WIU men and women relying on offensive balance early

They may not have come against the most glamorous, high-profile programs in the country, but a win is a win and when you’re hungry for victory, you’re not going to argue with the ‘W’.
Both the Western Illinois men and women basketball programs picked up much-needed wins over the weekend as the Leatherneck women (1-6) earned their first victory of the year, a 79-57 victory over Bellarmine on Saturday.
The men followed with their first win over a Division I program this year, an 81-63 win over Tennessee-Martin on Sunday.
In both wins, offensive balance was at the forefront for the Leathernecks as Evan Zars (16 points, nine rebounds), Danni Nichols (15 points, 10 rebounds), Sam Pryor (12 points) and Mallory McDermott (nine points) led the way.
For the men, Will Carius would score 18 points in the win. Justin Brookens added 15, Tamell Pearson and Cameron Burrell each added 11 and Anthony Jones scored nine.
Balance will be the key for any WIU success for the men and women this year as both do not feature one, big standout scorer, but several capable players chipping in each night.
For the women, Zars leads the way with 11 ppg. while Nichols adds 10.1. Grace Gilmore is averaging 9.3 while McDermott scores nine per night, Anna Deets has eight and Pryor 7.6.
The Western men bring similar balance to the table.
Pearson has been WIU’s most consistent scorer, is averaging 12.3. Brookens, backed by a big night earlier this season also scores 12.3 a night.
Carius is scoring 11.3, Rod Johnson 9.3 and Ramean Hinton adds 7.6 off the bench.
Scoring and depth will be tested for both genders this week as the Western women visit Iowa City to take on the 4-1, high-flying Hawkeyes while the men hit the road for Chicago to take on DePaul in the season opener for the Blue Demons.
The WIU women play at 1 p.m. on Tuesday while the men have a late 8 p.m. start on Wednesday.