MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois women's basketball team returns from Thanksgiving break to host North Dakota Saturday (Nov. 29) afternoon. Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m. inside Western Hall. The game is part of a double-header with the men's basketball team as they host Greenville following the women's game. Western Illinois is 3-2 on the season while North Dakota heads to Macomb with a 4-1 record. BROADCAST INFORMATION: Live Video: Leatherneck All-Access Live Radio: Leatherneck Sports Network (94.3 FM or wrmsfm.com) Live Stats: goleathernecks.com SCOUTING NORTH DAKOTA: North Dakota is 4-1 on the season and winners of four straight games. Last time out they defeated fellow Summit League opponent Omaha, 72-52, on the road. The offense is led by Mia Loyd and Emily Evers, as they average 12.4 and 12.2 points per game, respectively. Evers has three double-doubles on the season, tied for the second most in the country, while Loyd has recorded two. North Dakota ranks first in the Big Sky Conference in field-goal percentage (44.2) while ranking second in assists/game (17.2), blocked shots/game (5.0), and rebound margin (+9.6). The team is led by third-year head coach Travis Brewster. SERIES HISTORY: This is the first ever meeting between Western Illinois and North Dakota. LAST TIME OUT: Western Illinois improved to 3-2 on the season with a 71-48 victory over UMKC on Tuesday (Nov. 25). Four Leathernecks scored in double-figures as a program record 1,443 fans packed Western Hall. The attendance record was aided by over 1,000 grade schoolers who were there as part of the first ever 'Elementary Day'. On the court Tori Niemann, Ashley Luke, and Sophie Reichelt spurred an 11-0 run in the first half that gave Western a lead they would never relinquish. Western put the game out of reach in the first 5:30 of the second half, using a 14-2 run to pull away from the 'Roos. The Leathernecks led by 20 or more over the final 8 minutes of the game and closed out the 71-48 decision. LUKE JOINS 1,000 POINT CLUB: Junior Ashley Luke entered Leatherneck history during Western Illinois' contest against Florida Atlantic on Nov. 24, as she became just the 14th player in program history to record 1,000 career points. Luke becomes the first Leatherneck to join the club since Zane Teilane, who was a member of Western Illinois from 2003-2006. NO REST FOR THE LEATHERNECKS: Western Illinois hit the ground running to start the season, as they opened the year playing five games in the first 11 days. The five-game stretch included road trips to Missouri, Chicago State, and Florida Atlantic. ROSTER DEPTH: Head coach JD Gravina has showcased the deep roster that he has at his disposal this season. Four games have seen 13 players record minutes, while one game has had 12 Leathernecks check in. Nine different players are averaging over 10 minutes a game for the Purple and Gold. UMKC DRAWS RECORD CROWD: Western Illinois' first ever 'Elementary Day' was a success on and off the court, with over 1,000 students in attendance as the Leathernecks hosted UMKC on November 25. With the aid of the students, the game drew 1,443 fans inside Western Hall, a new women's basketball attendance record. LEATHERNECKS GARNER PRESEASON RECOGNITION: Junior forward Ashley Luke and junior guard Michelle Maher each collected preseason accolades in The Summit League annual preseason voting. Luke was named the league's 'Preseason Player of the Year' while also being named a Fourth Team All Mid-Major selection by collegesportsmadness.com. ESPNW also named Luke as one of the top-10 mid-major players to watch this upcoming season. Maher was tabbed Summit League Preseason Second Team. The Leathernecks were slated to finish fourth this season according to the poll. The fourth place projection is the highest mark for the Leatherneck program since the 2006-07 season when the Purple and Gold were picked to finish fourth as well. STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: The Leathernecks are the top team in The Summit League in eight different statistical categories, leading the league in assist to turnover ratio (1.23), assists per game (17.2), steals per game (11.6) scoring offense (78.0), turnover margin (+4.6), scoring margin (+13.2), and scoring defense (64.8). Individually, Ashley Luke leads the league in field goal percentage (57.1) and steals per game (2.4). Luke's 26 career double doubles are the 12th most among active Division I players. Michelle Maher has the best assist to turnover ratio, averaging two assists for ever turnover. BY THE NUMBERS: In head coach JD Gravina's tenure, the Leathernecks are 33-14 when scoring at least 70 points. When scoring 69-or-fewer points, Western is 10-39 over the same timespan. The Leathernecks also know how to close out a late lead, as they are 35-5 under Gravina when leading with five minutes remaining. VETERAN RETURNERS: The Leathernecks return a veteran lineup to the court in 2014-15. Western Illinois brings back 82.6% of its scoring from a year ago, and seven players return who played in all 30 games. Three of those seven players, Ashley Luke, Michelle Maher and Tori