Who | Western Illinois (2-1, 0-0) vs. Bellarmine (0-2, 0-0)

When | Saturday, Nov. 20 - 6 p.m. CT

Where | Macomb, Ill. (Western Hall)

Social Media | Twitter + Instagram + Facebook + #TRADITIONofTOUGH

Quick Hits

• This weekend, a slew of home games continues for Western Illinois women's basketball, as the Leathernecks take on Bellarmine University on Saturday evening (Nov. 20).

• Western is off to a 2-1 overall start after defeating Chicago State on Wednesday, 77-50.

• Danni Nichols has been a game-leading scorer in all three of the Leathernecks' contests thus far, coming off a season-high 23-point performance against Chicago State.

• Evan Zars has pulled down double-digit numbers in rebounds over the last two showings, averaging a team-best 9.3 boards per night.

• Bellarmine dropped its first two tests of the season at Cincinnati (72-59) and Louisville (82-25).

Most Recently … | Facing a scrappy Chicago State squad on Wednesday (Nov. 17), things were tight early on, but Western settled into a groove to comfortably pull away, 77-50.

CSU picked up steals early on, as WIU started with four turnovers while holding a narrow 7-6 lead. Mallory McDermott and Kennedy Flanagan checked in to net a couple of three-pointers, beginning a 12-3 push for the Leathernecks. Another trey ball from McDermott, followed by a steal and finish by Elizabeth Lutz, saw Western sitting at a 25-9 advantage at the end of the first.

As a few minutes passed by in the second period, WIU stretched its lead to 30-13 before CSU turned up its aggression on both ends. The Cougars put together a 17-5 surge in the quarter's final 6.5 minutes, cutting the deficit to 35-30 before the halftime buzzer rang. Western only shot 20% from the field in the quarter for ten points. Danni Nichols led all scorers with 10 points during the first 20 minutes.

The third quarter started as a defensive frame for a bit before WIU began to turn up its offensive game. Nichols acted as the main anchor, totaling eight points in the period and increasing the margin to a 17-point game at one moment. Additionally, the Leathernecks forced six turnovers from the Cougars.

Leading 54-37, WIU's confidence again appeared evident as the final 10 minutes opened up. Several different players scored as the clock continued to tick down, and a nice hookup from Evan Zars to Samantha Pryor in the paint had Western up big, 69-42. Buckets from Anna Deets put the finishing touches on the evening.

McDermott achieved a new career-high in points for the second straight contest -- going for 13 on 3-6 three-point shooting. The night was also a spotlight for Flanagan, who posted an impressive performance of 13 points and eight rebounds in 16 minutes of play. The fellow sophomore made three of five attempts from downtown. 

Nichols again showed out offensively, racking up 23 points to lead all individuals. She has been a game-leading scorer in all three of WIU's contests thus far. The senior also added five rebounds and two steals.

Zars again just missed out on a double-double, as the forward scored nine points and grabbed a game-high ten rebounds. Lutz dished out five assists. WIU shot over 46% from the floor as a team while making 22 free throws compared to CSU's seven.

Sophomore Shine | Sharpshooter Mallory McDermott has turned heads in the early weeks of her sophomore campaign, resting as the Leathernecks' current second-leading scorer with 10.3 points per game. The Fairfax, Iowa native has made nine of her first 18 three-point attempts, tallying a .500 percentage that is tied for fourth-best among Summit League players. As a reserve, she set a new single-game career-high in points twice during WIU's first two games -- 12 at Butler and 13 against Chicago State. McDermott also looked sharp during Western's two exhibition games, posting a game-leading 15 points versus Illinois-Springfield and nine when WIU hosted Columbia College.

Top of the Summit | One can look at the league's team rankings and see Western sitting first in offense (66.7 points/game) and defense (57.3 points allowed/game). The Leathernecks' 9.3 difference margin between the two sides of the ball is also a league-best.

Danni Nichols' 20.3 points and 2.7 steals per outing leads all individuals while she is tied for second in field goal percentage (.550). Evan Zars and Mallory McDermott are second in rebounds (9.3/game) and three-pointers per game (3.0), respectively. Elizabeth Lutz's 4.7 assists per night has her at fourth. Zars is also averaging 2.0 blocks, which ranks third-highest.

A Brief History | There is not much history at all between these two programs. WIU and Bellarmine have only matched up once, back on Dec. 19 on the Knights' home floor. Western won that road visit, 79-57.

Scouting the Opposition | Bellarmine was picked to finish eleventh (tied with Jacksonville) in this year's ASUN Conference preseason poll. Claire Knies paces the offense with 11.5 ppg and is shooting over 45% from three-point territory. Lauren Deel does the most production on the glass (6.5 rpg), while Presley Brown is a defensive threat (1.5 spg). Deel also averages 7.0 points per show.

What's Next? | WIU wraps its homestand on Tuesday (Nov. 23) when Missouri Baptist comes to town for a 6 p.m. CT faceoff.