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Leathernecks win third straight, beat North Dakota State, 83-67

February 14, 2008 on 8:25 pm | In Athletics |

MACOMB, Ill. - David Nurse and David Jackson combined to score 44 points in Western Illinois University’s 83-67 victory over North Dakota State.

After the Leathernecks (8-8, 3-2 Summit) scored 15 points through the opening 11:39 of the second half, a free throw by Jerryck Owens-Murrey with 9:21 left to play gave them the lead for good at 50-49 and sparked 33 points from Western to close out the contest. The single-digit lead grew to five before Ben Woodside hit a layup to cut it back to three for the Bison (8-9, 2-4 Summit) at 54-51. That was as close as NDSU came for the rest of the game. A Chris Gonzalez three-pointer with 6:08 left to play brought the advantage to nine for Western at 62-53. Woodside again had an answer with a layup. After another bucket for the Bison, the Leathernecks closed the game with a 21-10 run for their third straight Summit League win.

“To beat a team who is that good and for us to be able to hold them the way that we did is huge,” said Western Illinois head coach Derek Thomas. “They came back and regained their swagger when they took that lead in the second half. They’re used to winning because they are a very good team who is confident in themselves. But for our guys to have the focus to come back and really lock them up, is great for a coach to see.”

The game opened with the teams trading baskets and the lead until Western took control at 6-5. Midway through the half, the teams were tied at 15-15 when Owens-Murrey hit a layup to give the Leathernecks the lead back. After a Bison free throw, Nurse connected on a three-pointer, only to see NDSU tie the game back up at 20-20. A Jackson layup for Western gave them the lead right back. The Leathernecks stretched the advantage to as many as eight, before taking a 35-32 lead into the break.

Both teams shot well in the opening frame as Western was 50 percent (13-of-26) from the floor, while the Bison shot 43 percent (9-of-21). The difference came from beyond the arc as Western connected on 71 percent (5-of-7) its shots, while NDSU only hit 20 percent (1-of-5).

“They are very good on threes and we knew that coming in,” added Thomas. “To be able to hold them like that was huge.”

The Bison came out to start the second half by erasing the advantage the Leathernecks had built. With 18:24 left to play, Brett Winkelman sank a pair of free-throws make it a 36-35 Bison lead. Twice the Bison stretched their lead to five points, but both time Jackson provided the answer for the Leathernecks. With 11:03 left to play, Jackson nailed a jumper to tie the game again, this time at 47-47. After Mike Nelson gave NDSU the lead back on the ensuing possession, Nurse tied the game for the seventh and final time, before Western took control down the stretch.

“We knew they were going to come back and take a good punch at us,” Thomas said of the second half run. We missed some free throws and I knew we just had to refocus there. We knew if something like that happened, we just had to make a switch real quick, and we were able to do that tonight.”

Nurse led the attack for Western with 22 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc. Jackson joined Nurse with 20 points of his own, the second straight 20-point performance for the senior. The Leathernecks also received double-digit scoring efforts from Owens-Murrey with 14 and Washington with 12. Woodside was the leading scorer for the Bison with 22 points. Freshman Delvon Johnson led Western on the boards with a career-high seven.

“You have to give the teammates credit for the night that (David) Nurse had,” said Thomas. “David Jackson and James Washington did a great job pushing the ball up the floor and finding him. Our big guys did a great job setting screens for him and getting him open. Things overall are just starting to come together for us.”

The Leathernecks take their three-game winning-streak on the road to take on Centenary, Thursday, January 17, at 7 p.m.

Originaly from Source