Niemann, started in all 30 games for the Purple and Gold. This season, Luke, Maher, and Niemann have each started every game for Western. RECORD BREAKERS: The Leathernecks broke seven program records a season ago, with junior Ashley Luke single-handedly breaking five program records. Luke set the top mark in points scored (623), scoring average (20.8), field goals made (223), free throws made (177) and free throws attempted (255). As a team, the Fighting Leathernecks set program records in points scored (2,392) and field goals made (846). IMPROVEMENT UNDER GRAVINA: In his three years at the helm of the Leatherneck basketball program, head coach JD Gravina has recorded more wins (26) in his first two years at Western Illinois than any other coach in program history, while his 40 wins in his first three years ranks second all-time for most wins over the first three years (Leslie Crane, 41, 1998-00). Gravina has also produced three All-Summit League selections as well as two 'Newcomers of the Year'. LUKE LANDS LINCOLN LAUREATE: It was announced on Oct. 29 that junior forward Ashley Luke (Oak Creek, Wisconsin) had been named the Western Illinois University recipient of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois' Student Laureate Award for 2014. The award, presented annually to an outstanding senior of each of Illinois' four-year degree-granting institutions, honors a student's overall academic excellence and extracurricular activities. Luke, a senior political science and journalism double major, will also be named the College Scholar for the WIU College of Arts and Sciences this semester and plans to pursue a master's degree in economics from Western. ROSTER ADDITIONS: The team welcomes five new members to the program this season. Jenna Mueller has been added to the program as a graduate school transfer and will be immediately eligible for Western Illinois after appearing in 85 career games for Saint Louis University. Junior Krystal Corhn will also be immediately eligible to play this season after transferring from Highland Community College. Sophomore Taylor McClintock joins the Western family after spending her freshman year at Mercer and will redshirt this upcoming season to meet NCAA transfer requirements. The program added two freshmen to the roster in Emily Clemens and Tayler Miller. Clemens, a native of Muscatine, Iowa, was a two-time All-State honoree, earning First Team honors her senior year. As a senior, Clemens was also named the 'Conference Player of the Year'. Miller hails from St. Louis, Missouri where she concluded her high school career as the program's all-time leading scorer and rebounder. SUCCESS IN THE CLASSROOM: Western Illinois excelled in the classroom this past season, posting the fifth-highest GPA among Division I women's basketball programs. The Leathernecks recorded a cumulative team GPA of 3.607, highest among all programs in The Summit League. Five current members of the team were named to The Summit League Academic Honor in 2013-14, posting a minimum 3.0 grade point average. Of the five, three earned the Distinguished Scholar award: Ashley Luke, Tori Niemann and Liz Skotowski. During the Spring 2014 semester Michelle Farrow, Luke, and Niemann earned a 4.0 GPA. BASKETBALL INKS ONE FOR 2015: Head coach JD Gravina announced that Taylor Higginbotham (Germantown, Wis., Germantown) has signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Western Illinois women's basketball program in 2015. Higginbotham, a 5-10 guard, averaged 13.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.7 steals per game last season for the Warhawks. Higginbotham is also a member of the Wisconsin Lakers AAU team which produced current Leathernecks Ashley Luke, Faith Lois, and Michelle Farrow. SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN: The Leathernecks will compete in a total of 29 regular season games as well as one exhibition game in 2014-15. Western will play 14 regular season games at home in Western Hall and will hit the road for 15 contests. The Leathernecks have a schedule that includes marquee match-ups against teams from the SEC (Missouri), Big East (Marquette), Conference USA (Florida Atlantic), and Horizon League (UIC). LEROY A. UFKES COURT: Western Hall, home of the men's and women's basketball programs, received a new court this offseason thanks to a donation from the family of a Western Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame member. LeRoy A. Ufkes Court is named after the 1996 Hall of Fame inductee, a supporter of the WIU Athletic Department for over 25 years. The new look is thanks to a donation from Joan Ufkes and the late LeRoy Ufkes. WHAT IS A LEATHERNECK?: Western Illinois holds the distinction of being the only non-military institution to officially have its nickname derived from a branch of the military service. The school began use of the Marine Corps' official nickname, "The Fighting Leathernecks", in 1927 when then-athletic director and head baseball, basketball and football coach Ray "Rock" Hanson was granted permission by the U.S. Navy, based on his status as a Marine hero, to use the Marine's official seal, bulldog mascot and nickname. | 