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Western wraps up first half of The Summit League schedule against IPFW Monday

March 8, 2008 on 9:00 pm | In Athletics |

MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois women’s basketball team will conclude the first round of The Summit League action when IPFW comes to Waste Management Court at Western Hall, Monday, January 28 for a 7 p.m. tip-off.

About IPFW
The Mastodons head to Macomb with an 8-11 overall record and a 5-3 mark in The Summit League after winning their last three games. In its last meeting, IPFW earned a 68-50 victory over IUPUI (Saturday, January 26). The winning-streak started with a 75-70 victory over Oakland (January 19) in Fort Wayne, Ind., and includes a non-conference win over Texas-Pan American (66-52).

The Mastodons have one player averaging double-digits in the points column, as Johnna Lewis-Carlisle is averaging 18.9 points. The mark ranks her 19th in the nation and first in The Summit League for points per game. Lewis-Carlisle also takes double the number of shots of any of her teammates. She has attempted 327 shots, with the next highest total being 156.

Lewis-Carlisle’s closest teammate in the scoring column is Jordan Zuppe, who is netting 9.6 points per game this season. Zuppe has stepped up her performance in league action and is averaging 10 points per game against Summit League teams.

IPFW has a team shooting percentage of 36.3 and a three-point shooting percentage of 29.9. However, they are ranked 72nd in the nation as the team makes 6.1 three-point shots a game, which account for 34% of its points this season.

One of the areas that the Mastodons are excelling in this season is free throw shooting. IPFW is ranked 29th in the country and leads the conference with its 74.7 free throw shooting percentage. The Westerwinds are currently ranked No. 1 in the conference in free throw percentage against league teams (80.8%), with the Mastodons are in second (76.6%).

The Series
This will be the first meeting in school history between Western and IPFW. The Mastodons are the final of four teams that the Westerwinds had not faced before the start of the 2007-08 campaign. The other three teams were Robert Morris (W, 77-63), North Dakota State (W, 72-67), and South Dakota State (W, 67-60).

Crane Captures Milestone
With Western’s 78-48 victory over Centenary, January 21, head coach Leslie Crane recorded her 100th conference victory. Crane currently has a 100-44 record against league opponents, and is the winningest (by league wins) active coach in The Summit League. Only Keith Freeman from Valparaiso (135-69) recorded more wins against league teams when the Crusaders were members of the conference.

Career Night at Centenary
The Westerwinds had a good night at the Gold Dome in Shreveport, January 21. They set three season-records in the victory, including points in the first half (45), points (78), and assists (25).

The night also saw five players set new career highs. Freshman Lindsey Wutt led the way with three new bests, including points (6), rebounds (7), and assists (3). Junior Nicole Myers stepped up and recorded her first double-digit point performance of the season (11) and set a new career high with a 100 percent (3-3) shooting percentage.

Senior Gina Hugelier recorded nine assists for a new career-best, while sophomore Katy Clark added five. Senior Samantha Quigle was the final member of the team to record a career high, with a 100 percent (1-1) shooting percentage from beyond the arc.

Among the Nations Best (as of January 24)
Western ranks in the top-100 in the country in seven statistical categories. The Westerwinds are ranked 16th in the nation and lead the league in three-point field goal percentage. Western has connected on 38.2 percent of its shots from beyond the arc.

The Westerwinds are also ranked 44th in personal fouls (15.2), 36th in free throw percentage (74.1), 80th in turnovers (16.8), 62nd in scoring defense (59.4), 77th in assist/turnover ratio (0.85), and 97th in assists (14.3).

Senior Stephanie Lovingood is 97th in the country with her 8.1 rebounds per game.

Junior Amanda Walker is the only Western player on the national charts. She is ranked 9th in assist/turnover ratio (2.33).

On the Airwaves
This season all games can be heard live on WIUS 88.3 FM and on the internet at www.wiuathletics.com. Links to each broadcast are available on the women’s basketball “Schedule/Results” page. Click on the speaker to link to the broadcast. Play-by-play is provided by Ryan Thomas, while color commentary is added by Nick McCay.

All of the Westerwinds’ home games have live stats available through www.wiuatheltics.com A link is provided on the women’s basketball “Schedule/Results” page. Click on the No. 1 to connect to the live stats.

All home and conference road games are broadcast through Summit TV (www.thesummitleague.org).

Up Next
Western next hits the court, Saturday, February 2 when it hosts Southern Utah at 4:30 p.m. The game is being featured as The Summit League Game of the Week and will include giveaways from the league.

Western Quick Sets
This was the second season since Crane took over the helm in 1998-99 that the Westerwinds have started conference play with seven-straight victories…Western started the 2005-06 season with seven-consecutive league victories…Wutt has recorded at least four points in the last four games for the Westerwinds.
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