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Rachael Keating

Leathernecks Travel to North Dakota

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

WIU men’s basketball will face North Dakota on Thursday (Jan. 13) and North Dakota State on Saturday (Jan. 15).

The Opponents | North Dakota / North Dakota State
When | Thursday (Jan. 13), 7 p.m. / Saturday (Jan. 15), 1 p.m.
Where | Grand Forks, N.D. / Fargo, N.D.
Social media | Instagram + Twitter + Facebook + #TRADITIONofTOUGH

Matchup history: Thursday's game marks the 12th time in program history that Western Illinois and North Dakota have played one another in a men's basketball game, with WIU holding a 4-7 all-time record in a series that dates back to Jan. 3, 1967. The teams split last season's series, with North Dakota winning 81-83 on Jan. 39 and WIU earning a 99-87 victory on Jan. 30. Will Carius averaged 26.5 points per game in the two contests, tying a program record for consecutive three-pointers made (six) on his way to 34 points in the first matchup, while Colton Sandage had a 28-point, ten assist performance in the victory.
 
Against North Dakota State, the Leathernecks hold an 8-23 record dating back to their first matchup on Jan. 12, 2008. The Bison visited Macomb for two games last season, winning both matchups. Tamell Pearson averaged 13 points and 4.5 rebounds in the two games, shooting 48% from the field and making all four of his free-throw attempts, including a 17-point outburst in the series' second game. 

Scouting the opponent: The Fighting Hawks are currently 4-13 and in the midst of a five-game losing streak. UND has won games against Montana, Presentation College and North Central University this season, three of which came on their home floor. Freshman Paul Bruns is the team's leading scorer at 14.1 points per game, and is currently in the midst of a stretch that has seen him pour in 20 or more in four of his last five games (which includes a career-best 27 against North Dakota State).
 
North Dakota State is 11-5 on the season, winning three of its first four conference battles and seven home games. The Bison won both games in the team's previous road trip, defeating Omaha 71-67 on Saturday (Jan. 8) and Denver 87-69 on Monday (Jan. 10). Fueling the Bison offense is Rocky Kreuser, an All-Summit League first teamer last season who holds averages of 15.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Kreuser scored 24 against Denver and 25 against Omaha.

Players to watch: Named All-Summit League second team last season, Will Carius has built off the success of his first campaign during year two as a Leatherneck. He's the team leader in minutes (34.1), points scored (16.7 per game) and three-point shooting (42.4%), while shooting 78.4% from the free-throw line. At 3.53, his average for made three-pointers ranks 13th in the country while ranking 33rd among all Division-I men's basketball players for percentage.
 
Tamell Pearson is coming off his best game of the season, scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in WIU's game against Oral Roberts on Saturday (Jan. 8). A junior from Chicago, Ill., Pearson had solid outings against these two opponents last year, and is now averaging a team-high 6.9 rebounds per contest to go with 9.6 points, while shooting a team-leading 57.4% from the field.
 
Well-rounded performances have been the story for Colton Sandage, who has scored in double figures in four of the team's last five games. In his last two games against St. Thomas (Jan. 1) and Oral Roberts (Jan. 8), Sandage has set and then re-set his WIU career-best mark for rebounds with seven and eight, respectively. The junior guard from Bloomington, Ill., currently sits as the team's third-leading scorer at 14.4 per game and is shooting a team-high 79.6% from the charity stripe (min. 15 attempts).  

What's next: Western Illinois men's basketball will be back in Western Hall next week to host the South Dakota schools. The Coyotes of USD will visit on Thursday (Jan. 20) for a 6 p.m. tip-off, and the game against South Dakota State is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday (Jan. 22).
 
 
 
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