Western Courier| February 1st, 2021

Sports: Women's team split vs. North Dakota

Opinions: We are all on a different path

UNIVERSITY.

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Monday, February 1, 2021 - Vol. 121 Issue 20

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President Huang's vision for the future of the university

PHOTO BY SARA REMAR

Rachel Greene interviews the newest President of Western Illinois University.

By Rachel Greene editor-in-chief

On Jan. 28, I had the opportunity to sit down for an interview with Guiyou Huang, the 12th President of Western Illinois University.

When asked why he chose to apply for the president position, Huang touched on the importance of working at a university that has potential. He said, “Western Illinois University seemed like a place where I could use my leadership skills and my experience to help grow an already great university.

There will always be challenges, but it is crucial to be somewhere where you can make a real difference.”

After spending exactly four weeks in Macomb on the day of the interview, Huang said that his experience here so far has been positive. He has been able to meet and network with many community members and leaders, stating that he

felt “embraced” by the community. In particular, he has enjoyed shopping at Hy-Vee, a store that he had never seen until moving to Macomb, as well as seeing the abundance of deer that are always walking around his new home. He noted that he is excited to try the many local restaurants that the town has to offer, and that so far he and his family have come to love Yummy Chen’s.

In terms of the president’s goal and vision for his tenure at Western Illinois University, he will place a focus on leading the university to a higher level of success and distinction, as well as fostering a more vibrant, abundant campus community. He said, “Because of some poor educators who I experienced in my youth who were mentally and physically abusive, being an educator to me is about really helping people grow. This university and its many comprehensive programs have so much to offer

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if given the opportunity to grow both in terms of quantity of students and quality of the education and experiences we offer. This should be a place where people want to go for their education.” Pushing the university to be the best it can be and creating a diverse, inclusive and welcoming community is a priority,” Huang stated “I am not the traditional mainstream American, but I want to be fully accepted and embraced, just as I want that for all of you. Not because you are white, black or asian, but rather because you are a human being.”

Challenges the president expects to be faced with early on are COVID-19, enrollment and retention. “The university has a plan that will lead us to have 10,000 students enrolled here by 2027,” said Huang “I have asked the enrollment team to evaluate their plan and decide if it is realistic and achievable.”

In terms of retention, the

university can research barriers to student success and improve services to attempt to keep more students here from their freshman year to graduation. Rather than continuing to do the same things year after year with poor results, the president would like to try recruiting students from new markets using new techniques, in addition to hiring a marketing professional to help sell the university to students even with our limited resources.

Whether they be international students or students searching for a more renowned school, he hopes Western Illinois University can be a promising prospect for them. With a hopeful undertone in his voice, Huang said, “Challenges by their very nature are designed to be overcome.”

When asked about funding for Tri States Public Radio, the president said that while he would rather be a “problem solver than be sur-

rounded by the problem,” not every problem has an immediate solution. He says that by working on the general financial situation of the university, by working towards higher enrollment rates and retention rates, the university will have more funds and will therefore be able to fund more external organizations such as the Tri States Public Radio. He stated, “If strong support from the state and healthy enrollment occur, then we will be able to fund things like the Tri States Public Radio.” He stressed the fact that while he is passionate about making positive progress and change, sometimes these changes take time.

A recurring theme as the president spoke was a willingness to overcome adversity, make positive changes and use new techniques to move toward a more esteemed and wellknown university and university community.

Opinions on Page 4: Please stop using the R-word OPINIONS 4 | EDGE 6 | SPORTS BACK PAGE

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Monday, February 1, 2021

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COVID-19 Dashboard Update

WIU.EDU

This data is accurate as of Jan. 29, 2021.

COVID-19 takes toll on students' mental health

By Lauren Antoniolli courier staff

COVID-19 has created tremendous change in the everyday lives of college students. From online classes to Zoom meetings to virtual social events, time that was once spent surrounded by friends is now spent six feet apart or interacting via the computer. This has caused a challenging transition for people in all demographics, but particularly for college students due to the social nature of the “college experience.”

