MACOMB – The Western Illinois Men's basketball team came up short against Omaha Saturday (Feb. 22). Despite the loss, a pair of scoring milestones occurred in the 93-86 home finale.
Senior CJ Duff scored his 1,000th career point while sophomore Kobe Webster set Western's single-game Division I record at 40 points. It took 58 seconds for Duff to record his 1,000th career point. The senior took a lot of shots in the opening minute, and his second attempt cemented his spot in the 1K club. Only 23 others have accomplished this in program history.
The game went back in forth in the first half.No more than two possessions distanced the two teams until the 12:57 mark, where the Mavericks embarked on a 10-3 run. The score at the end of the first half was 27-16.
The leathernecks shortened the lead to 41-39 as they went on a little hot streak. The advantage hopped out to five, 48-43, with 17:46 remaining, but the Leathernecks were never fully able to seize control. They lost their lead on a layup from Omaha's KJ Robinson (13:39) and hung around through the final buzzer.
Webster scored 20-plus in three straight games, and he eclipsed the record in the final seconds with a 3-for-3 trip at the free-throw line. Now the Leathernecks have one more road swing left in the regular season starting at Oral Roberts on Thursday, Feb. 27 Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.