GAME NOTES: Looking to rebound from two consecutive losses, the Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks return home to clash with the Idaho Vandals in a non-conference bout at Western Hall.

Idaho enters the fray having won back-to-back contests against Washington State (77-71) and UC Davis (79-71). Even after two very big wins for the Vandals, they still enter this contest with just a 4-3 record on the season.

Western Illinois has struggled out of the gate to a 2-5 overall record. Offense has been a major issue for the Leathernecks, who are coming off consecutive losses to Akron (73-49) and Cleveland State (76-54).

This will be just the second meeting between Idaho and Western Illinois all- time. The first clash between the programs took place last season, when Idaho came away with a 2013-14 season-opening 67-63 win.

Idaho had a seemingly tall task ahead when the team took on previously unbeaten UC Davis in its last outing, even if the game was being played on the Vandals' home floor. The Aggies came out in the first half and shot 56.5 percent from the floor and took a 38-30 lead into halftime, but the Vandals battled back in the second half to take the lead. Mike Scott scored a team- best 19 points with four assists to help his team to victory, while Connor Hill netted 16 points. Sekou Wiggs chipped in with 13 points, and Arkadiy Mkrtychyan contributed 12 points off the bench. The Vandals finished the game shooting 46.3 percent from the floor.

Scott leads a trio of double-digit scorers this season for Idaho, netting 17.1 ppg on 50 percent shooting, adding in a team-best 36 assists and nine steals to his resume. Hill is second on the team in scoring, netting 13.4 ppg, and Wiggs checks in at third with a 12.3 ppg mark. As a unit, Idaho is scoring 75.9 ppg on 44.3 percent shooting from the floor. Bira Seck is just shy of the double-digit scoring mark, netting 9.4 ppg with a team-leading 9.7 rpg average.

Cleveland State used an especially strong first half to shut down Western Illinois in the Leathernecks' latest outing. Although WIU shot 52.6 percent from the floor in the first half, the Vikings still led by a 44-21 score at halftime. Garret Covington once again paced Western Illinois in the scoring department, netting 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Jabari Sandifer was the only other WIU player to add a double-digit scoring total, chipping in 12 points with four assists and five turnovers. As a group, Western Illinois gave the ball away 21 times in the loss.

When it comes to scoring for the Leathernecks, Covington is the authority. His 16.4 ppg mark is by far the most on the team, and is the only total in double figures through seven games played. Sandifer's 7.4 ppg mark is the next closest to Covington's average. The Leathernecks have had issues offensively all season, netting just 62.6 ppg on 39.1 percent shooting, while opponents average 69.3 ppg against the Leathernecks. Sandifer's 4.3 apg margin is the best on the team, though he's turned the ball over 16 times.

Idaho is coming off two wins that could be giant momentum swings this season. Going on the road is never easy, but the Vandals possess way more offensive weapons than Western Illinois. The Leathernecks need a much better effort all around, but this won't be the game that puts a stop to their skid.