According to WIU junior Music Education student Lucy Rieke, “We’re so isolated, and we’ve lost our outlets. Sometimes it feels like we have no one to turn to.” One cause of this isolation is the loss of avail-

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ability of group gathering spaces at WIU. While students once gathered in large groups in the student union, dining centers and other areas on campus, students now must eat alone in their dorm rooms. Another issue is the change in creative outlets for music students like Rieke. Students used to perform in large group ensembles for full audiences in the College of Fine Arts and Communication Recital Hall, which seats over 400 guests. Now, all performances are recorded via video stream with no live audience, which changes both the creative process and the experience of performing for these students.

Because of the many life changes that have resulted from COVID-19, students have found new ways to

connect with one another and stay entertained. According to WIU freshman Payton Anthony, “If it weren’t for the invention of social media and the widespread availability of entertainment, I would be in a much worse place.”

Access to social media, YouTube, streaming services such as Netflix, online games and other forms of entertainment has been very beneficial to the mental health of students like Anthony. Incoming freshmen relied on these online resources in unique ways, because many of these students did not have friends at Western prior to attending and did not meet people in the traditional on-campus student orientation over the summer.

Instead, students had to meet one another via so-

cial media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and more in order to connect with people on campus and feel connected to the Western Illinois community. While the transition to online connectivity provides difficulties for many students, it has also created a unique skill set for this generation to build relationships with people they have never met face-to-face. It has also made entertainment more accessible than ever before through a variety of virtual means, as access to music, television, learning and more is literally available at students’ fingertips.

One of the most difficult changes for students throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been the loss of a typical social environment in exchange PUBLISHING AND CIRCULATION

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for a virtual one. According to junior Health Services Management student Maille Francis, “COVID-19 has affected my mental health by not being able to socialize and not have those in-person human interactions that are vital to a young person. Law enforcement sophomore Josephine Rios states, “Living in the dorms during the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted my mental health. I was no longer surrounded by my friends 24/7 and had to learn to be okay by myself, which was hard to get used to.” While students have adapted to many virtual environments and forms of entertainment, WIU students believe that these outlets are no true replacement for traditional face-to-face interactions.

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LEJA students' concerns towards House Bill 3652

By Angelique Herrera courier staff

On Jan. 13th, 2021, House Bill 3652 passed. A bill that focuses on criminal justice and police reform. Some changes being; a requirement that all officers are to wear body cameras by 2025, a ban on all police chokeholds, the elimination of monetary bail, the end of license suspension for failure to pay, new guidelines for officer decertification and many other changes.

This bill is heavily focused on police transparency and accountability, as well as detainee, prisoners and citizens’ rights. The passing of this bill led to several mixed responses from Illinoisians, officers and individuals across the nation.

A lot of outrage stemmed from the amount of time it took to read over the bill,

before passing it.

According to Republican Rep. Tom Weber in his NBC Chicago interview, he claimed the bill is "dangerous." He also commented, “I would say I am shocked, but this has become the norm in Springfield – wait until the last moment and then drop a bill that is more than 700 pages on the floor, preventing even a basic level of public review,” Weber said in a statement. “Make no mistake, this legislation is dangerous and makes every community less safe.

Public safety budgets will be cut, unfunded mandates will be poured on local communities and police, and officers could be subjected to punishment and held personally liable for unsubstantiated or unverifiable complaints. However, perhaps the worst part, many violent felons will be able to walk free before trial."

These words ring true to a lot of students at WIU. Western Illinois University is one of the most wellknown universities for its Law Enforcement and Justice Administration program and graduation is just around the corner. With 25 percent of the student population pursuing a degree in LEJA, this bill created a lot of discussion amongst peers on where they stand with the bill being passed and how this bill is going to affect the soon-to-be graduates wanting to pursue a career in policing. After participating in conversations with multiple law enforcement students, the majority of them are upset and a lot of them are now looking into jobs in Wisconsin or Iowa, where they feel as though the public is more accepting and welcoming to officers. Others are debating if a career in

law enforcement is worth it anymore and are concerned that the social stigma will only worsen. Then, there’s the minority who have some understanding of why this bill has been passed and are still going to pursue their career in Illinois and take it day by day.

