# 2023–24 Western Illinois Leathernecks women's basketball team

The 2023–24 Western Illinois Leathernecks women's basketball team represented Western Illinois University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Leathernecks, who were led by 13th-year head coach JD Gravina, played their home games at Western Hall in Macomb, Illinois, as first-year members of the Ohio Valley Conference.

## Previous season

The Leathernecks finished the 2022–23 season 10–20, 5–13 in Summit League play to finish in ninth place. They were defeated by St. Thomas in the first round of the Summit League tournament. This was the Leathernecks' final season as a member of the Summit League, as they moved to the Ohio Valley Conference for the 2023–24 season.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season ||||||
| November 6, 2023* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Mount Mercy | W 81–57 | 1–0 | Western Hall (721) Macomb, IL |
| November 9, 2023* 7:00 pm, B1G+ | | at Wisconsin | L 52–74 | 1–1 | Kohl Center (3,058) Madison, WI |
| November 12, 2023* 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Northern Illinois | W 95–62 | 2–1 | Western Hall (677) Macomb, IL |
| November 15, 2023* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Hannibal–LaGrange | W 101–23 | 3–1 | Western Hall (521) Macomb, IL |
| November 18, 2023* 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Valparaiso | W 76–54 | 4–1 | Athletics–Recreation Center (277) Valparaiso, IN |
| November 20, 2023* 11:00 am, ESPN+ | | Stephens | W 80–51 | 5–1 | Western Hall (1,725) Macomb, IL |
| November 28, 2023* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Chicago State | W 86–72 | 6–1 | Western Hall (566) Macomb, IL |
| December 2, 2023* 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | St. Thomas | W 82–78 | 7–1 | Western Hall (623) Macomb, IL |
| December 5, 2023* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Omaha | W 78–75 | 8–1 | Western Hall (539) Macomb, IL |
| December 10, 2023* 2:00 pm, SLN | | at Kansas City | L 60–68 | 8–2 | Swinney Recreation Center (561) Kansas City, MO |
| December 21, 2023* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Cornell College | W 116–55 | 9–2 | Western Hall (429) Macomb, IL |
| Ohio Valley regular season ||||||
| December 31, 2023 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at SIU Edwardsville | W 81–75 | 10–2 (1–0) | First Community Arena (1,021) Edwardsville, IL |
| January 4, 2024 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Southeast Missouri State | L 66–72 | 10–3 (1–1) | Western Hall (570) Macomb, IL |
| January 6, 2024 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Lindenwood | W 74–58 | 11–3 (2–1) | Western Hall (581) Macomb, IL |
| January 11, 2024 5:30 pm, ESPN+ | | at UT Martin | L 49–68 | 11–4 (2–2) | Skyhawk Arena (1,112) Martin, TN |
| January 13, 2024 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Eastern Illinois | L 63–72 | 11–5 (2–3) | Groniger Arena (727) Charleston, IL |
| January 20, 2024 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Tennessee State | W 79–71 $^{OT}$ | 12–5 (3–3) | Western Hall (861) Macomb, IL |
| January 25, 2024 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Southern Indiana | L 61–81 | 12–6 (3–4) | Screaming Eagles Arena (1,365) Evansville, IN |
| January 27, 2024 12:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Morehead State | W 65–59 | 13–6 (4–4) | Ellis Johnson Arena (845) Morehead, KY |
| February 1, 2024 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Lindenwood | W 75–68 | 14–6 (5–4) | Hyland Performance Arena (407) St. Charles, MO |
| February 3, 2024 1:30 pm, ESPN+ | | at Southeast Missouri State | W 70–59 | 15–6 (6–4) | Show Me Center (415) Cape Girardeau, MO |
| February 8, 2024 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Little Rock | L 41–50 | 15–7 (6–5) | Western Hall (796) Macomb, IL |
| February 10, 2024 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | UT Martin | W 71–61 | 16–7 (7–5) | Western Hall (786) Macomb, IL |
| February 15, 2024 5:30 pm, ESPN+ | | at Tennessee Tech | L 66–77 | 16–8 (7–6) | Eblen Center (910) Cookeville, TN |
| February 17, 2024 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Tennessee State | L 71–84 | 16–9 (7–7) | Gentry Complex (709) Nashville, TN |
| February 22, 2024 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Morehead State | L 85–87 $^{2OT}$ | 16–10 (7–8) | Western Hall (550) Macomb, IL |
| February 24, 2024 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Southern Indiana | L 89–96 $^{OT}$ | 16–11 (7–9) | Western Hall (880) Macomb, IL |
| February 29, 2024 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Eastern Illinois | W 64–54 | 17–11 (8–9) | Western Hall (811) Macomb, IL |
| March 2, 2024 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | SIU Edwardsville | W 84–56 | 18–11 (9–9) | Western Hall (798) Macomb, IL |
| Ohio Valley tournament ||||||
| March 6, 2024 3:30 pm, ESPN+ | (7) | vs. (6) Tennessee Tech First round | L 69–78 | 18–12 | Ford Center (464) Evansville, IN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central. ||||||
Sources: