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Carla Flores
Sarah Ritter

Leathernecks Set for Clash with Roos

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

Western Illinois hosts Kansas City on Friday (Jan. 15) and Saturday (Jan. 16) at 4:30 p.m.

GAMES 13 & 14 
 
Who | Western Illinois (2-10, 1-3) vs. Kansas City (4-5, 1-2)  
When | Friday (Jan. 15) & Saturday (Jan. 16) at 4:30 p.m.
Where | Macomb, Ill. - Western Hall
TV | Leatherneck All-Access
Radio | Mixlr - RJ Larson  
Social Media | Twitter + Facebook #TRADITIONofTOUGH

Tip-Off | After the first road series of the season, Western Illinois returns home to host back-to-back weekend series against Kansas City and South Dakota.  

A league member from 1994-2013, the Roos rejoined The Summit League this season after seven years in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
 
Headlines 
  • Western Illinois returns home to host back-to-back home weekends versus Kansas City (Jan. 15-16) and South Dakota (Jan. 22-23). 
  • Three Leathernecks are averaging double-digit performances in Summit League play - Grace Gilmore (12.8),  Evan Zars (12.8), and Danni Nichols (12.0). 
  • Western is 17th in the country and leads the Summit League in three-point field goals with 90.  
  • WIU owns the all-time series 27-20 with a 14-8 mark in Western Hall. Kansas City returns to Macomb for the first time since Nov. 22, 2016. 
  • Senior Grace Gilmore sits 9th in free throw attempts (76) and 11th in free throws made (56) nationally - she leads the conference in both categories. 
  • Grace Gilmore has recorded two games of eight assists, which is tied for third by a league player; she  is second in both assists (43) and assists per game (3.6) in the Summit. 
  • Elizabeth Lutz continues to lead the conference in steals (26) and steals per game (2.17). The 26 total swipes pace her 25th in the country. 
  • Senior Sam Pryor and Freshman Anna Deets have hit a three in 11 of 12 games this season, Pryor is third in the league with a team-leading 23 threes, and Deets is tied for seventh at 18.   
  • Last year's Summit League Newcomer of the Year, Evan Zars, recorded her team-leading third double-double (13 points and 12 rebounds) at South Dakota State on Friday (Jan. 8).
  • Head Coach JD Gravina won his 150th game in the conference opening victory (77-65) on Saturday (Jan. 2), becoming the second coach in program history to achieve the mark. He owns the program's all-time winning percentage at .517.  
 Scouting the Roos | Kansas City is 4-5 overall and 1-3 in league play… they won their Summit opener at North Dakota 71-67 in overtime, game two was canceled… the Roos were swept by South Dakota this past weekend…the program won its first regular-season title in 2020, finishing the WAC regular season with a 13-3 record.

Last Time Out |  Western Illinois (2-10, 1-3) made it a three-point game early in the fourth quarter, but a late South Dakota State (9-2, 2-0) run lifted the Jackrabbits 87-66 on Saturday (Jan. 9) night. 

It was the Elizabeth Lutz show in the fourth quarter. The junior guard erupted for 12 points in the frame and nailed one of two three-pointers to make it a one-possession game, 59-62 (7:29). She helped maintain the game into single digits before SDSU went on a 14-0 run to take game two. 

Lutz scored a season-high 18 points, and Danni Nichols added 12 to finish in double-figures for the fourth consecutive game and has ended in double-digits each Summit League game. Evan Zars nearly added her second straight double with 13 points and nine rebounds.  

 SDSU took advantage of eight WIU turnovers in the first 10 minutes to hold a 16-6 edge. The Leathernecks erased their slow first quarter start and opened the second frame with an 8-2 run to make it 14-18 (8:02) with a Nichols layup. Back-to-back three-pointers from Lutz and Nichols led Western into the half down, 25-36.

 In the third quarter, both sides traded bucket for bucket as the Jackrabbits held a 50-36 lead into the media timeout. A Carla Flores layup and a Sam Pryor three led an 8-0 run to make it a six-point game, 44-50 (1:57). SDSU used another quick run again to go ahead 57-47 into the fourth.

Up Next | The Leathernecks host the reigning Summit League champions in South Dakota on Jan. 22 and 23.  











 
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