“At first it was kind of concerning, the number of repercussions and restrictions that they placed on police officers. I don’t believe that the bill was fully deliberated on because the bill was only passed within an hour. There is no way to have read a 600+ page paper in that amount of time.

Although I don’t know how much it is going to affect an officer in their day-to-day lives, it still detrimentally affects law enforcement, because this bill takes away the proactive approach that law enforcement officers use within their communi-

ties and over time I’m sure clauses will get added to the amendment to change it, but until then, you will find law enforcement officers taking a very cautious approach in terms of dealing with incidents and people they encounter. I do believe that productivity in police departments will go down, in fear of getting sued. No officer wants to be sued,” said senior student Nimit Zaveri.

Whether or not students, officers or the community likes or dislikes HB3653, it is now being put into effect.

Illinois officers will have to adapt to the changes being put into place, and only time will tell on how this bill will affect departments and society. Over time, there will be changes and clauses added or taken away, however, officers will continue to work and serve their civic duty.

PHOTO BY SARA REMAR

Mowbray Hall is home to the Office of Public Safety on campus.

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OPINIONS

Monday, February 1, 2021

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We are all on a different path Angelique Herrera Opinions writer

Over this past winter break, my Facebook news feed and Instagram have consistently been bombarded with pictures of proposals, save the dates, engagement photos and baby bumps. With wedding season creeping around the corner, I’ve suddenly come to the realization that I am reaching that point in my life where my friends and colleagues are transitioning into a new chapter in their lives, that being marriage and family. Meanwhile, I’m sitting on my couch, contemplating is this what people my age should be doing now? In my head, I’m still practically a teenager who still needs her mom to make her doctor ’s appointments, while girls I went to high school with are growing a life inside of them. I began feeling inadequate, that I wasn’t fully doing life right, as if I needed to mature in a sense.

Comparing where I’m at in life to those who are celebrating their next chapter, at first,

I thought was necessary, because I wondered if it was bad that I’m not in their position.

I began going down a rabbit hole for a while. Constantly thinking about rings, imagining my future proposal, looking through Pinterest to see what type of wedding dress I’d like. It became an unhealthy obsession for a few weeks. It wasn’t until my cousin got engaged that I took a step back and thought about how happy I was for her, instead of comparing my situation to hers. I was elated, and it was then that I realized that I was happy where I am. At 22 verging on 23 years old, I still consider myself extremely young in the sense that I’m not ready to begin that next chapter yet.

As a second-semester graduate student, I’m in no position to pay for a wedding, nor am I ready to start a family. I work a part-time job to get through college, I’m in a very loving relationship and I have the sweetest fur baby alive. Plus, it still baffles me that caring

for my puppy is as expensive and time-consuming as it is.

I love her to death, but wow ‘adulting’ is expensive. Having this epiphany, though, has benefited me tremendously. I find myself cherishing my college experience more, being excited for those experiencing these life-changing moments and spending less time scrolling on my phone, evaluating everyone’s lives.

For everyone reading, it is completely okay to be content on the path that you’re currently on, or whatever path that you choose. For me, it’s not my time yet. I, along with so many other individuals who are younger, older or the same age as me, are comfortable with their lives as they are. Now, I think it’s okay to want those things for the future, but it’s verging on a fine line when you begin negatively comparing your life to others. Especially now, during the pandemic we find ourselves looking on social media more often, obsessing over things that we see and allowing ourselves to compare ourselves and our lives to people we know and people we don’t know. It’s best to take a step back and appreciate yourself for getting you to wherever you are.

