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Evan Zars
Rachael Keating

Leathernecks Prep for Second Round of Big Ten Action

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

Western Illinois heads to Iowa on Tuesday (Dec. 22) for a 1 p..m. tip-off.

GAME EIGHT
 
Who | Western Illinois (1-6) at Iowa (4-1)
When | Tuesday (Dec. 22) at 1 p.m.
Where | Iowa City, Iowa - Carver Hawkeye Arena 
TV | Big Ten Network + 
Social Media | Twitter + Facebook #TRADITIONofTOUGH

Tip-Off | The Western Illinois women's basketball team preps for its second round of Big Ten action with an afternoon matchup against Iowa on Tuesday (Dec. 22) .

Headlines 
  • WIU is coming off its first victory of the season at Bellarmine, 79-57, on Saturday (Dec. 20).
  • Danni Nichols recorded her first double-double (15 points and 10 rebounds) of the season against Bellarmine. 
  • Elizabeth Lutz leads the conference in steals (19) and steals per game (2.7). The 19 total swipes pace her 18th in the country. 
  • Freshman Anna Deets is eighth in the Summit League with 12 three-pointers. The guard has hit a three in all seven games this season. 
  • WIU is 16-52 lifetime against the Big Ten with victories over Illinois (8), Iowa (3) Wisconsin (3), and Minnesota (2). 
  • In Western's first action against the Big Ten this season, Wisconsin held on 73-67, in the season opener on Nov. 29. 
  • Despite trailing in the all-time series, 3-8, Western Illinois won the first two meetings against the Hawkeyes in the 1972-73 and 1974-75 seasons. 
  • The two sides last met on Nov. 11, 2015, with Iowa winning 96-81 in OT. 
  • The Leathernecks have four Iowa natives on its roster - Anna Deets (Mason City), Mallory McDermott (Fairfax), Maddie Mock (Johnston) and Mackenzie Rogers (Mediapolis). 
  • Last year's Summit League Newcomer of the Year, Evan Zars, recently moved into 6h all-time in blocks with 60. She is 22nd in blocked shots and 50th in blocks per game in Division I.  

Last Time Out | The Western Illinois women's basketball team (1-6) rolled past Bellarmine (0-3) 79-57 on Saturday (Dec. 19) afternoon for the first victory of the season.  After the first bucket by Evan Zars, the Leathernecks encountered a nearly four-minute scoring drought, and Bellarmine went on a 7-0 run to force a timeout. Anna Deets and Sam Pryor erased the opponent's push and nailed back-to-back threes to give WIU its first lead (14-12) and 10-0 run to close the first quarter up 16-12.  
 
A Danni Nichols steal and score out of the gates started the second frame, and Western held the Knights scoreless for the first three minutes of the quarter. The host responded with its own run (7-0) and brought it to a three-point game (24-21) at the media timeout, but that was the closest the Knights got for the rest of the afternoon. 
 
WIU found its offense stride out of the break again and surged into halftime, holding a 38-25 advantage while grabbing down 10 offensive boards and owning the rebounding edge 29-18. Elizabeth Lutz generated another quick start for the Leathernecks to open the third quarter with a layup for a 7-0 run to give Western a 20 point lead, 45-25, and put the inaugural meeting out of reach. 

Up Next | Western Illinois concludes non-league play with the host of Chicago State on Wednesday (Dec. 30) at 2 p.m. Summit League play begins in Western Hall against North Dakota State on Jan. 2 and 3. 
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