Who | Western Illinois (4-1, 0-0) vs. Northern Illinois (3-1, 0-0) and Eastern Illinois (4-3, 0-0) or Southern Illinois (1-2, 0-0)

When | Friday, Dec. 3 - 6 p.m. CT and Saturday, Dec. 4 - 6 p.m. CT

Where | Macomb, Ill. (Western Hall)

Radio | Q98.1 (Will Thomas)

Social Media | Twitter + Instagram + Facebook + #TRADITIONofTOUGH

Quick Hits

• Later this week, Western Illinois women's basketball is back home to host a tournament that fans should recognize: The Compass Challenge.

• Three programs from across "The Land of Lincoln" will partake in the two days of play -- Eastern Illinois, Northern Illinois, and Southern Illinois.

• Western opens up against NIU on Friday (Dec. 3) at 6 p.m. and will face either the winner or loser of the SIU-EU Friday contest on Saturday (Dec. 4), again at 6 p.m.

• Last year, WIU dropped contests to NIU and the host team, EIU, during the 2020 Compass Challenge held from Dec. 4-6.

• The Leathernecks are coming off a 1-1 finish against Texas competition, having defeated Tarleton State (Nov. 27) before falling to Incarnate Word (Nov. 29).

Most Recently … | This past Saturday (Nov. 27), WIU increased its winning streak to five after coming from behind to grab an admirable 58-54 victory over Tarleton State. Danni Nichols finished with a game-best 15 points, adding in four rebounds and two steals. Reaching a new season-high in both free throws made and attempted (9-10), Elizabeth Lutz posted 14 rebounds, six rebounds, and two steals. Evan Zars led the way in rebounds with nine (game-high), along with nine points. Playing 23 minutes off the bench, Anna Deets chipped in nine points on 3-5 shooting from long range. Getting to the line worked best for the Leathernecks during the afternoon, going 19-26 as a whole.

Finding itself in an intense 'back-and-forth' battle on Monday evening (Nov. 29), Western suffered its second loss of the year by ultimately falling on the road at Incarnate Word. Nichols and Jada Thorpe led the way offensively with 14 points apiece. Nichols additionally chipped in eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals to her impressive stat line. Zars finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and three steals on 5-7 shooting from the field. Lutz added nine points and four rebounds. Lutz, Nichols, and Thorpe all played for 34 minutes or more.

Welcome to the Club | Monday evening ended as a special one for standout guard Danni Nichols. Late in the game at Incarnate Word, with 58 seconds remaining, she reached over 1,000 career points as a Leatherneck, becoming the 20th player in program history to achieve such a feat. Her 16.3 ppg and 2.3 SPG lead the team and rank second-best among Summit League individuals. 

"Joining the 1,000-point club at the Division I level is a huge accomplishment," acknowledged WIU head coach JD Gravina." Danni has been such a great fit for our program. She is well-rounded, efficient, and understands our system. She has been an absolute joy to coach."

Team Effort | Western's focus on both sides of the ball has the group standing at the top of several team categories within the field of other league institutions:

• 1st in scoring offense (75.0 points/game)

• 1st in fewest points allowed (59.1 points/game)

• 1st in field goal percentage defense (.353)

• 1st in three-point percentage defense (.234)

• 1st in three-point field goals made (8.4/game)

• 1st in rebounding offense (40.9/game)

• 1st in defensive rebounding (32.1/game)

• 1st in steals (8.86)

A Brief History | Against all three opponents, WIU trails in an all-time series:

• EIU leads, 37-20

• NIU leads, 22-17

• SIU leads, 26-8

Scouting the Opposition | EIU has had an edge in gathering steals through its first seven games, averaging 13.3 per show. Lariah Washington is one of the go-to offensive weapons, as the junior is posting 15 points a night. Defensively, Kira Arthofer leads the team with 3.3 SPG and is an unselfish passer, racking up 5.1 APG. Abby Wahl is a top rebounder (5.7 RPG), shooting over 80% from the free-throw line. 

NIU has gotten off to a 3-1 start, having recently downed Milwaukee at home (Nov. 28), 69-50. Four Huskies are averaging double-digit numbers in points. A'Jah Davis, a 6'1" forward, leads with a nightly double-double of 14 ppg and 10.8 RPG. Other standouts include Chelby Koker (19 ppg, 5.8 RPG, 3.5 APG), Mikayla Brandon (10 ppg and 6.5 RPG), and Janae Poisson (12.8 ppg). Koker and Davis are shooting 51% and 47% from the field, respectively. Opposing teams have not shot too well against NIU -- only 37%.

After dropping two in a row, SIU got back on the winning end last night (Nov. 30), taking down Southeast Missouri State on the road, 78-61. Graduate student Abby Brockmeyer paces the Salukis' scoring attack with 13 ppg and shoots 53% on the floor. The 6'1" forward is also best on the boards (9.3 RPG). A fellow graduate student, Makenzie Silvey, is the primary distributor (6 APG), and sophomore Quierra Love is active on the defensive end (2 SPG).

What's Next? | Western heads to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville next Tuesday (Dec. 7). Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.