Please stop using the R-Word lauren antoniolli Opinions writer

No, really. It’s time.

Despite the annual Spread the Word to End the Word campaign and countless efforts by students and faculty to raise awareness, I still hear frequent casual use of the word “retarded” to describe people, behavior, classes, situations and much more.

Why is this problematic?

While many people use the rword synonymously with the word “stupid,” the word has very different historical meanings that influence their implications, and consequently their impacts, in today’s society.

Because the r-word has been historically tied to people with intellectual disabilities, creating equitability between this word and insults such as “stu-

pid” and “dumb” among others, perpetuates stereotypes about people with intellectual disabilities in a dangerous and painful way. In order to better support our community members with intellectual disabilities, we need to carefully consider the impact that our language has on others. Not only is the use of the r-word incorrect in many of the contexts in which it is used in daily conversation, but the use of this word is always offensive.

While the use of the r-word word may not have a heavy emotional impact on you as an individual, it does have a negative impact on others. Eliminating this word from our vocabulary is a simple change we can make to become a kinder

and more accepting campus and community.

While careful consideration of your personal use of this word is a great first step, raising awareness of this issue and informing others of its importance is critical to catalyzing this necessary reform on WIU’s campus. I think one of the largest contributing factors to the continued use of the rword in our community is the lack of accountability we have towards one another in eliminating it. The Spread the Word to End the Word campaign, among others, is extremely beneficial, and we have several organizations on campus that are heavily dedicated to supporting people with disabilities. However, in order to make a full and positive reform, we need to expand this conversation beyond the specific dates each year in which we sign banners, wear t-shirts and discuss the implications of the r-word. Our students need to

make a commitment to pointing out the dangers of using the r-word in situations when it may arise, regardless of the discomfort this conversation may bring.

While not everyone who uses the r-word does so with bad intentions, its use always has a negative impact on our community. Additionally, people who use this word in casual conversation once are likely to continue to do so in the future, especially if they do not see the direct and indirect consequences of using the r-word regularly in their vocabulary.

Holding other students accountable for their use of the rword by informing them of its harmful nature can help these students think more carefully about their use of language in the future and hopefully encourage them to discontinue their use of the r-word.

Many Western Illinois University students have already committed to eliminating the

use of the r-word, but in order to make a campus-wide movement, it takes commitment from each one of us. We must hold each other accountable, use our language thoughtfully and carefully and spread kindness. Through this simple and positive change, we can create a safer Macomb (and ultimately a safer world) for people with intellectual disabilities.

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Using the r-word is not only harmful but also disrespectful.

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OPINIONS 5

Monday, February 1, 2021

You can't underestimate Jake Paul The YouTube boxing scene is something that I’ve been watching since the first boxing match between social media personalities Logan Paul and the United Kingdom’s own KSI. Even though their first bout ended in a draw, both YouTubers held their own and, because of their massive followings, were able to acquire over 1.2 million payper-views buys.

Now, two years since then, Jake Paul (Logan’s younger brother) has not only continued boxing himself, he’s turned professional and has already had two knockout wins on his record. His recent match with NBA All-Star Nate Robinson was featured on the Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones as the undercard event, but clearly stole the show.

Many people, including myself, thought Jake would lose in a decisive fashion. On paper, Robinson is a three-time

slam dunk champion and a legitimate athlete, while Jake is known for outrageous YouTube videos and pranks. Despite all that, Jake outboxed and outskilled Robinson to the point where he actually made him a meme.

Now it’s been announced that Jake will be competing against UFC fighter Ben Askren, and once again people are betting against Jake and already writing him off. After seeing Jake’s knockout against Robinson, it would be foolish to not take Jake seriously as a competitor.

YouTuber or not, Jake has committed more than two years to boxing and has even trained with the boxing legend “Sugar” Shane Mosely.

