By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Western Illinois’ women’s basketball team already had plenty of experience and depth coming back this season — the Leathernecks were one of just a few NCAA Division I teams not to have anyone enter the transfer portal in the offseason.

Still, when coach JD Gravina had a chance to get a player with the resumé of forward Mallory Shetley, he wasn’t going to pass that up.

Shetley scored 2,197 points in five seasons to become the all-time leading scorer at NAIA school Columbia (Mo.) College, and with a year of NCAA eligibility available to her this season, Gravina knew she would be a perfect addition.

Gravina considered Shetley a “sixth starter,” given her experience, but she spent the first 10 games of the season as the first player off the bench. Now, with starter Raegan McCowan out indefinitely with an elbow injury, Shetley has moved into the starting lineup, and the Leathernecks have kept going.

McCowan is a two-time first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection, but to replace her with a player with a five-time all-conference selection is something that has proven to be important for the Leathernecks.

“We might be the only team in the country that had a 1,500-point scorer go out and we replaced her with a 2,000-point scorer,” Gravina joked after the Leathernecks defeated SIUE 75-51 last Monday in Shetley’s first start.

“I’ve been around the block,” Shetley said, smiling.

Shetley is averaging 8.5 points and 3.7 rebounds for Western Illinois (10-1 overall, 2-0 OVC), but having a player with her experience filling in for McCowan is important as the Leathernecks get back into OVC play with this weekend’s road trip to UT-Martin and Southeast Missouri State.

Shetley had 13 points and five rebounds in the win over SIUE, but her presence was as important as the numbers.

“I just think having an experienced player like that makes everyone more settled,” Gravina said. “It’s huge to have someone like Mallory.”

“It helps immensely,” said forward Mia Nicastro. “She’s in her sixth year of college basketball, and she’s just calm and collected under pressure. She does a lot of things that we need her to do.”

“You can just tell when she’s out there, her basketball IQ is on another level,” guard Addi Brownfield said. “Her experience, you really see that out there. And we’re lucky to have her this year.”

McCowan was injured early in the third quarter of the win at Lindenwood. Shetley, who had 16 points and four rebounds in the win, had eight points and three rebounds once she replaced McCowan in the final two quarters, including a 3-point play with 1:48 left that helped clinch the victory.

Shetley has five double-digit scoring games this season, including 10 points against nationally-ranked Iowa. Still, the jump to a higher level of player required some adjustments.

“I feel like it’s been more of the speed of the game more than anything else, but all my teammates believed in me,” she said. “They knew I could just jell right into the team, and the coaches believed in me, and we got going.

“I really like it here.”

“Mallory, she’s an amazing player,” Brownfield said. “She knows what she’s doing. And for us to have that kind of depth this season, that’s so important. It’s basketball, it’s a long, grueling season, and to know that we have girls that come off the bench and put in super productive minutes, that’s going to take us a long way this year.”

Photo: Western Illinois forward Mallory Shetley prepares to shoot a free throw in last Monday’s win over SIUE. (Photo by John Lovretta)