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Jada and Carla
Matthew Brooks

Games 2 & 3 Preview: Headed East, Headed Home

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

Leatherneck women's basketball faces Southern Indiana on the road before hosting Eastern Illinois.

GAME 2 INFO:                                                                               GAME 3 INFO:
Who: Western Illinois (0-1) @ Southern Indiana (1-0)                      Who: Western Illinois (0-1) vs Eastern Illinois (1-0)
When: Friday, Nov. 11 – 6 p.m.                                                      When: Monday, Nov. 14 – 6 p.m.
Where: Screaming Eagles Arena – Evansville, Ind.                           Where: Western Hall – Macomb, Ill.

SOCIAL MEDIA: @WIUWBB (Twitter + Instagram + Facebook)

Quick hitters:
  • Friday's game is the first time in program history that the Leathernecks and Screaming Eagles have played.
  • Jada Thorpe led the Leathernecks in scoring against Minnesota, finishing with eight points and three rebounds while making two shots from beyond the arc. Thorpe is coming off a 2021-22 season that saw the Chicago, Ill., native average 11.2 points per game.
  • The Leatherneck offense struggled early against Minnesota bound found some rhythm late in the game, scoring 20 points on 6-12 from the field, 3-7 from three and 5-6 at the line during the fourth quarter alone.
  • All three of Western's true freshmen played on Monday, with Lily Randgaard, Allie Meadows and Addi Brownfield combining to play 37 total minutes. Brownfield led the trio in scoring with four points while Meadows finished with three points, two rebounds and one steal.

Sharing the Floor
With changes to the roster during the offseason and a strong freshman class, Western's rotation is more wide open than it has been in quite some time and it showed against Minnesota. 12 different players checked into the game and 10 played double-digit minutes; Zareia Chevre and Elizabeth Lutz tied for the lead with 27 minutes while all five starters played at least 20.
 
Scouting the Screaming Eagles
USI is 1-0 on the season, defeating Oakland City University (NCAA Division-II) 87-39 on Monday. Fueled by an efficient shooting night (33-67 from the field, 7-14 from deep and 14-18 from the line), the Screaming Eagles had three players score in double figures while recording 19 steals and committing 30 turnovers. The 2022-23 season is Southern Indiana's first season at the Division-I level; previously a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (NCAA Division-II), the Screaming Eagles now participate in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).
 
Scouting the Panthers
Eastern Illinois opened the season with a home victory over Missouri St. Louis on Monday, defeating the Tritons 65-54. The Panthers didn't have a particularly efficient shooting night but controlled the game in other ways, hitting 16 shots from the free throw line while winning the turnover battle. Senior guard Lariah Washington, coming off a First Team All-OVC selection in 2021-22, scored 22 and grabbed six rebounds while forward Macy McGlone led the team in rebounds (eight) and blocks (four).
 
Welcome to the Starting Five
Entering Monday's game against Minnesota with a combined one career start, the trio of Anna Deets, Alissa Dins and Zareia Chevre all played big roles in the first game of the season. Dins paired six points with 12 rebounds and two blocks while Chevre finished with six points, eight rebounds and a steal; Anna Deets scored five and added three assists in her first start since Jan. 3, 2021.
 
A Career Night
Alissa Dins made a big impact in the first start of her Western Illinois career, setting a career-high in minutes played (23) and rebounds (12). A 6-1 center from Rosendale, Wis., she tied a career-high for blocks with two and finished an efficient 3-6 from the field.
 
No Place Like Home
Monday's game will be the first of the season at Western Hall, where the team has thrived in recent years. Spanning back across the four-year careers of Elizabeth Lutz and Carla Flores Western holds a 31-20 home record, good for a 0.62 winning percentage. Last season, the Leathernecks won eight in a row on LeRoy A. Ufkes Court to start the season and were 2-0 during the two exhibition matchups this preseason.
 
Big Time Bench
The Western Illinois bench proved to be an asset against the Golden Gophers, as WIU's bench players combined to out-score Minnesota's bench players, 15-13. Mallory McDermott and Addi Brownfield each scored four points, while Allie Meadows finished 1-1 from deep for her three points; Carla Flores and Kennedy Flanagan both scored two. Lily Randgaard came in for eight minutes of action while Madison Allen played one minute, though neither Randgaard or Allen scored.
 
Let it Fly
WIU's identity as a team in recent years has centered around the three-point shot, and the 2022-23 season appears no different. During the team's preseason press conference, head coach JD Gravina talked about the importance of taking and making shots from deep this season, emphasizing the idea of "letting it fly." After averaging 26 attempts from range last season, the Leathernecks attempted 24 and 29 in two preseason exhibition victories, before attempting 31 on Monday against Minnesota.
 
Up Next
After Monday's home contest it's back on the road for two more, facing Northern Illinois next Thursday (Nov. 17) in Dekalb before heading up to Chicago to face Chicago State the following Monday (Nov. 21).
 
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