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Western Illinois returns to No. 8 UCLA Tuesday

January 10, 2008 on 8:30 pm | In Athletics |

MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois returns to Pauley Pavilion Tuesday for its last road game of the month, facing a UCLA team currently ranked eighth in the nation. The Bruins are 8-1 going into a Saturday home game against Idaho State. UCLA recorded a 75-60 win over Western Illinois in the last meeting, during the 2004-05 season.

Western Illinois Leathernecks (3-6) vs. No. 8 UCLA (8-1)
Tuesday, December 18, 2007 Los Angeles, Calif.
Tip-off: 7:30 p.m. PT
Arena: Pauley Pavilion (12,819)
Television: uclabruins.com
Radio: Western Sports Network (Michael Jones-play by play; Brock Wissmiller-color analyst) Live audio
Live Stats: uclabruins.com
Series: UCLA leads 1-0

Game Notes
Series History - UCLA
UCLA and Western Illinois have met one other time - a 75-60 Bruins win in Los Angeles on Nov. 23, 2004. The Leathernecks were down only six at halftime, and trailed by four on several occasions in the second half, but the Bruins opened up a double-digit lead midway through the second period. Western cut its deficit to nine twice in the final two minutes.

Jackson Scored 12 Last Time in Pauley
Senior guard David Jackson is the only current Leatherneck on the squad when the Leathernecks last visited Pauley Pavilion. A freshman then, Jackson scored 12 points in the first start of his career. He went on to start 27 consecutive games and lead the team in scoring three times.
Since that time, Jackson has earned all-conference recognition (2006-07) and has become the most recent member of the Leathernecks’ 1,000-point club. He is currently the school’s 16th all-time leading scorer.

Jackson Moving Up Career Scoring Charts
Senior David Jackson became Western Illinois’ 17th member of the 1,000-point club last season, and is working his way up the career scoring charts.
His 104 points this year give him a career total of 1,137, which ranks 16th in school history.
13. 1,219 Dan Braun 1967-70
14. 1,186 Gene Talbot 1953-56
15. 1,171 Lupe Rios 1952-56
16. 1,137 David Jackson 2004-pr.
Jackson needs 211 points to surpass Garrick Vicks (1993-96) as the school’s Division I points leader.

Summit League Slate Opens with loss
The Summit League schedule opened Dec. 8 for Western Illinois, which fell to preseason favorite IUPUI, 64-47. The Leathernecks were down just five, 31-26, at halftime, but the Jaguars opened with a 12-1 run in the first six minutes after the break to take a 16-point lead.

Bodic One of 24 Serbian Players
According to records compiled by the NCAA, Nikola Bodic is one of 24 current Division I players from Serbia. Just one other hails from his hometown of Cacak - Bowling Green’s Dusan Radivojevic.

Owens-Murrey Moves Into Starting Lineup
Jerryck Owens-Murrey has earned a spot in the starting lineup in each of the last two outings, and has responded by averaging 13.0 points and 4.5 rebounds. He scored a season-high 14 points in the most recent game, against IUPUI.

Rivers Sees Increase in Minutes
After averaging 8.8 minutes over the first five games of the season, Josh Rivers has seen his playing time increase to an average of 23 minutes over the last three contests. The junior guard from Southeastern Illinois College has averaged 10.0 points and has hit at least one three-pointer in those three games. He was 5-of-8 from long range in a win at Texas-Pan American.

11 Assists on 14 Field Goals Against IUPUI
The Leathernecks recorded 11 assists on 14 field goals against IUPUI, including a team-high four by James Washington.
Washington leads the team on the season with 27 assists (3.0 per game), and is one of two starting guards who have more assists than turnovers (20). David Jackson has recorded 18 assists and just 12 turnovers.

DuBois Ranks Fifth in Rebounding
David DuBois’ team-high rebounding average of 7.1 per game currently ranks fifth in The Summit League. DuBois has led the squad on the boards six times this year, including five of the last six games.

Rebounding Edge Equals Victory
The Leathernecks have outrebounded three opponents this year, and all three games have resulted in Leatherneck victories. They have recorded two double-digit rebounding advantages - 13 in the season opener and 12 against Eastern Illinois - and outrebounded Texas-Pan American by five on the road.

Thomas’ Father Is Interim Falcons Coach
Coach Thomas’ father, Emmitt, was named interim head coach of the Atlanta Falcons Dec. 12 and will coach the team for the remainder of the season. Thomas played 13 seasons in the NFL as a standout defensive back with the Kansas City Chiefs (1966-78), and is a finalist for induction into the Hall of Fame Class of 2008. Thomas replaced Bobby Petrino who left for Arkansas - Western Illinois’ first opponent in 2008.

Originaly from Source