Leatherneck men close out home slate with two this week

Wednesday, February 08, 2023

WIU welcomes KC, ORU to Western Hall

MACOMB – After splitting a pair of games on the road last week, the Western Illinois men's basketball team returns to Western Hall for the final two home games of the regular season.

The Leathernecks close out the home slate on Thursday, hosting Kansas City on Thursday at 6 p.m., and then take on Summit League leader Oral Roberts at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Saturday's game serves as Senior Day for the Leathernecks, who will honor seniors Trenton Massner, Alec Rosner and Vuk Stevanic before the game.

WHO | Kanas City (10-16, 6-6) at Western Illinois (15-9, 8-5)

WHERE | Western Hall, Macomb, Illinois

WHEN | 6 p.m., Thursday

SOCIAL MEDIA | Twitter; Facebook

FOLLOW ALONG | Watch; Listen; Live stats

WHO | Oral Roberts (21-4, 12-0) at Western Illinois (15-9, 8-5)

WHERE | Western Hall, Macomb, Illinois

WHEN | 2 p.m., Saturday

SOCIAL MEDIA | Twitter; Facebook

FOLLOW ALONG | Watch; Listen; Live stats

Last time out:
Western Illinois split its most recent road trip, falling to Denver 74-44 last Thursday before topping Omaha 75-72 on Saturday.

In the Denver game, WIU struggled from the start and could never recover, falling to the Pioneers. Trenton Massner and Quinlan Bennett each scored nine points while Jesiah West had eight points and 11 rebounds.

In the Omaha game, Western Illinois trailed by as many as 12 points before rallying to win. Massner scored 28 in the winning effort while adding nine rebounds. Vuk Stevanic scored 18 points while KJ Lee added 10. Alec Rosner finished with 11 while Jesiah West scored eight and grabbed nine rebounds.

About the Leathernecks:
Western Illinois averages 74 points per game while allowing 71.8 points per game. The Leathernecks are shooting 45.7 from the floor while allowing teams to make 45.7 as well. WIU is shooting 32.1 from three while foes make 30.8. WIU is outrebounding foes 35.2-34.3 this year.

Trenton Massner leads WIU, averaging 18.7 points per game while Alec Rosner adds 13.8. Vuk Stevanic scores 10.6 per game while Jesiah West scores 10.3. Quinlan Bennett chips in with 9.0 points per game. Wests leads the team with 7.1 rebounds per game with Massner averaging 5.7 and Bennett chips in with 5.0.

About the Roos:
The 'Roos come in averaging 66 points per game while allowing 67.4. KC is shooting 39.9 percent from the field and 28.2 from three. Kansas City opponents are making 40.9 percent of their shots and 33.5 from three. KC is 2-8 on the road this season but won their last road game, 75-73 Jan. 21 at North Dakota State.

RayQuawndis Mitchell leads the offense, averaging 18 points per game. Shemarri Allen adds 17.6 while Anderson Kopp scored 13. Allen David Mukemba Jr. is grabbing 7.6 rebounds per contest.

History:
Defense was the name of the game for the Leathernecks in the first meeting against KC. WIU held the Roos to 31.7 percent shooting and 52 points. Massner led the way, scoring 19 points. WIU led by as many as 13 points and were in front for the bulk of the game. Vuk Stevanic added 11 in the victory.

The win snapped WIU's three-game losing streak to the Roos. Kansas City leads the all-time series 29-18.

About the Golden Eagles:
The Golden Eagles have won 12 straight in league play and 18 of their last 19. ORU is 7-4 on the road this season, including 5-0 in the Summit League. Oral Roberts is the lone team in the conference with a winning league record on the road.

The Golden Eagles score 85.2 points per game and allow 70. ORU is shooting 48.4 from the field, 38.1 from three while opponents make 41.2 from the field and 34.4 from three.

Max Abmas leads the way, scoring 22.3 points per game. Connor Vanover adds 13.3 while Issac McBride scored 12.3. Vanover adds 6.9 rebounds per game while swatting a league-high 78 shots.

History:
Oral Roberts leads the all-time series 40-12. The Golden Eagles have won seven of eight against the Leathernecks. In the game earlier this season, it was the Max Abmas show as the All American scored 37 points in ORU's 87-63 win. The senior went 12-16 from the field, 7-10 from three. Stevanic led WIU with 12 points while Massner finished with 11.

WIU Fast Facts:
Western Illinois comes into the weekend alone in third place in the Summit League. The eight conference wins are the most for the program since the 2012-13 season when the Leathernecks went 13-3 in league play. Massner's 21.4 points per game in 13 league games rank third in the Summit League. Jesiah West's 7.9 boards per Summit contest are second as are his 1.8 blocks per league game. Massner is sixth in the league with 6.5 rebounds per game while his 4.7 assists are tops in the conference and his 1.5 steals are third. Massner's 3.2 three pointers per game are fourth in the league while Rosner's 2.2 rate second. Rosner and Massner are one-two in the league in minutes per game. Rosner averages 39.2 with Massner right behind at 38.8.

What's next:
After the final two home games, the Leathernecks hit the road for three road games over the next two weeks. Next Saturday, Western Illinois visits St. Thomas for a 7 p.m. tip. The following week, WIU visits North Dakota on Thursday, then North Dakota State on Saturday.

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