I’m not the biggest fan of Jake and there are many times where I’ve despised him, but I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t think he had a chance to beat an actual UFC fighter and NCAA

champion in Askren. Jake isn’t stupid and has obviously gone after opponents with considerable followings and athleticism to back it up; and to top it off his trash talking has gotten him attention as well. Jake has said that boxing Conor McGregor is his ultimate goal and even went as far as to disparage his wife to cohort him into a match.

Obviously, such tactics like that are tasteless and disrespectful, but Jake has managed to capture the eyes of combat sportspeople, such as UFC President Dana White. Jake is merely using the trolling and click-baiting tactics he mastered on social media to sell his fights and, to be honest, it’s working.

I know people, especially boxing fanatics, may dislike the thought of YouTubers getting into the ring, but the numbers don’t lie. Jake Paul’s fight and Logan and KSI’s fights have garnered millions of dollars in buy rates and viewership. Social media personalities with a built-in strong audience can very well conquer whatever they set their minds to, even boxing.

Jake Paul is known as a YouTube sensation and is newer to the world of boxing.

seen all nine Star Wars films, this is your warning that there will be spoilers ahead.

In the prequel trilogy, there are many strong characters such as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-gon Jinn and Annakin Skywalker, however, Count Duku was also an extremely impressive character that is easily overlooked in this film. To begin, Count Duku is extremely skilled with a lightsaber (or six), this is evidenced in Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones where he single-handedly defeated ObiWan and Annakin at the same

time. This leads to my second point, that Count Duku was able to escape from and hide from the Jedi Order on numerous occasions. Additionally, it is important to note that without Count Duku there would not have been a Clone Army at all, as he was the one who initially put in the order for the Clones.

In the original trilogy, the characters that capture the most attention are characters such as Luke, Leia and Han Solo. While Chewbacca is alongside this dynamic trio through the trilogy, he is often seen as an extension of Han rather than his own character. The prequels allowed us to see Chewbacca in a pre-Han timeline. Long before Chewbacca meets Han and becomes the amazing

duo that they are, Chewbacca fought alongside the Jedi and aided in victory many times.

Chewbacca was a notably fearless character; a moment where Chewbacca was effortly fearless was when he helped Yoda to escape Order 66.

In the sequel trilogy, the focus often goes to characters such as Rey, Finn and Ben Solo. However, one character that the rebellion would not have been successful without is Poe. Poe is often overlooked among these characters because he does not have any ties to the force or to the first order. Poe was the best pilot in the rebellion, arguably a better pilot than Luke, especially when you dismiss the fact that Luke was strong with the force is taken out of

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The three most underrated Star Wars characters

When thinking of the Star Wars movies, it is common to think of the heroes, people like Luke, Leia and Han Solo.

We also think of the villains like Darth Vader, the Emperor and Jabba the Hutt. The Star Wars films are packed with complex and impressive characters, many of which get overshadowed by the other more popular characters within the films. In my opinion, three Star Wars characters that were significantly underrated and overlooked were Count Duku, Chewbacca and Poe. If you have not

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the equation. When Leia joins the force in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker it is Poe who Leia entrusted to lead the rebellion in her place.

Poe’s growth throughout the sequel trilogy is a large part of what makes him such a strong character. From being a smuggler, to at the end leading the rebellion, denotes the respect that Poe collected from the rebellion and his strength is not only his skills but also his leadership.

The Star Wars films are filled with countless numbers of minor characters that are often overlooked, however, these three characters were instrumental to the Skywalker saga. Without these three characters, the saga would not have unfolded and concluded in the way that it did.

Contact Allison Young

AN-Young@wiu.edu

E3 EDGE

Monday, February 1, 2021

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SOPHIE dies suddenly at age 34 Sophie Xeon, professionally known as SOPHIE, was a producer, musician, singer and DJ who died suddenly on Jan. 30, 2021. She was 34.

The avant-garde, Grammynominated pop star ’s death was co-announced by the Scottish artist’s record labels, Transgressive and Future Classic. Transgressive published the following statement on its website, revealing that SOPHIE’s death stemmed from a “terrible accident.”

