By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

MACOMB, Ill. — Sean Smith made sure to take a copy of the box score with him as he left Western Hall on Wednesday night.

“For sure I’m sending this home,” the Western Illinois senior guard said.

It was certainly a keepsake.

Smith had a triple-double — 24 rebounds, 11 assists and 10 rebounds — in the Leathernecks’ 97-64 win over St. Ambrose.

It was the sixth triple-double by an NCAA Division I player this season, and the first for a Leatherneck since Trenton Massner’s triple-double in 2022 against Illinois State.

“It means a lot,” Smith said. “But I don’t get it without my teammates.”

“It’s rare to see a triple-double these days,” guard Marko Maletic said. “So that’s big-time.”

It’s what coach Chad Boudreau had predicted when he sat down with Smith in the summer.

“We talked about it at length, about him getting triple-doubles during the year just because of his ability to score, his ability to rebound with the length he has, and then if there were enough shot-makers around him, he could get the assists,” Boudreau said. “It’s something that he can do, that he has the ability to do, because he’s long enough, athletic enough, and he’s such an intelligent player that these things come very easy.”

Smith was two assists short when he came out of the game with 3:16 to play and the Leathernecks up 90-52. But Western Illinois was a little short on available guards with Ryan Myers out with a concussion, and Smith came back into the game a minute later.

“He had to come in because (forward) Tay (Knox) was hitting the wall, he was tired,” Boudreau said.

“I was really trying to get on the boards tonight,” Smith said, smiling. “I really didn’t know how many assists I had and when I found out I needed two, I wanted to get back in there.”

Smith’s ninth assist came on a 3-pointer from Trey Deveaux with 1:18 to go, then the 10th came on Massal Diouf’s layup with 47 seconds to play.

“It means a lot,” Smith said of the accomplishment. “But really, you know, we got the (win), that’s all that really matters at the end of the day.”

Smith transferred to Western Illinois in the spring after averaging just 5.1 points at Alabama State last season. He is averaging 11.7 points this season.

“I’m happy for him, because Sean’s an awesome kid,” Boudreau said. “I still think his ceiling is higher than a lot of people before have thought, though. Games like this can give you the confidence to keep pushing yourself, and do more things.”

The Fighting Bees were the first of two non-Division I opponents for the Leathernecks (5-4) this week — they play East-West University on Friday — and Boudreau was wanting to build some confidence for his team with Ohio Valley Conference play coming up in two weeks.

“I have all the confidence in the world in our guards, we just need to get someone else to step up and help them, and this is an opportunity for a lot of guys to step up,” Boudreau said.

“I think it’s good to get guys in rhythm, guys who haven’t played that well or shot that well,” said Maletic, who had 21 points. “You know, it’s good to get them in rhythm, and especially with conference play coming.”

Julius Rollins added 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting for the Leathernecks. Knox had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

“Just a shout out to the guys who stepped up,” Smith said. “You never know when your name is going to be called. You’ve got to be ready, and a lot of guys stepped up tonight.”

Photo: Western Illinois guard Sean Smith drives to the basket in the first half of Wednesday’s game against St. Ambrose. (Photo courtesy of WIU Athletic Communications)