By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

MACOMB, Ill. — Western Illinois cashed in on bonus basketball.

The Leathernecks took the postseason invitation they didn’t expect to get, and kept dancing — no, really, they were dancing — with an 89-74 win over Lipscomb in the first round of the WNIT on Thursday night at Western Hall.

Western Illinois (17-16) will play at Illinois State (21-12) in Sunday’s 2 p.m. second-round game.

The Leathernecks have gone from the tears after the elimination from the Ohio Valley Conference tournament two weeks ago to the joyous chorus-line kicks to the WIU band’s traditional post-game playing of “Georgia On My Mind” after this victory, so it’s OK if they’re still in a bit of a daze in how all it’s all transpired.

“It was kind of a roller coaster because we didn’t know if we were going to play again, and I really didn’t know if I was ever going to play again,” said fifth-year guard Mallory McDermott. “So I think just being grateful for the opportunity has been a big thing this week, and the part that I think has really helped that excitement, is that we got to host, so we got to do it at home. So then we got to have one more chance in Western Hall. And the crowd was awesome. It was really fun. That was a lot of energy.”

The Leathernecks lost to Lindenwood in the OVC semifinals, and didn’t expect a call to a postseason tournament.

“Allie Meadows left her shoes at the Ford Center (in Evansville), because she thought she was done with them,” coach JD Gravina said, smiling. “That’s a true story.”

The players and coaches went their separate ways for spring break, then upon their return to campus found out on Sunday that they not only were in the WNIT, but they would be at home.

“We all took this time off,” Gravina said. “Actually, in a way, that’s a little bit of a blessing. I think when you have the season that we had, it might have been tough to practice over spring break.”

The Leathernecks won three of their last five games, and picked up two wins in the conference tournament. The surprise postseason bid didn’t come with any pressure.

“I’ll just be real honest — we ended strong,” Gravina said. “We’re in a great mental place. We had fun. We were loving on each other. We went off to spring break, and so then this really felt like bonus basketball. It didn’t feel like a continuation of our season. It felt like an extra-credit assignment. And I think that helped our mentality.”

“Technically, the stakes aren’t as high as the conference tournament,” junior forward Mia Nicastro said. “We’re not playing for an NCAA tournament bid. Like JD said, hey, we’re here, we might as well do our best. Obviously, we’re all really competitive. We’re never just gonna lay down and say, ‘Whatever…. But it is kind of just less stress, less pressure.”

The Leathernecks only trailed once, and that was at 4-2 three minutes into the game, and led by as much as 21 points.

Raegan McCowan led Western Illinois with 28 points and 15 rebounds. She picked up three first-half fouls, but didn’t get another one the rest of the game.

“I did come out the second half pretty mindful, you know, knowing that No. 3 (Molly Heard), who I was guarding, was going to come at me, but ultimately, I just tried to keep my hands back,” McCowan said. “I had great help on her drives too. So I think that really helped.”

McCowan’s third foul came with 1:47 left in the second quarter and the Leathernecks up 32-24, but Nicastro, Meadows and Addi Brownfield combined for a 6-0 run to end the half.

“I think it’s just relying on each other,” McCowan said.

She nodded toward McDermott and Nicastro.

“Sometimes when stuff’s not working for you, I know these two have my back, and when it’s not working for me,I’m gonna give them the ball, and it’s probably gonna work for either one of the two,” McCowan said.

“It helps to have a really versatile team,” said Nicastro, who had 26 points. “We have a lot of weapons on this team, and on any given night. anyone can be really dangerous. I can think, in the game, everyone who entered the game had a big play. I can think of everyone who had a big play or a big shot, and that’s hard to stop.”

The Leathernecks aren’t planning on stopping now that they’re going again.

Bonus basketball, at home? It was fun, McDermott said.

“I think I’ve had an awesome couple weeks, honestly,” said McDermott, who scored 16 points after being honored before the game for reaching the 1,000-point mark for her career. “I’ve had kind of a picture-perfect ending. We’ve had some fun wins. We played as a team, got to play in Western Hall one more time. Can’t beat that. So it was awesome.”

Photo: Western Illinois’ Raegan McCowan shoots over Lipscomb’s Molly Heard in Thursday’s WNIT first-round game. (Photo courtesy of WIU Athletic Communications)