Skip To Main Content

Upcoming Events and Recent Results

Western Illinois University Athletics

-
Rachael Keating

Leathernecks Stomp Bees in Home Opener

| By: WIU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Western took home a 94-59 victory against St. Ambrose on Sunday afternoon

Box Score MACOMB--Western Illinois Men's Basketball played its first game in Western Hall in the 2023-24 season on Sunday afternoon. The Leathernecks led wire-to-wire as they took on the Fighting Bees of St. Ambrose, in a matchup that saw WIU pick up its first win of the year, in dominating fashion. 

Western scored a season-high 94 points and five different players finished the game with double digit points, those players being James Dent Jr. (17 points), Ryan Myers (13 points), De'Meiko Anderson (11 points), Quinlan Bennett (10 points), and JJ Kalakon (10 points). Kalakon, a Senior in his second year at Western, tied his career high in scoring, and his two blocks and two steals also marked career highs the Senior from Louisville, Kentucky, as he helped lead the Leathernecks to a 94-59 victory. When asked about his stat-sheet stuffing performance, JJ said post-game that "That's what I bring to the table." JJ also spoke about the intensity of practice under Coach Boudreau and how it's helped prepare them, saying "Us older guys know what's at stake (in practice) and bringing the fire consistently, everyday, makes all of us better."

After the Bees tied the game at 5 three minutes in, the Leathernecks would take a 7-5 lead that they would never relinquish. James Dent Jr. came in after the first media break and immediately got two buckets. He would finish with five total made threes on the day, totaling 17 points. Western would enter halftime with a 41-21 lead, and kept their foot on the gas in the second half as they closed out a 35 point victory. 

Head Coach Chad Boudreau had high praise of St. Ambrose, and talked about his relationship with the Bees' head coach, Ray Shovlain. "Ray's been at St. Ambrose for a long time, and I've known him for awhile. He does a really good job and they have a good team that can shoot the ball well." Boudreau also talked about how the Leathernecks' size and depth will be impactful throughout the season, as he said "We have the ability to rebound, and to block shots, and this is the best group we've had here in terms of being able to control the game defensively." 

Up next, the Leathernecks will take on Southern University on Friday, November 17, at 7PM in Macomb. 
Print Friendly Version

Related Videos

Now Playing:

Related Stories