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Western Illinois University Athletics

WC
Sarah Ritter
80
Western Ill. WIU 3-1,0-0 Summit League
84
Winner DePaul DePaul 4-0,0-0 Big East
Western Ill. WIU
3-1,0-0 Summit League
80
Final
84
DePaul DePaul
4-0,0-0 Big East
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Western Ill. WIU 36 44 80
DePaul DePaul 36 48 84

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | WIU Athletic Communications

Leathernecks Fall to DePaul

The team will play again on Monday.

CHICAGO, ILL. – The Western Illinois University Fighting Leatherneck men's basketball team played on Saturday (Nov. 20), falling 84-80 to the DePaul Blue Demons at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Ill. The loss is Western's first on the season.
 
"Obviously there's a few things we would love to take back but can't, so we learn from them. I thought Javon Freeman-Liberty took it to another level so we just have to tip our hat to him - he put that team on his back," head coach Rob Jeter said of the game. "I thought the bounce back to cut it to two was pretty special, all we needed then was one more stop but we didn't get it."
 
The first half was a cagey affair with eight ties and nine lead changes. Colton Sandage had his fingerprints all over the early minutes, completing an and-one, making a three and then drawing a charge within the first three minutes of action. Despite the back-and-forth action, it was tied at 36 when the halftime buzzer sounded.
 
Luka Barisic and Will Carius both had double-digits in scoring in the game's first 20 minutes, with Trenton Massner leading all Leatherneck rebounders (seven) and the combination of Massner/Sandage each recording two assists. The Leathernecks recorded 16 points in the paint and forced six turnovers, shooting 43% from the field and making five three-pointers.
  
Western continued to maintain a lead throughout the first part of the second half, building their lead as large as seven (51-44) with 14:28 remaining in the period. DePaul started chipping into the lead and eventually went on an 18-5 run from 6:20 to 1:20 to put the game out of reach. Javon Freeman Liberty scored 14 of those 18 points on his way to 33 in the game.
 
Despite the double-digit lead and limited time, the Leathernecks did not go down without a fight. They forced three turnovers in the game's final minute and several players hit clutch shots, bringing the score to within three points on multiple occasions. The last-minute push was not enough, and DePaul held on to win 84-80.
 
"It showed the character of these guys, they kept trying to do the right things and because of that we made some good plays and better decisions," Jeter said. "We stopped jumping in the air trying to make passes, we took what we could, kept attacking the rim, and I thought the fact that Will took it to the rim late and got fouled was indicative of the growth of this team. We could have settled for threes but we didn't."
 
Luka Barisic led all Leatherneck scorers with 21 points (4-8 from deep), grabbing five rebounds and blocking one shot. Colton Sandage, Will Carius and Trenton Massner all scored 16 points, with Massner adding eight rebounds and three assists. Tamell Pearson scored seven to go with ten rebounds and a steal, and the combination of Jadrian Flores and Cameron Burrell provided the team with 32 minutes of action.
 
As a team, Western shot 31-72 from the field (43.1%), making nine three pointers. They grabbed 37 rebounds (ten offensive), forcing the Blue Demons into 13 turnovers while limiting theirs to just 11 and scoring 18 points off those turnovers. Both teams scored 34 points in the paint, and the Leathernecks blocked five shots.
 
"The fact that we stayed together, as a staff I was really pleased with how our guys continued to coach. As a bench with the enthusiasm was good," Jeter said. "We'll clean up some things but we had a chance to fold and cave in but we kept battling against a Big East team."
 
The team heads to face Northern Kentucky in their next game on Monday (Nov. 22). Tipoff in Highland Heights, Ky., is scheduled for 6 p.m.
 
 
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