as a freshman, and I felt when I came on my visit that this place was going to be home for me and it has. For me to make the community proud and see all the smiles and congratulations, it means the world to me – just to be able to give back to the place that has done so much for me, giving me the opportunity to make my dreams come true. It's a good feeling." 

Olivia Kaufmann was active on both sides of the court, as her defensive measures turned into a game-tying, fast-break layup with 4:23 on the clock in the first quarter. The junior guard's steal and score tied things at 16-16 before Danni Nichols pushed her team ahead for good on the next possession. 

In the second frame, Grace Gilmore splashed a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to lift Western up by double-digits, 38-28, and the team entered halftime with a 40-30 advantage. Nichols and Higginbotham accounted for more than half of the Leathernecks' points at the break, highlighted by the freshman's perfect 4-for-4 performance from the floor. 

Following her milestone point, Higginbotham went off for nine in the third quarter, and Western cruised from there.  She ended the affair with a season-high 27 points, one rebound shy of a double-double, while Nichols added 15 points, Kaufmann 14 and Gilmore 10. 

WIU's next two games will take place on the road in midweek action at Purdue Fort Wayne (Feb. 6) and a Saturday matinee at Omaha. 
 
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