MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois women's basketball team concludes a two-game homestand on Tuesday, November 24, as the Leathernecks play host to Southeast Missouri State. Tuesday's tip-off is set for 11 a.m. for the second-annual 'Elementary Day', as over 1,000 students are expected inside Western Hall to cheer on the Purple and Gold. The game is free to all in attendance. WIU and SEMO are both off to strong starts this year, as both teams enter the Tuesday showdown with 3-1 records.

BROADCAST INFORMATION: 
Video: Leatherneck All-Access (online at GoLeathernecks.com/watch - subscription required)
Radio: 94.3 WRMS FM (online at wrmsfm.com)
Live Stats: GoLeathernecks.com

SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS: Southeast Missouri State heads to Macomb with a 3-1 victory and a three-game winning streak. After falling to Saint Louis to open the season, the Redhawks have collected wins over Harris-Stowe, Alamaba A&M, and Kansas City. Olivia Hackmann leads the way with 17 points per game while Erin Bollmann hauls in a team-best 8.8 rebounds per game. The Redhawks are led by first year head coach Rekha Patterson. 

SERIES HISTORY: Western Illinois and Southeast Missouri State have met eight times previously, with both schools winning four contests. The Leathernecks have taken the last two meetings in the series, a 79-58 victory at home in 2013 and a 79-62 victory on the road last year at SEMO's 'Elementary Day'. Michelle Farrow was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc while Michelle Maher added 10 points for the Purple and Gold.

LAST TIME OUT: The Western Illinois women's basketball team record-tying 17 made 3-pointers led the way Saturday (Nov. 21) evening, as the Leathernecks cruised past Chicago State, 88-50. Freshman Taylor Higginbotham notched her second 20-point game of the season for Western Illinois (3-1), as the team never trailed against Chicago State (0-3). Coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss to No. 23 Iowa just two days prior, the Purple and Gold struggled at the outset. Layne Murphy drove in the lane for an easy layup to cut the WIU lead to just a single point at 11-10 with 3:30 left in the opening quarter, forcing a timeout by JD Gravina. The team responded with a 14-2 run, which spanned the final 2:50 of the first period and opening 1:06 of the second quarter. WIU's run was sparked by a pair of Taylors, as Higginbotham and Taylor McClintock each connected on a pair of triples from beyond the arc. McClintock wounld end the night with a season-high 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting and 4-of-7 from long distance. Leading by a 37-22 margin at halftime, Western Illinois opened the doors wide open in the third quarter behind a 23-2 Leatherneck run over 4:54 of game time. Five different players scored for the Purple and Gold during the run as the team connected on five triples (seven in the quarter). The team would close out the evening by outscoring the Cougars 20-12 in the final frame for the 38-point victory.

1,000-POINT CLUB: In Western Illinois' 78-74 victory over SIU-Edwardsville, senior Michelle Maher became the 15th 1,000-point scorer in program history when she connected on a 3-pointer with 5:08 remaining in the first quarter. Maher currently sits in 14th place on the all-time scoring list with 1,014 career points.

NEWCOMERS SHINE IN DEBUT: In Western Illinois' season opener against Central Methodist, three Leathernecks made their Purple and Gold debut. Freshman Taylor Higginbotham came off the bench to shine, as she led all scorers with 25 points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc and 9-of-12 shooting from the field. After sitting out last year due to NCAA transfer rules, sophomore Taylor McClintock stepped onto the court for the first time against Central Methodist, finishing with 10 points in 20 minutes of action. Junior Jasmine Patrick transferred to Western following two seasons at Grossmont College, and she made an impact with 10 points and matching the game-high in rebounds with nine. Higginbotham leads all Leathernecks this season, averaging 19.3 points per game and has scored in double figures in all four contests.

MAHER EARNS PRESEASON RECOGNITION: Senior guard Michelle Maher earned preseason accolades leading up to the start of the season, as she was named Preseason Second Team All-Summit League. Maher enters her final season in the Purple and Gold as Western's all-time leader in three-point field goals. As a junior, Maher led the team in assists (122) and minutes per game (30.5). A three-year starter for Western, Maher ranks eighth in program history in career assists with 337.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: As a team, the Leathernecks lead The Summit League in six different categories, as Western Illinois is tops in assist/turnover ratio (1.53), assists per game (18.8), scoring margin (+22.3), scoring offense (88.8), 3-point field goals per game (13.5), and turnover margin (+9.5). Western ranks second nationally with 13.5 made triples per game 11th in DI with a plus 9.5 turnover margin. 

IMPROVEMENT UNDER GRAVINA: In his first four years at the helm of the women's basketball program, head coach JD Gravina has been on of the most successful coaches in program history, as his 57 career wins in four seasons at Western are tied for the most of any coach over their first three seasons in charge. Now in his fifth season, Gravina sits in in a tie for third place for career wins. Gravina's 2014-15 squad ended the season with a 10-4 mark inside Western Hall, which ranked as tied for the second-most home victories since the 2004-05 team posted a perfect 12-0 mark at home.

LEATHERNECKS INK TWO: Head coach JD Gravina announced the signing of guards Sam Pryor and Andi Pierce on Thursday, November 12. Pryor and Pierce, who will both wrap up their prep careers this spring, will join the Leatherneck family in the fall of 2016. Pryor, a 6'0" guard, is a native of Elgin, Illinois. A member of Burlington Central High School, Pryor was an All-Conference selection as a junior and an All-Area honoree the past three seasons. As a sophomore, Pryor was named Second Team AP All-State, and Third Team IBCA All-State. As a junior, she repeated as a Second Team AP All-State selection, while also being named to the IBCA Second Team All-State team. Pierce, a 5'11" guard, is a native of Garber, Oklahoma. As a junior for Garber High School, Pierce averaged 23.4 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per contest for the Wolverines. Pierce shot 48 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc. Pierce also made a team-high 50 3-pointers, while also leading the team in steals and assists.

ROSTER ADDITIONS: The Leathernecks welcome four new members to the roster for the 2014-15 season. Junior Jasmine Patrick joins the team following two seasons at Grossmont College (Calif). A five-year active member of the U.S. Navy, Patrick will be immediately eligible. Juniors Olivia Braun (Toledo) and Morgan Blumer (Florida Gulf Coast) transfer into the program with two years of eligibility remaining, and will sit out the entire 2015-16 season to fulfill NCAA transfer requirements. Western signed one player to a National Letter of Intent in freshman Taylor Higginbotham. Higginbotham, a native of Germantown, Wisconsin, went 51-8 last year with the Wisconsin Lakers AAU 'White' Team. She led the team in three-point field goals her last two seasons with the Lakers and was a four-time USJN All-Pool selection.

STAFF ADDITIONS: Head coach JD Gravina announced prior to the start of the 2015-16 season the Sydney Crafton had been added to the staff as an assistant coach. Crafton, a four-year standout at Missouri, was a college teammate of former Leatherneck Tori Niemann. She appeared in 96 career games, making 63 starts, and started in 27 of Mizzou's 30 games her senior season. A captain her final season in Columbia, Crafton led the team in field goal percentage (53.4) while finishing third on the team in scoring (9.6 ppg) and rebounding (5.3 rpg).

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.