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WIU women vs. St. Xavier
Rachael Keating
69
St. Xavier SXU 0-1
84
Winner Western Ill. WIU 5-6,0-0 Summit League
St. Xavier SXU
0-1
69
Final
84
Western Ill. WIU
5-6,0-0 Summit League
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
St. Xavier SXU 17 16 17 19 69
Western Ill. WIU 25 20 17 22 84

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

Staying hot

Leathernecks make themselves at home in QC, winning third straight

MOLINE – It was a triumphant performance in Moline on Friday as the Western Illinois women ran their win streak to three games and won their fourth game in five outings, topping St. Xavier 84-69 at Vibrant Arena.
 
The Leathernecks (5-6) led the majority of the evening, ending the nonconference portion of the schedule on a winning note.
 
"It's fun to get up here and play, I thought, it's hard in an arena like this but we have a decent following, it was nice to play a team like St. X because they can score it, so it wasn't going to be a boring game, but they scored it a little better than I would like for us defensively," Western Illinois coach JD Gravina said. "We've got to get a little tougher, I'm a little disappointed with our rebounding, loose balls, thinks like that, areas where I thought we made some progress. Offensively, we're still continuing to get into a better rhythm and I think our young kids are playing well, so that's encouraging."
 
Western Illinois led by as many as 18 points, doing enough to keep the Cougars at bay. The Leathernecks were able to get off to a good start, leading 25-17 after a quarter and 45-33 at half.
 
"When we watch them on film, the thing the staff said is 'they're a little better than we would like,' so we felt like they were good enough to hang around and it's always tough to shoot when you have four lines on the court, so it doesn't surprise me we didn't go out there and win by 30 also because we're not that kind of team that is physically dominating, which is a little disappointing because I felt like they out-physicalled us," Gravina said. "But that was good for us, we saw some good things, Lily Randgaard came in and played well for us, she's been so close to earning minutes, but she's a kid who's hard to not put out on the floor."
 
Jada Thorpe led the way for Western Illinois, scoring a team, and season-high 21 points. Thorpe also had a season high in steals (five) and free throws made (14-14). It was the sixth time this season Thorpe led the suddenly hot Leathernecks in scoring.
 
"I think we started out a little slow, which is kind of expected with so many new people, so I think the last two or three games have been momentum builders," Thorpe said. "We're seeing it in practice, everyone is shooting, driving with confidence, stepping up on defense, building momentum."
 
The Leathernecks forced 26 turnovers, and took full advantage, turning the Cougar miscues into 30 points.
 
"It was a big defensive game, a couple days in practice this week, it was all about defense," Allie Meadows (six points) said. "We got a lot of transition buckets, that's how we have to play, get layups, get three-pointers, that's a good way to get ready for conference."
 
While Thorpe's 21 points led the way, Zarie Chevre added 10, Alissa Dins scored nine and Addi Brownfield and Mallory McDermott each chipped in with eight.
 
Also having a good night was Jayda Adams, who made her Leatherneck debut. Adams, who has battled injuries, scored her first collegiate points since March 6, 2019.
 
"This is Jayda's first game, she's getting fairly healthy, she's been going live in practice for about two weeks now, so she got a late start," Gravina said. "I don't know if she's going to be able to catch up because of our depth and the late start, she definitely does some things that you look at and know she can help us."
 
The game was also the first time WIU has played in Moline since Vibrant Arena hosted the Summit League Tournament in the 90s. The bigger venue gave the team the look and feel of future challenges.
 
"This is huge for us, the thing I compare it to is playing at Nebraska-Omaha, which is always tough and the conference tournament," Gravina said. "I do think it is good to get in an arena, look at the lights, get in the sight-line.
"It felt like a first-round conference game, which is a good thing for us."
 
It was also nice for players who were able to see familiar faces.
 
"We have a couple girls from Iowa, the area, so it's huge, there are familiar fans in the crowd, plus playing in the big arena is huge," Meadows said. "Our shots may have been a little off, but it was a big momentum booster and confidence booster as well.
 
"I had the whole middle section of family, friends, high school kids I have not seen in a while, they're home for winter break so it's a special time right now."
 
The Leathernecks now turn their focus to Summit League play. Western opens on the road, playing at North Dakota State on Monday, then North Dakota on Wednesday.
 
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