MACOMB, Ill.- The Western Illinois women’s basketball team heads to DeKalb, Ill., for a midweek matchup with Northern Illinois on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m.

The Matchup
Who: Western Illinois (0-1) vs Northern Illinois (1-0)
When: Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.
Location: DeKalb, Ill.
Arena: Convocation Center

Coverage
Radio • WIUS (88.3 FM, Macomb) Flagship station
Kevin Pomazal, play by play
Danielle Gagnon, color analyst

Web • GoLeathernecks.com
Live WIUS radio broadcast (Free)
Live Stats (Free)
Live Video via www.niuhuskies.com (subscription)

Game Notes
Official Western Illinois Game Notes (PDF)
Official Northern Illinois Game Notes (PDF)

Against Purdue
Twenty eight Western Illinois turnovers proved costly for the Leathernecks as the Boilermakers were able to score 22 points off the turnovers in rout of Western, 70-37, on Sunday, Nov. 15.

Despite the turnovers, Western did have an early 6-2 lead to start the game and tied the game three times throughout the first half, but a Purdue 15-2 run to end the half gave the Boilermakers a 30-17 lead heading into the locker room.

The Leathernecks got within nine points in the second half (38-29) at the 14:58 mark, but a 32-6 run from the Boilermakers proved costly as they handed Western its first loss of the season.

Lewis leads Leathernecks in debut
In her first game for the purple and gold, junior Erica Lewis scored a team-high 12 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the floor. She also pulled down two rebounds, dished out an assist and recorded two steals in 26 minutes of action.

Barton, Salvatori shows signs of bright future with Western
Junior Jackie Barton and freshman Michele Salvatori showed signs of a bright future with Western in their Leatherneck debuts against Purdue.

In only 15 minutes of action, Barton pulled down five rebounds, including a team-high three offensive boards. She also scored her first career basket with 47 seconds left in the game after pulling down an offensive rebound off a missed Marina Hartman jump shot and laying it in for two.

Salvatori took advantage of her minutes off the bench, scoring four points and grabbing three rebounds in her first game with Western.  

Seniors showing leadership
Jordon O'Brien and Ashley Lord showed signs of what to come during their senior seasons as they both performed well against the Boilermakers.

O’Brien scored 10 points, going 2-for-3 from behind the arc as well as recording an assist and pulling down three rebounds.

Ashley Lord pulled down a team-high nine rebounds in addition to netting four points and dishing out two assists. Lord also played in a game-high 30 minutes for the purple and gold.

Borgertpoepping doing the little things right
Junior Anne Borgertpoepping may have only scored two points against Purdue, but she is doing the little things right as she recorded at team-high six assists and four steals in the loss.

Borgertpoepping is off to a good start this season as she is the team’s returning leader in assists (35) and steals (21).

Attendance record broken
Sunday’s attendance at Mackey Arena for the game between Purdue and Western Illinois was the largest crowd to ever watch a Western Illinois women’s basketball team as 8,710 watched Sunday afternoon. The previous record was at Western’s game against Siena on Nov. 24, 2006 with 8,505 spectators.

Charity stripe woes
Western Illinois only took two free throw attempts (0-for-2) in the entire game against Purdue compared to Purdue’s 22 attempts. Despite the unbalance in visits to the line, Purdue only shot 50 percent from the charity stripe.

Scouting Northern Illinois
The Huskies are off to 1-0 start after defeating Bradley, 86-73, on Nov. 13. Northern had three different players score in double figures led by Ebony Ellis who had a double-double in the game with 22 points and 17 rebounds. Mauvolyene Adams also had a double-double, posting 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

Northern finished the 2008-09 campaign with a 15-15 record and a third-place finish in the Mid-American Conference West Division.     

Last time out against Northern Illinois
The last meeting between the two schools took place last season as the Huskies defeated the Leathernecks, 70-48, on Nov. 18, 2008. Northern leads the series record with Western, 18-16.

Tough schedule in 2009-10
The Leathernecks will face teams from eight different conferences, including teams from the Big XII and the Big Ten conferences.

Three of their 2009-10 opponents in No. 3 Ohio State, No. 23 Purdue and South Dakota State participated in the 2009 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament and two other opponents in Oklahoma State and Oakland participated in the 2008-09 WNIT Postseason Tournament.

Up Next
The Leathernecks continue their six-game road swing as they take on Wichita State, Friday, Nov. 20, at 7:05 p.m.