The statement said, “Tragi- cally our beautiful Sophie passed away this morning after a terrible accident. True to her spirituality she had climbed up to watch the full moon and accidentally slipped and fell. She will always be here with us.

The family thanks everyone for their love and support and requests privacy at this devastating time.”

SOPHIE was living in Athens, Greece, at the time of her death, as reported by The Guardian.

Her management told the outlet that SOPHIE died at 4 a.m. local time on Saturday following a “sudden accident.”

The statement added that the artist was “a pioneer of a new sound” and “one of the most influential artists in the last decade. Not only for ingenious production and creativity but also for the message and visibility that was achieved. An icon of liberation.”

SOPHIE’s debut album, Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides, was released in 2018, which earned her a 2019 Grammy nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album.

For the first years of SOPHIE’s career, she kept her true identity a secret. Born with the name

Samuel Long, in 2017, she came out as a trans woman with the single, “It’s Okay to Cry.” The official music video on YouTube racked up more than two million views.

The futuristic pop star opened up about being transgender to Paper magazine in 2018. She said, “Transness is taking control to bring your body more in line with your soul and spirit so the two aren’t fighting against each other and struggling to survive. … It means you’re not a mother or a father — you’re an individual who’s looking at the world and feeling the world.”

SOPHIE, who was born in Glasgow, Scotland, started releasing music at the age of 13.

At 14, she gained a popular following after the release of the single, “Lemonade.”

“I think all pop music should be about who can make the loudest, brightest thing,” SOPHIE said in a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone. “That, to me, is an interesting challenge, musically and artistically. And I think it’s a very valid challenge — just as valid as who can be the most raw emotionally. I don’t know why that is prioritized by a lot of people as something that’s more valuable. The challenge I’m interested in being part of is who can use current technology, current images and people, to make the brightest, most intense, engaging thing.”

BBC.COM

SOPHIE died at home in the Greek capital Athens at 4 a.m., the artist's publicist said in a statement.

EDITION.CNN.COM

Several artists paid tribute to the late musician, including Sam Smith, who posted on Twitter: "Heartbreaking news. The world has lost an angel. A true visionary and icon of our generation."

E4 EDGE

Monday, February 1, 2021

WesternCourier.com

Olivia Rodrigo got her driver's license If you have a TikTok account, then you are familiar with Olivia Rodrigo’s new song, “Drivers License.”

Since the release of this song, drama has surfaced, which drew a lot of recent attention to her as well as others involved.

Fans of the Disney+ original show “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” are following the gossip surrounding Rodrigo’s new single “Drivers License,” which they believe was inspired by a love triangle between her and show co-stars Joshua Bassett and Sabrina Carpenter. The three are said to be entangled in a real life “love triangle.”

Rodrigo, 17, shared the new song

on Jan. 4. Later that day, Bassett, 20, announced his upcoming single “Lie Lie Lie” on Instagram, available to stream on Jan. 14. Rodrigo and Bassett, who play Nini Salazar-Roberts and Ricky Bowen in “HSMTMTS,” respectively, were an on-screen couple before they were also linked offstage, entertainment outlets reported. But that didn’t last long, apparently. In August, Rodrigo shared a video on TikTok captioned, “And that’s on failed relationships,” along with the song “All I Want” from the series’ original soundtrack, but fans quickly began to speculate if the sentiment was inspired by real life.

Rodrigo’s new solo track, “Driv-

ers License,” parallels the “HSMTMTS” storyline, including the cryptic lyric, “I guess you didn’t mean what you wrote in that song about me.” Fans online postulated that this was a reference to Bassett's own solo singles, “Common Sense” and “Anyone Else,” which debuted in 2020.

That’s where Carpenter, also known as Maya Hart from the Disney reboot “Girl Meets World,” comes in. It was rumored that Carpenter and Bassett began their romance after Rodrigo and Bassett split sometime last year.

