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Leathernecks open four-game homestand Thursday

March 3, 2008 on 8:10 pm | In Athletics |

MACOMB, Ill. - The Leathernecks this week return to Western Hall, where they have won their last four games, in hopes of putting an end to their first back-to-back losses since early December. Western Illinois saw a three-game winning streak snapped last week, but return to Macomb for the longest homestand of the season, four games.

IPFW (7-11, 4-3) visits Macomb Thursday, and the first half of the Summit League schedule ends Saturday against Oakland (9-9, 4-3).

IPFW and Western Illinois went into five overtimes in Western Hall a year ago, before the Mastadons emerged with a 97-95 victory. Their meeting in Fort Wayne was another two-point decision, won by IPFW , 79-77. David Jackson scored 32 points at home, while Jerryck Owens-Murrey took the lead in Fort Wayne with 26 points.

Against Oakland last season, both road teams were victorious. The Grizzlies won 79-52 in Macomb while the Leathernecks were 64-63 victors in Rochester.

6-2 Record at Home
Western Illinois will look to improve its 6-2 home record, playing their next four games at Western Hall. The Leathernecks have won their last four at home, and have fallen to Texas-Pan American and IUPUI.

Jackson Nearing School’s Division I Scoring Record
Senior David Jackson needs 73 points to surpass Garrick Vicks (1993-96) as Western Illinois’ Division I scoring leader and put him in 10th place on the school’s all-time scoring list.
His 248 points this year give him a career total of 1,276, which ranks 11th in school history.
10. 1,348 Garrick Vicks 1993-96
11. 1,276 David Jackson 2004-pr.

Four Average in Double Figures Last Week
Four players averaged in double figures last week, including James Washington who paced the team with 17 points per game. Washington scored a career-high 28 points at Centenary, while David Nurse contributed a career-high 26 the same night. Jerryck Owens-Murrey nearly averaged a double-double, at 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

Holding Opponents Under 70
The Leathernecks are 8-2 when allowing less than 70 points this season, and are 0-6 when allowing 70 or more points.

Leathernecks, Gents Combine for 87 FTA
Western Illinois and Centenary combined for 87 free throw attempts, nearing Western Illinois’ record of 95 set during the 1986-87 season. The Leathernecks went 29-for-43 (.674) at the line while the Gents shot 36-for-44 (.812).

Nurse, Washington Combine for 54 Points
James Washington and David Nurse combined for 54 points at Centenary, as both had career highs of 28 and 26 points, respectively. Nurse hit 5-of-6 from three-point range in a starting role, while Washington came off the bench to hit 6-of-8 from long range.

Rebounding Edge Equals Victory… Until Now
For the first time this season, the Leathernecks outrebounded an opponent but did not record a victory. Heading into Oral Roberts last Saturday, Western Illinois was 7-0 when winning the rebounding battle. The Leathernecks outrebounded the Golden Eagles, 36-32, but lost the game, 76-55.
The Leathernecks are now 7-1 when outrebounding their opponent and 1-9 when getting outrebounded or matching their opponents’ rebound total.

Washington’s Points Increase in League Play
After averaging 7.1 points and starting nine of the season’s first 11 games, James Washington scored a then-career-high 17 points against Culver-Stockton. In the six league games since, he has averaged 12.8 points, the second-highest averaged on the team and the highest of any non-starter.

Jackson is Go-To Guy at the Wire
In the last three minutes of games this year, David Jackson has shot 54 percent from the floor and converted 20-of-22 free throw attempts.

Originaly from Source