Leathernecks Win at Home

By Press release submission

Dec 6, 2022

Western Illinois women's basketball played Saturday afternoon (Dec. 3), defeating the Eureka College Red Devils 86-54 at Western Hall. Three players scored in double-figures while the team grabbed a season-high 58 rebounds, earning the second win of the 2022-23 season.

"We were trying a bunch of different things, trying to rotate some people in and let them play with new lineups," head coach JD Gravina said. "It wasn't just about getting everyone in but getting them good, quality minutes where they can get into the flow of the game… You hope to build a little confidence, but everyone got an opportunity, we got the win, and hopefully we can build that into something."

After trading buckets early and holding a six-point advantage after the first quarter, Western utilized a 15-3 run through the early part of the second quarter to build a 16-point lead with 6:25 to go in the second period of play. Eureka found some offense down the stretch, but Western led 43-29 at the halftime whistle.

The Leatherneck defense came up big in the second half of play, holding Eureka's offense to just 7-30 shooting in the second half while continuing to find buckets on the offensive end. Allie Meadows came up with an and-one on the first possession of the fourth quarter as Western outscored the Red Devils 21-10 in the final period of play on the way to an 86-54 victory.

Lily Randgaard's 12 points led the team in that category, as the Oconomowoc, Wis., native shot 5-7 from the floor and 1-2 from deep in a career-best 19 minutes of action. Zareia Chevre's strong run of scoring continued with 11 points, also finishing with five rebounds and two assists. Chevre scored a career-high 15 in the team's last game against Tarleton State and has finished with double-figure scoring in three-straight games.

"I'm definitely finding a groove offensively. It's my first year at Western and I'm really finding my rhythm with everybody and building that chemistry," Chevre said. "I'm so excited to be here, so excited to play with these girls this season and for this coaching staff. I love it here."

Jada Thorpe scored 11 points while Meadows finished with nine points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals in a team-leading 21 minutes of action. One game after setting a new career-best mark for blocks (three), Kennedy Flanagan set a new career high with two steals, also scoring eight points and grabbing six rebounds. Mallory McDermott finished with eight points and five rebounds, and Addi Brownfield scored nine while Alissa Dins tied a career-high with 12 rebounds.

Each of the 12 Leathernecks to appear in the game played at least 13 minutes, with Randgaard, Meadows and Madison Allen setting or tying season-best marks for playing time.

"It was our first home win, which is huge, and we had a good crowd come out," Randgaard said. "We have such a deep bench and anybody can do anything. It really depends every game with who's on… we're ready to prove what we've got."

As a team Western Illinois controlled the glass, grabbing a season-high 58 rebounds – including 22 on the offensive end. The team outscored Eureka 44-12 in the paint and recorded 17 steals while forcing 26 Red Devil turnovers, converting those takeaways into 33 points. The team was bolstered by 58 bench points while scoring 22 fast break points and hitting 22 shots at the line.

Western is back in action this coming Wednesday (Dec. 7), facing SEMO. Tip off in Cape Girardeau, Mo., is scheduled for 5 p.m.