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Will Carius
Sarah Ritter

Leathernecks Add UT Martin to Schedule

WIU and UT Martin will meet for the third consecutive season this Sunday.

Who | Western Illinois (1-4) at UT Martin (2-0)
When | Sunday, Dec. 20 at 5 p.m. 
Where | Martin, Tenn. (Kathleen and Tom Elam Center)
TV | ESPN+
Twitter | @WIU_MensHoops

Quick Hits
- Western is searching for its first win against UT Martin; the Skyhawks are 3-0 in the all-time series. This will be the third consecutive season the two have faced each other
- The Leathernecks nearly pulled off a comeback at Eastern Illinois in their last outing (Dec. 12), where the Panthers held on for a 92-88 victory
- Justin Brookens scored a career-high, season-high 37 points at EIU 

History Made
Welcome to the WIU record book, Justin Brookens. It didn't take long for the junior transfer to cement his spot in Leatherneck history -- just five games to be exact -- as a 37-point performance at Eastern Illinois tied for second-most in Western's single-game Division I history. 

Coincidentally, the program's all-time leading scorer Joe Dykstra previously recorded the mark against EIU in 1983. 

Offensive Production 
Western Illinois is currently the only program in the Summit League with at least four players averaging double-figures. Tamell Pearson leads the Leathernecks with 12.6 PPG, and Justin Brookens (11.8), Rod Johnson Jr. (10.0), and Will Carius (10.0) follow. 

Double-figures in the Summit League (through Dec. 17) 
Denver - 2 
Kansas City - 3
North Dakota. - 3
North Dakota State - 3 
Omaha - 1
Oral Roberts - 2
South Dakota - 2
South Dakota State - 3

Dishing It
In a sea of upperclassmen, Marcus Watson Jr. is the only freshman in the Leathernecks' starting lineup. The Chicago, Ill., native holds the career assists record at Morgan Park High School and currently sits sixth in the Summit with 3.6 dimes per game. 

Seeing Doubles
Highlighted by a career-high 22 points versus Central Michigan, Tamell Pearson has scored in double figures four times this season. He seeks his third double-double at UT Martin and is currently averaging a Summit League-leading 9.2 rebounds with 12.6 points (ranked 13th in the league). 

Blocked 
Transfers Will Carius and Cameron Burrell each have six blocks on the season and tie for third in the Summit.

The Scout
The Skyhawks will be two games into Ohio Valley Conference play before welcoming the Leathernecks Sunday … started season 2-0 for the first time in a decade, after decisions over Evansville (93-87, 2OT) and Bethel (95-60) … four are scoring in double-figures: Eden Holt (19.0 PPG), Cameron Holden (18.5 PPG), Jaron Williams (15.0 PPG), and Ajani Kennedy (10.0) … Ajani is also the team's leading rebounder at 9.0 boards per game 
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