Skip To Main Content

Upcoming Events and Recent Results

Western Illinois University Athletics

Bradley Motton

GAMES 21 and 22: Home vs. USD, SDSU

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

Leathernecks host Coyotes, Jacks this week

MACOMB – The Western Illinois men's basketball team tries to stay hot with a pair of games to close out the weekend, hosting South Dakota at 6 p.m. on Thursday and South Dakota State on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Leathernecks have won three-straight to improve to 12-8 overall, 5-4 in the Summit League, putting the squad in a tie for third place. Western Illinois lost its previous meetings to the Coyotes and Jackrabbits earlier this season, falling to USD and SDSU in its South Dakota trip.
 
WHO | South Dakota (9-11, 4-4) at Western Illinois (12-8, 5-4)
WHERE | Western Hall, Macomb, Illinois
WHEN | Thursday, 6 p.m.
SOCIAL MEDIA | Twitter; Facebook
FOLLOW ALONG | Stream; Radio; Live stats
 
WHO | South Dakota State (11-9, 6-2) at Western Illinois (12-8, 5-4)
WHERE | Western Hall, Macomb, Illinois
WHEN | Saturday, 2 p.m.
SOCIAL MEDIA | Twitter; Facebook
FOLLOW ALONG | Stream; Radio; Live stats
 
 
Last time out:
Western Illinois defended home turf, winning a pair of games. Last Saturday, the Leathernecks topped St. Thomas 60-56 while on Monday WIU defeated North Dakota 92-80.
 
Against the Tommies, WIU trailed 28-23 at half, but a big second half led by the starting five and a strong defensive effort helped Western to its second-straight win. Trenton Massner led the way with 18 points while Alec Rosner added 10. Jesiah West had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds while Quinlan Bennett and Vuk Stevanic each poured in 10. The Leatherneck defense held UST to 40 percent shooting (22-50) and 12.5 percent (2-16) from three.
 
Against North Dakota, it was the Massner show as the senior scored a program-record 46 points. Massner went 16-21 from the field, including 9-12 from three. Bennett added a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. WIU's defense limited North Dakota to 7-24 (29.2 percent) from three. WIU was down five at half but shot 74.1 percent from the field in the second half to get the win (20-27).
 
About the Leathernecks:
Western Illinois has won three-straight games and is 8-2 inside Western Hall this season. The Leathernecks are led by Trenton Massner, who scores 17.9 points per game. Jesiah West leads the team on the glass with 6.1 rebounds per game.
 
WIU scores 75 points per game while allowing 71.6. The Leathernecks are shooting 46.1 percent from the field while allowing opponents to make 45.1 percent.
 
About the Coyotes:
South Dakota is 9-11 overall, 4-4 in the Summit. The Coyotes are 1-6 away from home. USD has lost three of its last four games.
 
The Coyotes average 68.7 points per game while allowing 72.6. USD shoots 42.7 percent from the field, including 40.3 from three. Opponents are making 44.7 percent of their shots and 35.6 from three.
 
Kruz Perrott-Hunt leads the Coyotes in scoring, averaging 14.1 per game. A.J Plitzuweit is also in double figures, averaging almost 13 per night. Tasos Kamateros adds 11.5 while Paul Bruns scores 10.5.
 
History:
USD has won seven straight against Western Illinois, including an 80-63 win in South Dakota on Dec. 31. In that contest, Kruz Perrott-Hunt scored 30 points on 11-20 shooting. The Coyotes never trailed in the contest, leading by as many as 19. USD was 29-56 from the field and 10-19 from three while WIU was 21-54 and 3-18. Alec Rosner led Western Illinois with 16.
 
About the Jackrabbits
SDSU is 11-9 overall and 6-2 in the Summit. The Jackrabbits have won four straight games to climb into second place in the conference.
 
South Dakota State averages 68.4 points per game while allowing 69.7. SDSU is shooting 43.4 from the field and 32.7 from three. Jackrabbit opponents are making 43.8 percent of their shots and 32.5 percent of their three-point attempts.
 
Zeke Mayo does it all for SDSU, leading the team in scoring (16.2 ppg.), rebounding (6.5 rpg), total assists (66) and total steals (20). Matt Dentlinger also scored in double figures for the Jacks, adding 10.5.
 
History:
SDSU has won seven straight against Western Illinois, including a 71-64 win at Frost Arena on Dec. 29. In that contest, SDSU led by 10 at half only for the Leathernecks to come charging back to take a six-point lead. Unfortunately for Western, Mayo was rolling, especially late, fueling a South Dakota State run and finishing with 33 points.
 
WIU Fast Facts:
Western Illinois is the second-highest scoring team in the Summit League, averaging 75 points per game. The Leathernecks are fourth in defense, allowing an average of 71.6 per night. The Leathernecks are third in the conference in shooting percentage, making 46.1 percent while ranking fifth in opponents' shooting (45.1).  WIU leads the conference in three-point shooting defense (30 percent) while ranking ninth in three-point makes (32.2 percent). WIU is fourth in the league in rebound margin at +.6 per game.
 
Trenton Massner is third in the conference, averaging 17.9 per game. Alec Rosner is ninth, averaging 14.4. Jesiah West is seventh in league, averaging 6.5 rebounds per game. Massner ranks third in field goal percentage (44.5) and fourth in three-point percentage (37.3). Rossner is second in three-point percentage (40.0). Massner's 5.2 assists per game leads the conference, while his 1.8 assist to turnover ratio is tied for third. Massner's 1.6 steals per game rank second. West is second in the conference, averaging 1.9 blocks per game.
 
What's next:
After closing out the four-game homestand, Western Illinois hits the road for a pair of games next week. The Leathernecks visit Denver next Thursday at 8 p.m., then take on Omaha in Omaha at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
 
Print Friendly Version

Related Videos

Now Playing:

Related Stories