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Western Illinois University Athletics

Kyra Washington
Kellyn Whitlow

Leathernecks Take on PFW in Midweek Tilt

Western is at PFW Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Western Illinois (10-13, 6-4) at Purdue Fort Wayne (6-12, 2-8)                 
Date / Tipoff: Wednesday, Feb. 6 | 7 p.m. 
Location: Fort Wayne, Ind.
Site:     Gates Sports Center
Radio: Ryan Kent Jr. (WRMS)

Series History: The Leathernecks are working a 10-game winning streak against PFW and maintain a 13-12 edge in the all-time series. The teams last met Jan. 19 inside Western Hall where WIU went off for 26 first-quarter points in a 73-59 success. 

Danni Nichols led all scorers with a career-high 21 points on 10-for-12 shooting from the field. 

Western's Last Outing: The Leathernecks went 2-for-2 this past weekend in victories over North Dakota and North Dakota State. 

•    Defeating UND, 111-90, Western posted its second 100-point performance of the season, while also recording its first Summit League sweep
•    Taylor Higginbotham became the Leathernecks' all-time leading scorer in the 82-70 win versus NDSU
•    Western shot a season-high 61.4 percent from the field versus UND (35-for-57)
•    Annabel Graettinger, Olivia Kaufmann, Danni Nichols, and Taylor Higginbotham scored in double-figures in both contests 

There Can Only Be One: Taylor Higginbotham became Western's all-time leading scorer Sunday (Feb. 3) in the team's 82-70 win over North Dakota State. 

She eclipsed Emily Clemens' career record in the 8:43 mark of the third quarter en route to a season-high 27 points. Clemens graduated from Western a season ago with 1,699 points, and Higginbotham currently possesses 1,715. 

Summit League Players of the Week: Western has garnered the league's weekly award three times this season. 

Taylor Higginbotham | Moved to second on WIU's all-time scoring list at Las Vegas Hoops Tournament (Dec. 22)
Olivia Kaufmann | Averaged 15 points, 8.5 assists, six steals and 5.5 rebounds in wins over Omaha and Purdue Fort Wayne (Jan. 21)
Taylor Higginbotham | Became Western's all-time leading scorer; helped Leathernecks to wins over North Dakotas with back-to-back, 20-point games (Feb. 1)

Ten Makes: Danni Nichols joined Olivia Kaufmann, and Elizabeth Lutz atop the list of Western's single-game highs with 10 made field goals at Purdue Fort Wayne (Jan. 19). All three have hit the mark at some point this season, and it currently sits as the most made in the 2017-18 season. 

Lutz vs. MacMurray College (Nov. 12) | 23 points
Kaufmann vs. North Dakota (Jan. 13 & Feb. 1) | 28 points (career-highs)
Nichols at Purdue Fort Wayne | 21 points (career-high)   

The Long Ball: Western sits 13th in the nation with 207 made 3-pointers. The team has made 10 or more treys in seven games this season including a program-record 28 against MacMurray College (Nov. 12) which also set an NCAA Division I record.

After a seven-game hiatus of converting less than 10, the Leathernecks' 3-point stroke returned with 15 against North Dakota State (Feb. 1). 

Running Point: Western Illinois has a new floor chief, and her name is Olivia Kaufmann. She is the Leathernecks' primary ball handler with a team-high 88 assists while also guiding the offense with 15.5 points per game, ranking second and fourth in the Summit League, respectively.  

The junior became the Leathernecks' starting point guard this season and has seen the most action on the floor with 706 minutes. 

New Kyra on the Block: Kyra Washington joined the Leathernecks at the start of the 2018-19 season after transferring in from Parkland College. She's been an absolute spark off the bench for Western, shooting 45.1 percent from beyond the arc with 6.0 points per game. Thirty-two of Washington's 42 field goals have come from 3-point territory, and she's currently ranked second on the team in the category. 

Washington has made three or more 3-pointers in six games, highlighted by a perfect 4-for-4 performance at South Dakota State. 

Ring the Bel: On a roster that includes six freshmen, South Dakota State transfer Annabel Graettinger helped bolster the Leathernecks veteran leadership ahead of the 2018-19 season. The redshirt-junior is one of four on the team with Summit League Championship experience as she won the title with SDSU in 2016. (Olivia Kaufmann, Sam Pryor, and Taylor Higginbotham are the only three remaining from Western's 2017 championship run.) 

In 20 starts this season, Graettinger has scored in double-figures 15 times to average 11.6 PPG. 

On the Verge: Olivia Kaufmann has been on the edge of capturing her first career double-double three times this season. 

at Oral Roberts (Jan. 5) | 14 points, 9 rebounds
at North Dakota State (Jan. 11) | 13 points, 9 rebounds
Omaha (Jan. 16) | 17 points, 9 assists

Saving Grace: Grace Gilmore has started off her sophomore campaign on the highest of notes. She was inserted into the starting lineup this season, appearing in every game so far, and has already surpassed several of her 2017-18 stats.
 
2017-18: Minutes (169), Rebounds (36), Assists (15), Steals (7), Points (77)
2018-19: Minutes (591), Rebounds (99), Assists (34), Steals (26), Points (167)

Boards & More: Averaging 7.6 rebounds per game, Taylor Higginbotham is the most active Leatherneck on the boards. She currently ranks fourth in the Summit League in the category and has pulled down 10 or more in five games this season, finishing with a double-double in each of the contests. 

Austin Peay: 12 rebounds, 14 points
Furman: 12 rebounds, 16 points
Denver: 17 rebounds (career-high), 23 points
Oral Roberts: 10 rebounds, 16 points
North Dakota State: 10 rebounds, 21 points  

The Leathernecks are 3-2 in games where Higginbotham posts a double-double.
 
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