West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University's men's basketball team faced a tough challenge against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) on Thursday night. The Leathernecks were defeated with a final score of 77-66 at First Community Arena in Edwardsville, Illinois. Despite a strong effort in the second half, Western Illinois could not overcome an early deficit, resulting in their record falling to 7-7 overall and 1-2 in Ohio Valley Conference play.

Marko Maletic led the game with 28 points, including six three-pointers from eight attempts. His performance kept the Leathernecks competitive throughout the match, particularly during the second half. Although they trailed by as many as 19 points, Western Illinois managed to reduce SIUE's lead to six with just under five minutes remaining but failed to secure crucial stops late in the game. Ryan Myers contributed 17 points for Western Illinois, making three shots from beyond the arc and adding four assists and two steals. Sean Smith also played a significant role with 13 points, eight rebounds, and leading his team with four steals. Overall, Western Illinois shot 43.6% from the field and 43.5% from three-point range, hitting 10 out of their 23 attempts. Their resilience was evident as they outscored SIUE 36-35 in the second half and forced SIUE into committing ten turnovers which were converted into fifteen points.

However, Western Illinois struggled inside the paint, scoring only twelve points compared to SIUE's thirty-six. Their bench players added just eight points while allowing SIUE to shoot sixty percent from the field. Rodrick Payne had his best performance of the season for Western Illinois with six points and five rebounds in twenty minutes off the bench while making all four of his free throw attempts.

Looking ahead, Western Illinois aims to recover as they prepare for their next conference game against Eastern Illinois on Saturday at 3:30 p.m., which will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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