MACOMB, Ill. – A
new member of the 1,000 point club kicked off the three-game homestand
for the Western Illinois women’s basketball (8-9, 2-2) in 79-68 victory
over Purdue Fort Wayne (4-12, 0-3) Thursday (Jan. 9)
“Fort Wayne has been through some adversity just like us,” head coach JD Gravina said.
“This was a battle of two teams that were scrapping for their lives. We
made some good plays down the stretch, some good stops there, and it
was really important when the game got close.”
Olivia Kaufmann accepted
membership into the 1,000 point club with a three-pointer at 9:15 in
the first quarter en route to her third double-double of the season.
“It
feels really good. I’m definitely happy we got the win along with it,
or that would’ve been bittersweet,” said Kaufmann said. “I’ve had a
great time at Western and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my
teammates over the years and the coaching staff. I’m just really blessed
to be where I am. It’s been really fun.”
The
senior guard is the 19th Leatherneck to join the 1,000 point club. She
joins three of her former teammates who have achieved the honor – Morgan Blumer (1,000), Emily Clemens (1,699), and Taylor Higginbotham (1,806). Under Gravina at WIU, this is the sixth player to achieve the milestone.
“Honestly,
they announced it over the speakers and I had no idea that it
happened,” added Kaufmann. “My teammates were talking about it after the
game and I was like ‘What?’ I was just playing basketball, you know.
There really wasn’t a moment to soak it in. I just wanted to win and now
I’m able to enjoy it more with getting the win.”
The Leathernecks and ‘Dons had answers for each other in the league battle, maintaining a one-possession game before Carla Flores drilled
a trey at 5:23 to close out the second quarter on a 15-6 run and give
the Western a 42-33 lead into the half. Flores, who earned his third
career start, dropped 14 points to tie a career-high.
Right out of the gate into the third quarter, the Leatherneck attack continued. Evan Zars slowed
down the PFW comeback with a layup to begin a 12 point run and the
biggest lead of the game (17). She snatched 13 boards for her
team-leading fourth double-double for a 62-48 lead to end the third.
“Evan
was a beast tonight, and that’s the type of player we knew we got when
we got her,” Gravina added. “She was huge for us – 8-of-11 scoring –
and she’s starting to turn the corner, starting to figure out how to get
the ball inside. We want to try to get the easy baskets around the
block area.”
Purdue
Fort Wayne searching for its first Summit League victory climbed back
and made it a three-point game (66-63) late in the fourth. While the
purple and gold scored 46 points in the paint, it was the three-ball
that tamed the Mastodon comeback. Elizabeth Lutz banked in a three followed by lockdown defense held the visitors to five more points to secure the league dub.
Western Illinois concludes the homestand Sunday (Jan. 12) against the Denver Pioneers at 2 p.m.
