West Central Reporter

Games 18 & 19 Preview: Welcome Home, Leathernecks

Western Illinois women's basketball returns to Western Hall this week as the Summit League slate continues with Oral Roberts and Kansas City making the trip to Macomb. Games will be streamed on Fighting Leathernecks All-Access and tickets can be purchased here.

GAME 18 INFO:

Who: Western Illinois (6-11, 1-5) vs Oral Roberts (5-11, 2-3)

When: Thursday (Jan. 12) – 6 p.m.

Where: Western Hall – Macomb, Ill.

GAME 19 INFO:

Who: Western Illinois (6-11, 1-5) vs UMKC (5-11, 1-4)

When: Saturday (Jan. 4) – 2 p.m.

Where: Western Hall – Macomb, Ill.

Quick Hitters:

• Oral Roberts leads the all-time series 30-23, dating back to the first matchup on Dec. 1, 1995; the Golden Eagles swept last season's series. Against Kansas City, Western Illinois holds a 29-22 record dating back to the first contest on Nov. 29, 1990. The Roos took both games last season, including a double-overtime game in Macomb.
• Western Illinois has played well at home this season, holding a 5-3 record and splitting the opening series against South Dakota and South Dakota State that was played at Western Hall.
• Elizabeth Lutz's quest for 1,000 continues this week, as the guard from California, Mo., is up to 996 career points.

Scouting the Golden Eagles

Oral Roberts is 5-11 so far this season, winning two of its first five Summit League games and is coming off a 54-65 loss at Kansas City. Led by Hannah Cooper's 19.7 points per game, ORU is the top-scoring offense in the Summit League at 74 points per game while ranking second in free throw percentage at 77.5%. The ORU offense currently boasts four players averaging 10+ per game and is shooting 40.5% from the field.

Scouting the Roos

UMKC is 5-11 this season and coming off its first Summit League victory of the season, defeating Oral Roberts on Saturday. Rain Green scored 20 points while E'Lease Stafford added 18 with seven rebounds, increasing her team-leading scoring average to 17 per game. The Roos have made their money inside the arc this season, ranking last in the Summit League in three point makes (64) and attempts (205). Kansas City will face St. Thomas on Thursday before playing in Macomb on Saturday.  

Cleaning the Glass

Against Omaha on Thursday, Western Illinois won the rebounding battle for the third time this season. The Leathernecks grabbed 39 boards to the Mavericks' 35 and grabbed 10 offensive rebounds to Omaha's eight. Anna Deets grabbed 15 of those rebound while Alissa Dins (five) and Kennedy Flanagan (four) also helped win the rebounding matchup.

McDermott in Double Figures

Mallory McDermott put in quality performances this past weekend, scoring 11 points against Omaha and 13 against Denver. McDermott has scored in double-figures in three of her last four appearances, combining this weekend's games with a 16-point outing against South Dakota State on Dec. 29. The Fairfax, Iowa, native also tied a career-high with six rebounds against Denver.  

Deets With the Rebound

Another Iowa native who had a strong showing against Denver and Omaha was Anna Deets, who averaged 12.5 points and 11 rebounds per game. Against the Mavericks, she scored 16 and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds while shooting 3-7 from the field and 5-7 at the line, before finishing with nine points and seven boards against Denver. Originally from Mason City, Iowa, Deets now holds averages of 10.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game this season.

Take Care of the Ball

Western Illinois ranks among the Summit League's elite at forcing turnovers while simultaneously maintaining possession. The team's 15.3 turnovers per game ranks second-lowest in the league while forcing opponents into 18.9, which is second-most and translates into a turnover margin of 3.65 that ranks as the best in the Summit League. Against Denver, the Leathernecks finished with a season-low five turnovers while forcing 16.

History Beckons

Elizabeth Lutz has been a staple in the program over the last five years, making over 120 appearances and earning Summit League All-Defensive honors after averaging 2.2 steals last season. Offensively, Lutz is close to a huge milestone for any collegiate player: 1,000 career points. Entering this week's games against Omaha and Denver, Lutz is at 996 career points – meaning she's just four away from becoming just the 21st player in program history to score 1,000 points in a Leatherneck uniform.

At the Line

After sinking a combined 31 free throws this past weekend, WIU's run as the top free throw shooting team in the Summit League continues, as the team's 309 makes is 56 more than the next team. At 18.2 per game, Western Illinois ranks second in the nation for free throws made per game, while the 309 makes ranks second to Florida State's 321 and the Leathernecks 414 attempts is fourth behind Arkansas (475), LSU (423) and Florida State (417) while ranking ahead of Florida (386) and UT Arlington (384). 

Original source can be found here