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Leathernecks are home for the holidays with final two non-conference games

January 16, 2008 on 9:10 pm | In Athletics |

MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois will enjoy back-to-back men’s basketball home games during the holiday season, hosting Kennesaw State, Dec. 22, and Culver-Stockton, Dec. 30. The two games not only wrap up December’s schedule, but also conclude the non-conference portion of the 2007-08 campaign. Western opens the new year with a pair of Summit League games at Southern Utah (Jan. 3) and UMKC (Jan. 5).

Western Illinois Leathernecks (3-7) vs. Kennesaw State (2-7)
Saturday, December 22, 2007 Macomb, Ill.
Tip-off: 1 p.m. CST
Arena: Waste Management Court at Western Hall (5,139)
Web: Summit League video Live video
Radio: Western Sports Network (Michael Jones-play by play; Arlen Britton-color analyst) Live audio
Live Stats: www.wiuathletics.com
Series: First meeting

Game Notes
Series History - Kennesaw State
Kennnesaw State and Western Illinois will meet for the first time Saturday, as the Owls are in the middle of a six-game road trip. The road swing opened at Maryland Eastern Shore, then took them to Texas State last Tuesday. Next week the Owls will visit UNLV for three games as part of the Duel in the Desert. Located in Kennesaw, Ga., Kennesaw Sate is a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Last Time Out
The Bruins opened the game with a 28-7 spurt and outscored the Leathernecks 42-19 in the first half, en route to their 77-52 win in Los Angeles Tuesday. UCLA outscored Western by only two, 35-33, in the second half, and the two teams were equal on the boards, each grabbing 30 rebounds.
David Jackson and Jerryck Owens-Murray both scored 10 points for Western Illinois.

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 114 points this year give him a career total of 1,147, 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. 1,147 David Jackson 2004-pr.
Jackson needs 201 points to surpass Garrick Vicks (1993-96) as the school’s Division I points leader.

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.

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 four contests, culminating with a spot in the starting lineup against UCLA. The junior guard from Southeastern Illinois College was 5-of-8 from long range in a win at Texas-Pan American.

Jackson, Owens-Murrey Lead Offensive Threat
David Jackson and Jerryck Owens-Murrey both tallied a team-best 10 points against the Bruins, and have combined to lead the Leathernecks’ scoring in seven of 10 games this year.
The duo ranks first and second, respectively, in the WIU scoring column, and accounts for one-third of the team’s overall offense.

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 seven times this year, including six of the last seven games. He has grabbed at least seven rebounds in his last seven 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.
In their last outing, at UCLA, they matched the Bruins on the boards with 30.

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