Games 25 & 26 Preview: One Final Road Trip
Western Illinois women's basketball hits the road for its final regular season road trip this week, facing Kansas City on Thursday (Feb. 9, 7 p.m.) and Oral Roberts on Saturday (Feb. 11, 2 p.m.). Games are streaming on each school's athletics website and live game updates will be provided at @WIUWBB on Twitter.
GAME 25 INFO:
Who: Western Illinois (8-16, 3-10) at Kansas City (7-16, 3-9)
When: Thursday (Feb. 7) – 7 p.m.
Where: Swinney Center – Kansas City, Mo.
GAME 26 INFO:
Who: Western Illinois (8-16, 3-10) at Oral Roberts (11-12, 8-4)
When: Saturday (Feb. 11) – 2 p.m.
Where: Mabee Center – Tulsa, Okla.
SOCIAL MEDIA: @WIUWBB (Twitter + Instagram + Facebook)
Quick Hitters:
- Western Illinois leads the all-time series against Kansas City, 30-22, and avenged last season's losses with a victory at Western Hall earlier this season, defeating the Roos 78-68 on Jan. 15. Anna Deets made it rain from deep, connecting on six triples on her way to 35 points and a TicketSmarter Summit League Women's Basketball Peak Performer of the Week award.
- Against Oral Roberts, Western holds a 23-31 record and fell in the previous matchup but scored a season-high 90 points. Jada Thorpe scored a career-high 28 points and made 10 shots at the line while Anna Deets (24 points, 11 rebounds) and Addi Brownfield (14 points) also finished in double-figures.
- WIU had five players finish with double-figure scoring totals in both games last weekend, as Mallory McDermott (18 vs Denver, 16 vs Omaha), Elizabeth Lutz (16 vs Omaha), Addi Brownfield (14 vs Denver), Carla Flores (12 vs Denver) and Anna Deets (10 vs Omaha) led the Leatherneck offense.
Scouting the Roos
Kansas City is 7-16 this season and coming off a road loss at Oral Roberts on Saturday, falling 86-68. Manna Mensah found her groove offensively against the Golden Eagles as she poured in a career-high 32 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while Tamia Ugass finished with 18 points and a career-high 20 rebounds. Mensah is one of four Roos to average 10-plus points per game with Sanaa' St. Andre (16.3), E'Lease Stafford (16.0), Mnesah (12.3) and Rain Green (10.7) carrying the load offensively.
Scouting the Golden Eagles
Currently in the midst of a five-game winning streak, Oral Roberts was victorious in its lone game last weekend, defeating Kansas City 86-68. Fueled by a combined 48 points from Hannah Cooper and Ruthie Udoumoh, ORU shot nearly 50% from the field and forced 24 Roo turnovers. At 20.5 per game, Cooper's scoring average leads all Summit League scorers while Tirzah Moore's 11.2 rebounds per game is also the top mark in the league. ORU hosts St. Thomas on Thursday before matching up with Western on Saturday.
Double-Digits
Mallory McDermott had a huge weekend off the Leatherneck bench, going for 18 points against Denver (7-11 FG, 4-7 3PT) before adding 13 points (4-9 FG, 4-5 FT), two rebounds and one steal against Omaha. The scoring efforts bring the Fairfax, Iowa, native up to eight games with double-figure scoring this season and the effort from deep increased her season total to 29 made triples in 24 appearances, which is third-best on the team.
"I thought Mal played really well," head coach JD Gravina said after the 18-point performance against Denver. "She stepped up and that's encouraging because we can really use her. She's a kid that can put the ball in the basket and obviously we need that."
Move the Ball
Western Illinois recorded 27 assists on 42 made baskets over the weekend, meaning 64% of the Leatherneck makes came on assists. Against Denver on Thursday, WIU recorded 15 assists which is the fourth-highest total for a single game this season, and improved Western's season average to 11.5 per game.
Veteran Leadership
Carla Flores and Elizabeth Lutz have each been Leathernecks for five seasons and each came up with big performances over the weekend. Flores started it off by playing a season-high 33 minutes and finishing with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal against Denver, and hit several key shots down the stretch of the game. Lutz followed up Flores' effort with 16 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals in 33 minutes against Omaha on Saturday, making a season-high four triples – three of which came during the third quarter alone.
Dins Gets it Done
Alissa Dins has provided a steady presence in the Leatherneck this paint this season and currently ranks among the Summit League's best rebounders. Currently the fifth-best rebounder at 6.9 per game, Dins' 2.4 offensive boards per game is fourth-best among Summit League players while blocking an average of 1.2 shots – also the fifth-best mark in the league. In her first season as the team's starting center, Dins leads the team in minutes played (635) and average playing time (26.5 minutes per game).
Crash the (Offensive) Glass
Against Denver, Western Illinois grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, tying for fifth-most in a single game this season. Addi Brownfield's four offensive boards led the team while Alissa Dins, Kennedy Flanagan and Allie Meadows each finished with two.
Pesky Defense
Western's ability to pressure teams on the perimeter has been important this season, and the Leathernecks' efforts have shown up in the box scores, as the team currently leads the Summit League with an average of 9.38 steals per game; no defense in the league has generated more turnovers per game than Western Illinois' 18.6, while opponents are shooting 40.6% against WIU – which is third-best in the Summit League.
Make Your Free Throws
Western Illinois leads the Summit League with 408 made free throws this season and ranks second in total attempts (545), good for a 74.9% that ranks fourth in the league. Anna Deets (95) and Jada Thorpe (89) rank fourth and fifth, respectively, for individual makes at the line while both converting at career-best marks; Deets' 82.6% is seventh-best among Summit League players while Thorpe's 74.2% is 12th-best.
Up Next
Western Illinois will finish the regular season with a three-game homestand, starting next Saturday (Feb. 18) with a lone contest against St. Thomas. Tip off against the Tommies is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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