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Women's Basketball Faces Omaha In Semifinal Matchup

March 6, 2017

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No. 1 Western Illinois battles No. 5 Omaha in semifinal round of Summit League Championships.

By WIU Athletic Communications

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- No. 1 seed Western Illinois battles No. 5 Omaha in a semifinal matchup Monday (March 6) at noon. Both teams were victorious in their respective quarterfinal rounds, as the Leathernecks cruised past Denver 82-39, while the Mavericks defeated South Dakota 64-58. This will be the third meeting this season between the two teams.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS:
(Jan. 11) Western Illinois overcame a 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Omaha 78-74 on the road. The Leathernecks trailed by as many as 15 points in the game before completing the comeback for their fourth Summit League win of the season. Clemens led the way with 23 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals. She shot 7-of-14 (50 percent) from the field and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Blumer followed with 19 points and six rebounds, followed by Higginbotham (13 points) and Braun (11 points). Omaha was led by Michaela Dapprich's team-high 20 points and Mikaela Shaw's double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds. Remy Davenport finished second on the team in scoring, with 19 points and five 3-pointers.

(Feb. 4) Western Illinois was able to complete the regular season sweep of Omaha with an 80-63 win inside Western Hall. Emily Clemens proved to be effective from all aspects of the floor, totaling 20 points, eight assists (with just two turnovers), seven rebounds and six steals in the win while playing all 40 minutes. Along with Clemens, Higginbotham was the other Leatherneck who topped the 20-point mark, scoring a game-high 23 to go with eight rebounds. Blumer chipped in 13 points and three steals, while Braun was just shy of a double-double with eight points and eight rebounds to go with five assists. Hanneman finished with nine points and four rebounds. Michaela Dapprich paced Omaha with a team-high 17 points, seven rebounds and five steals. Ellie Brecht had 14 points, followed by Mikaela Shaw with 10 points and six rebounds.

A LOOK AT YOUR LEATHERNECKS:
Western Illinois' win over Denver in The Summit League Championship Quarterfinal resulted in a record 24 wins for the Leatherneck women's basketball program. Western also set a new Summit League Tournament record with 15 made 3-pointers. The Purple and Gold also set a new season low of allowing the fewest points by a Division I opponent this season (39). The Leathernecks also saw five in double figures: Emily Clemens (17), Morgan Blumer (15), Taylor Hanneman (11), Mallory Boyle (10) and Olivia Braun (10). Clemens also had nine assists, which ties her for fifth all-time in Summit League Tournament history for assists in a single game. Her 214 assists this season also set a new program record, and rank third all-time in Summit League history for a single season. Clemens is 19 assists away from setting the new Summit League record for assists in a season. Braun also recorded her first-career double-double with 10 points and 10 boards.

TOURNAMENT NOTES:
Following the win over Denver in the quarterfinal round of The Summit League Championships, the Leathernecks did the following:
-24 wins set a new program record for total wins in a season…
-15 made 3-pointers set a new Summit League Championship single-game Tournament record…
-First Summit League Championship opening round victory for the Leathernecks since 2012…
-39 points scored by Denver are the fewest points allowed by Western Illinois this season from a Division I opponent... previous season lows happened twice: against Illinois State (Dec. 20) and at Chicago State (Dec. 17) with 50 points allowed... also held the Pioneers to two points in the first quarter, the lowest quarter point total in Summit League Tournament history…
-Last time Western had five score in double-figures was Dec. 28 against Fort Wayne… fourth time this season…
-The Leathernecks are now 2-0 when playing on the opening day of The Summit League Championships… 11-0 when scoring at least 80 points in a game…

SERIES HISTORY VS. OMAHA:
With the win over South Dakota, the Mavericks are now 16-14 overall. Western Illinois owns the all-time series 8-4, sweeping Omaha during the regular season. The Leathernecks have won the last three meetings and six of the last eight.

RADIO/AUDIO:
Fans can hear Danny Frey call all of the women's basketball games throughout the area on the Leatherneck Sports Network. Flagship: 94.3 FM WRMS (Beardstown) Affiliates: 102.7 FM WJEQ (Macomb) | 106.7 FM WPWQ (Quincy) | 107.5 FM KWBZ (Quincy).

WATCH: http://www.espn.com/watchespn/

LIVE STATS: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=163221

Posted By: WIU Athletics (SID@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing