Who | Western Illinois (11-2, 2-0) vs. St. Thomas (4-8, 1-1)
When | Saturday, Jan. 1 — 2 p.m. CT
Where | Macomb, Ill. (Western Hall)
Radio | Leatherneck Sports Network (Will Thomas)
Social Media | Twitter + Instagram + Facebook + #TRADITIONofTOUGH
Quick Hits
- Back in Western Hall to open the New Year, Western Illinois women’s basketball has its sights set to start 2022 on the right foot when St. Thomas comes to town on Saturday (Jan. 1) for a 2p.m. matchup.
- Last week (Dec. 22), WIU made an impressive second half bounce back to grab a 77-70 victory over visiting Omaha.
- Western remains undefeated at home this winter, standing at 8-0.
- The Leathernecks have won six games in a row, its longest streak since the 2016-17 season, when they got on a roll in December.
- Saturday will be the first-ever meeting between the Leathernecks and the Tommies, as St. Thomas joined the Summit League this year after making the jump from NCAA Division III.
- St. Thomas most recently defeated Denver at home, 56-48.
- Danni Nichols has been WIU’s leading scorer in nine of the team’s 13 games this year.
- The Leathernecks were picked seventh in this year’s league preseason poll.
Most Recently … | The ‘tradition of tough’ was on heavy display during Wednesday evening (Dec. 22) by Western Illinois women’s basketball (11-2, 2-0), as the team hosted Omaha for a second Summit League test. Trailing by double-digits in the second half, Western clawed its way to an admirable 77-70 come-from-behind win to stay undefeated on its home floor. Seniors Danni Nichols and Evan Zars played heavy roles in mounting the comeback.
The 8-0 clip in Western Hall is the Leathernecks’ best since the 2016-17 campaign.
Nichols tied her career-high in points (27) on a poised performance that included 13 of 15 free throw makes. The senior added five rebounds. Wednesday was a career night for Alissa Dins, who totaled a new personal best of 11 points. Zars was an all-around standout with 14 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Jada Thorpe chipped in 11 points and three rebounds.
Scattered Scoring | Western is currently the only Summit League member school to have four players averaging 10 or more points per game:
Danni Nichols – 19.0 PPG
Jada Thorpe – 13.0 PPG
Evan Zars – 11.6 PPG
Elizabeth Lutz – 10.5 PPG
Additionally, Zars (.578) and Nichols (.575) are the league’s top two players in field goal percentage, while the former also leads the Summit in rebounds per game (8.5).
From 3! | Continuing its reputation as a team that poses a threat from beyond the arc, WIU again leads the Summit League in three-pointers made (9.5/game) this winter. The Leathernecks are shooting better than 36% from that range, a mark that is second-best in the Summit. Anna Deets has made more triples than any other Leatherneck (26) and has been the most efficient shooter (47%). Her classmate, Mallory McDermott ranks second on the team in three-point percentage (44%).
Numbers Don’t Lie | Fast starts and focused defense by WIU have proven to be key components of the team’s 11 wins thus far. Western is 6-0 whenever holding a lead at halftime, along with being 5-0 whenever holding an opposing team to less than 60 points.
Scouting the Opposition | The Tommies are led by Erin Norling offensively, who ranks as a top-10 league scorer (13.5 PPG) and is shooting over 35% from three-point range. The 5’11” forward also averages 4.4 RPG. Jade Hill has been a standout in her first collegiate season thus far (11.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and team-highs of 2.4 APG, 1.7 SPG, and 33.8 MPG). St. Thomas keeps its attention on the glass with 34.6 team rebounds per outing. Under head coach Ruth Sinn’s guidance, the Tommies averaged 23 wins per season in 15 campaigns at the Division III era before stepping into Division I this year.
What’s Next? | WIU hits the road mid-week to visit Kansas City (Jan. 6) and Oral Roberts (Jan. 8) for week three of league play.
***Report Courtesy of Western Illinois University***
