# 2016–17 Western Illinois Leathernecks women's basketball team

The 2016–17 Western Illinois Leathernecks women's basketball team represented Western Illinois University. The Leathernecks, were coached by JD Gravina and were members of The Summit League. They finished the season 26–7, 13–3 in Summit League play to finish in first place. They won The Summit League Women's Tournament, defeating IUPUI 77–69 in overtime. They were invited to the NCAA Women's Tournament for the first time since 1995, where they lost to Florida State in the first round.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season ||||||
| November 11, 2016* 7:00 pm, Fighting Leather All-Access | | Monmouth College | W 113–29 | 1–0 | Western Hall (702) Macomb, IL |
| November 13, 2016* 4:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Milwaukee | L 68–76 | 1–1 | Klotsche Center (663) Milwaukee, WI |
| November 16, 2016* 11:00 am, OVC Digital Network | | at SE Missouri State | W 100–87 | 2–1 | Show Me Center (2,553) Cape Girardeau, MO |
| November 19, 2016* 4:30 pm, ESPN3 | | Northern Illinois | W 83–79 | 3–1 | Western Hall (562) Macomb, IL |
| November 22, 2016* 11:00 am, Roos TV | | at UMKC | W 78–65 | 4–1 | Swinney Recreation Center (186) Kansas City, MO |
| November 27, 2016* 2:00 pm, OVC Digital Network | | at SIU Edwardsville | W 76–74 | 5–1 | Vadalabene Center (603) Edwardsville, IL |
| November 29, 2016* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | at Missouri | L 68–71 | 5–2 | Mizzou Arena (1,843) Columbia, MO |
| December 2, 2016* 7:00 pm | | at Marquette | L 61–77 | 5–3 | Al McGuire Center (1,222) Milwaukee, WI |
| December 5, 2016* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Bradley | W 91–77 | 6–3 | Western Hall (676) Macomb, IL |
| December 7, 2016* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Graceland | W 118–40 | 7–3 | Western Hall (407) Macomb, IL |
| December 10, 2016* 4:30 pm, ESPN3 | | Eastern Illinois | W 83–62 | 8–3 | Western Hall (604) Macomb, IL |
| December 17, 2016* 2:00 pm | | at Chicago State | W 54–50 | 9–3 | Jones Concocation Center (116) Chicago, IL |
| December 20, 2016* 7:00 pm, Fighting Leatherneck All-Access | | Illinois State | W 80–50 | 10–3 | Western Hall (573) Macomb, IL |
| Summit Conference ||||||
| December 28, 2016 6:00 pm, Mastodon All-Access | | at Purdue–Fort Wayne | W 75–63 | 11–3 (1–0) | Hilliard Gates Sports Center (568) Fort Wayne, IN |
| December 31, 2016 3:30 pm, ESPN3 | | at IUPUI | L 52–66 | 11–4 (1–1) | IUPUI Gymnasium (1,103) Indianapolis, IN |
| January 5, 2016 7:00 pm, Fighting Leatherneck All-Access | | Denver | W 87–62 | 12–4 (2–1) | Western Hall (494) Macomb, IL |
| January 7, 2017 4:30 pm, Fightin Leatherneck All-Access | | Oral Roberts | W 76–72 | 13–4 (3–1) | Western Hall (589) Macomb, IL |
| January 11, 2017 7:00 pm, Mavs All-Access | | at Omaha | W 78–74 | 14–4 (4–1) | Baxter Arena (256) Omaha, NE |
| January 14, 2017 4:30 pm, Fighting Leathernecks All-Access | | North Dakota State | W 110–81 | 15–4 (5–1) | Western Hall (604) Macomb, IL |
| January 21, 2017 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at South Dakota State | L 58–73 | 15–5 (5–2) | Frost Arena (2,305) Brookings, SD |
| January 25, 2017 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | IUPUI | L 72–76 | 15–6 (5–3) | Western Hall (586) Macomb, IL |
| January 28, 2017 1:00 pm, MIDCOSN/ESPN3 | | at South Dakota | W 86–78 | 16–6 (6–3) | Sanford Coyote Sports Center (2,018) Vermillion, SD |
| February 1, 2017 7:00 pm, ORU Sports Network | | at Oral Roberts | W 76–62 | 17–6 (7–3) | Mabee Center (411) Tulsa, OK |
| February 4, 2017 4:30 pm, ESPN3 | | Omaha | W 80–63 | 18–6 (8–3) | Western Hall (1,041) Macomb, IL |
| February 8, 2017 5:00 pm, MIDCOSN/ESPN3 | | at North Dakota State | W 87–60 | 19–6 (9–3) | Scheels Center (712) Fargo, ND |
| February 11, 2017 2:00 pm, Pioneer Vision | | at Denver | W 80–68 | 20–6 (10–3) | Magness Arena (375) Denver, CO |
| February 15, 2017 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | South Dakota State | W 83–77 | 21–6 (11–3) | Western Hall (1,303) Macomb, IL |
| February 22, 2017 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Purdue–Fort Wayne | W 77–51 | 22–6 (12–3) | Western Hall (984) Macomb, IL |
| February 25, 2017 4:30 pm, ESPN3 | | South Dakota | W 81–75 | 23–6 (13–3) | Western Hall (1,596) Macomb, IL |
| Summit League Women's Tournament ||||||
| March 4, 2017 12:00 pm, MidcoSN/ESPN3 | (1) | vs. (8) Denver Quarterfinals | W 82–39 | 24–6 | Denny Sanford Premier Center (3,297) Sioux Falls, SD |
| March 6, 2017 12:00 pm, MidcoSN/ESPN3 | (1) | vs. (5) Omaha Semifinals | W 84–82 | 25–6 | Denny Sanford Premier Center Sioux Falls, SD |
| March 7, 2017 1:00 pm, ESPNU | (1) | vs. (2) IUPUI Championship | W 77–69 | 26–6 | Denny Sanford Premier Center (2,005) Sioux Falls, SD |
| NCAA Women's Tournament ||||||
| March 17, 2017* 7:30 pm, ESPN2 | (14 S) | vs. (3 S) Florida State First Round | L 66–87 | 26–7 | Donald L. Tucker Civic Center Tallahassee, FL |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=Stockton Region. All times are in Central Time. ||||||