Ben Pyle carried the Western Illinois men’s basketball team on his shoulders for a career-high 21 points, as the Leathernecks battled from 18 down on the road at Kansas City Saturday night (Nov. 30).
The sophomore contributed 16 second-half points, and saw his teammate Kobe Webster cash in the biggest basket of the night as he fought for a contested jumper to push the Leathernecks up, 67-66, with eight seconds left. With WIU above the foul limit, the Roos took advantage of a hand call to claim the 68-67 final.
“Our guys are tough. They want to compete. They want to win,” said head coach Billy Wright. “We did a great job here, but just came up a point short.
“We had a couple of options, and the final was to have [Kobe] iso at the top of the key where he’s been very, very effective all year, all his career. He made a tough shot, and obviously if we get one stop, one rebound we win. They went down and hit two free throws to go up by one. It was a back-and-forth game. We just can’t start games like that.”
Pressuring early, the Roos were successful in their opening looks and held a 14-5 advantage at the first media timeout (14:33). The up-tempo offense helped Kansas City to a 27-9 edge a few minutes later, and as it eyed a 20-point lead, the Leathernecks had something else in mind. C.J. Duff swished a 3-pointer from the top of the key, and back-to-back defensive stops led to points on the opposite end of the floor.
The Leathernecks’ 10-4 run kept them in striking distance, and they closed the deficit to 11 (34-23) on a pair of free-throws by Pyle. Western entered the locker room trailing, 39-27, as Duff’s midcourt attempt banked just left of the rim as time expired.
The visitors crept within single digits on Kyle Arrington’s driving layup and didn’t stop until they were within two possessions, 49-43, with 11:49 left. The final seven minutes highlighted the game’s action.
Pyle gave the Leathernecks their first lead, 57-56, on a mid-range jumper in the paint, and the battle ensued.
Zion Young ended the evening with 15 points and six rebounds while Duff added 12 points. Webster finished with eight points, four rebounds, and three steals.
Western concludes its three-game road swing at Evansville. Tip-off is at 6 p.m.
***Report Courtesy of Western Illinois University Altheltics***
