Rachael Keating

Games 14 & 15 Preview: The Halfway Point

Monday, December 26, 2022 | By: WIU Athletic Communications

Leathernecks to host SDSU, USD at Western Hall this week.

MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois women's basketball returns to Macomb this week, facing South Dakota State and South Dakota at Western Hall. The Jackrabbits and Leathernecks face off this Thursday (Dec. 29) and USD will come to Western Hall on Saturday (Dec. 31); both games will be streamed on Fighting Leathernecks All-Access and tickets can be purchased by clicking this link.

GAME 14 INFO:
Who: Western Illinois (5-8, 0-2) vs South Dakota State (9-5, 2-0)
When: Thursday (Dec. 29) – 6 p.m.
Where: Western Hall – Macomb, Ill.

GAME 15 INFO:
Who: Western Illinois (5-8, 0-2) vs South Dakota (6-7, 2-0)
When: Saturday (Dec. 31) – 2 p.m.
Where: Western Hall – Macomb, Ill.

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

Quick Hitters:

Historically speaking WIU has struggled against both South Dakota and South Dakota State, with a combined five victories over both squads. The last Western Illinois victory against SDSU came on Feb. 15, 2017, which finished 83-77 at Western Hall, and the last time Western beat USD also came in 2017, on Feb. 25 – also at Western Hall.
The Leathernecks opened Summit League action on the road in North Dakota last week, falling in both contests against North Dakota State (60-84) and North Dakota (53-69).
Western Illinois has excelled at getting to the free throw line and making free throws this season, and the team average of 19.3 makes per game ranks second-highest in the nation.

Scouting the Jackrabbits
South Dakota State is 9-5 on the season and coming off back-to-back home victories over ORU and Kansas City to open Summit League action. Myah Selland continues to lead the team's offensive efforts, averaging 15.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game this season while shooting 50% from the field, while Haleigh Timmer (9.9) and Paiton Burckhard (9.6) have also contributed on a consistent basis. SDSU currently leads the Summit League in shooting (44.3%) while sitting at third in the standings.

Scouting the Coyotes
USD is 6-7 this season and also opened the Summit League slate with victories over UMKC and Oral Roberts. The Coyotes got hot in that last victory against the Golden Eagles, exploding for 101 points while shooting 35-63 (55.6%) from the field and 13-30 (43.3%) from deep. Grace Larkins has excelled in an expanded role this season, increasing her scoring average from 6.5 to a team-leading 17.3 points per game – a mark that is good for third-best in the league.

Hard Work Pays Off
Alissa Dins has seen her playing time more than double this season when compared to last and the Rosendale, Wis., native has made the most of her team-leading 25.9 minutes of action per game, ranking among the most prolific rebounding centers in the Summit League. Dins set a new career-high with 13 boards against North Dakota last week, and that came 24 hours after setting career-highs for blocks (three) and steals (five). Her 3.2 offensive rebounds per game ranks fourth-best in the Summit League as she now holds averages of 5.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

Thorpe in Double Digits
The team leader in scoring at over 13 points per game, Jada Thorpe has provided a much-needed scoring punch for the Leathernecks this season. She's finished with double-figures in seven of the team's last eight games and has scored 15+ in the last five games, including a season-high 21 against Saint Xavier on Dec. 16, and has been the team's leading scorer seven times this season. Coming off a 15-point, five-rebound performance against UND, Thorpe leads the Summit League in makes (58) and attempts (63) at the free throw line, while her 79.3% conversion rate ranks fifth.

Deets for Three
Anna Deets is another player who has made the most of an expanded role this season, providing quality shooting from beyond the arc. The team-leader in made triples (22), Deets has made at least one three pointer in seven-consecutive games and nine of her last 10 appearances, including five against SEMO on Dec. 7. Deets ranks fifth in the Summit League for three-point makes and seventh in three-point makes per game (1.7).

A Little Bit of Everything
Kennedy Flanagan did a little bit of a lot of things for her team during the opening days of Summit League play. After grabbing a season-high seven rebounds against NDSU on Dec. 19, she recorded at least one action in each of the five major statistical categories against UND; Flanagan finished with four points, four rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal in 15 minutes off the bench.

A Team Effort
One of Western's strengths in recent games has been the depth of the roster, and each of the team's 13 players appeared in each of the last three games – including Jayda Adams, who made a return to action for the first time since March of 2019. The team boasts 10 players averaging double-digit minutes and five who are playing at least 20, led by Alissa Dins' 25.9 and Jada Thorpe's 24.5 minutes per game.

Make Your Free Throws
Getting to the free throw line has been the strength of this year's squad, and the team enters this week's contest as one of the top free throw shooting teams in the entire country. Western's 251 makes is the second-best mark in the nation, three behind Arkansas and seven ahead of Florida State. The team's average of 25.92 makes per game ranks fourth while overall total of 337 attempts ranks third. WIU is converting at a 74.5% clip which ranks fourth in the Summit League and would be an 8.6% improvement over last year if the season ended today.

History Beckons
Elizabeth Lutz has been a staple in the program over the last five years, making over 120 appearances and earning Summit League All-Defensive honors after averaging 2.2 steals last season. Offensively, Lutz is close to a huge milestone for any collegiate player: 1,000 career points. Entering this week's games against South Dakota State and South Dakota, Lutz is at 968 career points – meaning she's just 32 away from becoming just the 21st player in program history to score 1,000 points in a Leatherneck uniform.

Up Next
Leatherneck women's basketball will be back on the road for its next two games, facing Omaha (Jan. 5) and Denver (Jan. 7) next week.

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