Fans think “HSMTMTS” co-stars may already be picking sides, noting that several cast members congratulated Rodrigo for her new release on social media. Meanwhile, only one series peer, Joe Serafini, who plays Seb Mathew Smith, commented on Bassett’s new single announcement.

WEHEARTIT.COM

Although Rodrigo and Bassett never confirmed they were together, her new hit song suggests otherwise.

OFFICIALCHARTS.COM

At 17 years old, Rodrigo is the youngest artist to top the charts since Billie Eilish.

Women's team split vs North Dakota

By Zach Zannelli Courier Staff The Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks women’s basketball team had a two-game series against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. The first game on Friday night went to the Fighting Hawks as they beat the Fighting Leathernecks by a score of 79-57. North Dakota got off to a hot start as they had an end of the first quarter lead by a score of 18-8 and kept the lead at the half by a score of 39-28. The Fighting Leathernecks had a stronger start to the second half as they came a bit closer to cut the lead to 52-47 as North Dakota still had the lead and kept stretching as they had the better fourth quarter to claim their first victory of the season over the Fighting Leathernecks by a score of 79-57. The game leaders on North Dakota were Julia Fleeces, who was on the court

for 31 minutes, scoring 19 points with two assists and 11 rebounds. She was 6-17 in field goals and 1-4 in three-pointers. Megan Zander was the other game leader in Friday’s matchup, as she was on the court for 20 minutes, scoring 16 points with five rebounds and one assist. She was 5-10 in field goals and was 2-3 in three-pointers. The game leaders on Western Illinois were Carla Flores, with 27 minutes on the court as she scored 14 points with two rebounds and one assist. She was 4-5 in threepointers and 5-6 in field goals.

Evan Zars was the other game leader on Western Illinois as she was on the court for 28 minutes, scoring 10 points with nine rebounds and one assist.

She was 2-2 in three-pointers and 4-11 in field goals. That victory for North Dakota puts their record at (1-13) overall and (1-8) in the conference as they go up to the No. 8 seed in

The Summit League standings as Western Illinois drops to (3-14) overall and (2-6) in the conference on the year as they remain the No. 7 seed in The Summit League standings.

In Saturday's matchup between the Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks and the North Dakota Fighting Hawks, Western Illinois took the advantage as they beat North Dakota by a score of 83-74. North Dakota got off to another great start and a strong first half as they led the Leathernecks 22-17 at the end of the first quarter and 46-40 at the half. Then, the Leathernecks fought back with a stronger second half as they came back in the third quarter to lead the Fighting Hawks 61-57 and kept the end of the fourth quarter lead as the Leathernecks claimed the fourth victory of the year by a score of 83-74. The game leaders on Western Illinois were

Danni Nichols, Grace Gilmore and Zars. Nichols had a great game as she scored 24 points with eight rebounds and two assists. She also was 2-3 in three-pointers and 7-10 in field goals. Gilmore also had a great game as she was on the court for 23 minutes and scored 17 points with four rebounds and two assists. She was 1-2 in three-pointers and 5-12 in field goals. Zars was the other game leader and was on the court for 34 minutes, scoring 14 points with 10 rebounds and two assists. She was 2-4 in three-pointers and 4-14 in field goals. North Dakota’s game leaders were Fleeces, Olivia Lane and Mikayla Reinke.

Fleeces was on the court for 25 minutes, scoring 14 points with four rebounds and two assists. She was 1-2 in threepointers and 5-10 in field goals. Lane was on the court for 24 minutes as she scored 10 points with six rebounds

and one assist. She did not attempt a three-pointer and was 5-7 in field goals. Reinke was on the court for 34 minutes as she scored eight points with five rebounds and three assists. She was 2-2 in threepointers and 2-6 in field goals.

The victory for Western Illinois keeps them at No. 7 seed in The Summit League standings as they jump to (4-14) overall and (3-6) in the conference on the year as North Dakota remains at the No. 8 seed in The Summit League standings as their record drops to (1-14) overall and (1-9) in the conference on the year.

The Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks will take on Omaha next weekend on the 5th and 6th with both games starting at 4 p.m. The North Dakota Fighting Hawks will face Denver in their next matchup next weekend on the 5th and 6th with the start times being TBD for both games.

Men’s team gets first conference win

By Hayden Donaldson Courier Staff

The men’s basketball team traveled to Grand Forks, North Dakota to take on the Fighting Hawks of North Dakota in a doubleheader this past Friday and Saturday. The Leathernecks came into this weekend 2-11 on the season and looking for their first conference win of the year.

The Fighting Hawks came into this weekend 4-13 overall, and 3-5 in the conference.

The Leathernecks ended up coming out of the weekend with their first conference win of the year, splitting the two games.

Rob Jeter and the Leathernecks came in in desperate need of at least one win this weekend, as they were 0-6 in conference, tied with Denver as the worst team in The Summit League. The previous weekend, Western Illinois dropped two heartbreakers to the Coyotes of

South Dakota by the scores of 65-60 and 84-74. They did show some real potential in those games, especially Colton Sandage, who had 17 points in a near comeback win.

Paul Sather and the Fighting Hawks came in at fifth in the conference. The previous weekend saw them get swept by the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State, and they came into this weekend looking to avenge those losses. They are led by leading scorer Filip Rebraca, who averages 17 points per game with a field goal percentage of 52.8.

The Leathernecks saw themselves out to a hot start in the first game. At the first media timeout, they were up 15-5, shooting 3-7 from the threepoint line. Their hot hands and play continued throughout the half, especially from forward Will Carius, who poured in 22 first-half points.

He only missed one field goal, going 6-7 from the field and

4-4 from the three-point arc.

This led to the Leathernecks going into the half up 41-29.

North Dakota on the year was 1-11 when trailing at halftime.

The second half saw the Leathernecks really start to crumble and lose their confidence from the first half.

Ten minutes into the half, the Leathernecks held a lead as much as 16 points. Carius continued to dominate the floor, staying as the game’s leading scorer. At the last media timeout of the game, the Leathernecks were only up by two at 73-71. Guard Caleb Nero gave North Dakota the lead at 3:30, their first of the game. The Fighting Hawks carried this momentum and went on to win the first game of the weekend 83-81. Carius ended up finishing the game with 34 points, a game high.

Sandage also poured in 18 points. North Dakota was led by the dominant play of Rebraca, who put up a dou-

ble-double with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Bentiu Panoam also sparked the Hawks with 14 points.

The Leathernecks came into the second game trying not to repeat themselves from the night before. It was back and forth throughout the first half, but the Leathernecks saw themselves up four at the half, 46-42. The Leathernecks were led by guard Sandage, who poured in 13 first half points.

Rebraca led the Hawks in scoring at the half with eight points.

The second half was much of the same as the first half.

Both teams were going back and forth trading leads.

What started to deflate North Dakota was foul trouble, as four players had four fouls at the five-minute mark.

This gave the Leathernecks the opportunity to pull away late, and they capitalized on that as they went on to win 99-87. Sandage led the way

by scoring 28 points. Carius poured in 19 points, continuing his hot hand, and Cam Burell dropped 14 to help the Leathernecks. North Dakota once again was led by Rebraca with 24 points. Tyree Ihenacho also helped the Fighting Hawks with 13 points.

The Leathernecks now stand at 3-12 overall, and 1-7 in the conference. They are now seventh in the conference. The Fighting Hawks drop to 5-14 overall and 4-6 in the conference. They stay in fifth overall in the conference.

Western Illinois will travel to Nebraska next weekend for a back-to-back with the Omaha Mavericks. Four of the last six games for the Leathernecks are against the bottom two teams in the conference, so there is a really good chance for them to keep jumping in the standings. North Dakota will go to Denver next weekend to take on the 1-12 Pioneers.