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Western Illinois University Athletics

TM
54
Eastern Ill. EIU 2-10,0-0 OVC
71
Winner Western Ill. WIU 9-2,0-0 Summit League
Eastern Ill. EIU
2-10,0-0 OVC
54
Final
71
Western Ill. WIU
9-2,0-0 Summit League
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Eastern Ill. EIU 29 25 54
Western Ill. WIU 39 32 71

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

Jeter Earns 200th Career Win Against Eastern Illinois

Led by Will Carius' 25 points, the Leathernecks finished non-league play undefeated at Western Hall.

MACOMB, ILL. – The Western Illinois University Fighting Leatherneck men's basketball team played on Saturday (Dec. 18), defeating the Panthers of Eastern Illinois University 71-54 at Western Hall. This marks Western's first time taking possession of the Old Railsplitter Axe since Nov. 15, 2017, and the win was head coach Rob Jeter's 200th of his career.
 
"The interesting thing is that I shared it with Coach Boudreau – he's been with me for all of my head coaching games so it's special to share it with him, especially here," Coach Jeter said. "There was a point where I didn't know if he would come with me as he had a successful job up there at Highland, but all it means is that we've been around a long time, we've had some good runs and good teams, and this is another group that is making its mark towards being one of our better teams."
 
After Eastern Illinois took a quick four-point lead less than two minutes into the game, Western Illinois' offense started to heat up and get the team into the game. Trenton Massner, Luka Barisic and Colton Sandage combined to go on a 7-0 scoring run, turning what was an EIU lead into a 10-6 Western advantage.
 
Consistent shooting and control of the glass fueled the rest of Western's first half, as the team held a ten-point lead at the halftime break. Three Leathernecks scored eight or more points in the first period with the Leathernecks making 7-8 from the line and 6-13 from deep, while defensively holding Eastern Illinois under 30 points in the period. The consistent scoring continued into the second period of play, and Massner even went on his own 6-0 run to extend Western's lead to 16 points. It would grow as large as 17, finishing as a 71-54 victory for the Leathernecks.
 
Will Carius led all scorers with 25 points, making seven three-pointers and both of his free-throw attempts, and Trenton Massner scored 18 points to go with eight rebounds, four assists and a steal. Luka Barisic had scored in double figures with 11, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out four assists, while Colton Sandage had an efficient eight points (4-6 from the field) to go with four rebounds and four assists. Tamell Pearson blocked a team-high two shots, scoring five points and grabbing eight rebounds. Playing against his former team, George Dixon finished with four rebounds and a team-high four steals off the bench, as every single Leatherneck checked into the game.
 
"Will makes tough shots, he's just a winner. If he's having a tough stretch then we have Colton, and if Colton is having a tough stretch we have Trenton, and of course we have Luka as well, he's just consistent," Coach Jeter said. "We also can't forget the work that Tamell and George provide for us underneath, doing some of the dirty work and keeping possessions alive with offensive rebounds, defensively making guys take tough shots so it's a collective effort but obviously when the threes are going in it makes us a dangerous team.
 
"It's big to have so many options," Carius added. "We're taking what they give us and that's how we'll roll the rest of the year which is exciting. We don't have a selfish guy on the team – whoever is going to lead us to a win will do it and we're all going to be supportive"
 
As a team, Western Illinois held the lead for 36:08 of the game and won the battle on the glass 41-29 (10-5 offensive), turning those offensive rebounds into seven second-chance points and 30 points in the paint. The defensive effort resulted in the lowest point total by an opponent this season.
 
The Leathernecks will hit the road for their next matchup, starting league play with a matchup against Denver. Tip-off from the Hamilton Gymnasium is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Monday (Dec. 20).
 
 
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