Who: Western Illinois vs St. Thomas | Omaha
Where: Macomb, IL (Western Hall)
When: Saturday (December 2) | Tuesday (December 5)
Social Media: @WIUWBB (Twitter + Instagram + Facebook)

300 Wins
Head Coach JD Gravina hit a milestone mark in Western Illinois' win against Chicago State. Gravina took home win number 300 in his career and currently sits just seven wins away from becoming the winningest coach in Western Illinois Women's Basketball history.

Off To a Hot Start
Western Illinois is off to a hot start to begin the 2023-24 campaign. The Leathernecks are posting a 6-1 record for the second time in the last three years. WIU has had a 6-1 or better record through the first six games of play just three times under Coach JD Gravina. WIU started the 2021-22 season with an 11-2 record.

Rising Freshmen
Raegan McCowan has been leading the Leathernecks all season long. Named as the OVC Freshmen of the Week twice already this season, McCowan is averaging 14.7 and 6.7 rebounds for WIU.

Newcomer Success
Jasmine Nichols has provided depth for Western Illinois this season. The junior earned OVC Newcomer of the Week on November 20. Nichols averaged 20 points and six rebounds over that week. Against Stephens College, Nichols had her second double-digit scoring game with 12 points.

Crashing the Glass
The Western Illinois squad has outrebounded its opponents by 310-226. The Leathernecks hold a 12.0 rebound differential. Western Illinois is cleaning up the offensive glass, outrebounding opponents 92-62 on that side of the ball.

Starting Strong, Finishing Stronger
Western Illinois has started the first quarter on fire as they have outscored their opponents 139-77. The Leathernecks have outscored their opponents in all the other three quarters but have dominated the 4th quarter, outscoring opponents 135-107.

Three is more than two
The Leathernecks are always dangerous from behind 22 feet. Last season, the Leathernecks made 220 three-pointers, shooting over 28% as a team. Deets led the way with 49, McDermott had 36, and Brownfield knocked down 22.

Western Illinois has knocked down 60 three-pointers, averaging 8.5 a game this season.

Double Figures
Western Illinois has three players who all average in double-digit scoring. Raegan McCowan leads the way with 14.7 ppg, Anna Deets averages 14.7 ppg, and Mallory McDermott averages 11.7 ppg.

OVC Rankings
Western Illinois ranks number one in the OVC in points scored at 80.1 and points allowed at 56.1. The Leathernecks are also number one in team field goal percentage (46.7%), Opponent field goal percentage (34.6%), 3-point field goal percentage (38.7), Opponent 3-point field goal percentage (23.7), Rebounds (44.3), Team defensive rebounds (31.1), and Assist-turnover ratio (1.09)

Scouting St. Thomas
St. Thomas heads to Western Hall coming off an 85-44 loss at home to Iowa State. The Tommies have succeeded inside Western Hall as they are 2-0 and lead the all-time series 3-2, knocking WIU out of the Summit League Tournament last year.

St. Thomas relies on the guard play of Jade Hill. Hill joined the 800/100 club this season, becoming the first Tommie to score 800 points and tally 100 steals in their D1 era. 

Scouting Omaha
Omaha returns to Western Hall with a 2-5 record following a 95-89 loss to the University of Illinois-Chicago on Saturday. Grace Cave leads the Mavericks offense, scoring 10 points a game. WIU and Omaha squared up twice last season, with the Mavericks taking both. WIU leads the all-time series 18-8.