By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Mia Nicastro’s approach to every game is the same.

“I kind of like to come into every game with the mentality and the mindset that I’m the best player on the floor,” the Western Illinois senior forward said.

The numbers back up that mentality and then some — statistics that say she’s one of the best players in NCAA Division I play this season.

Nicastro is averaging 23.2 points per game, which ties her with Shay Ciezki of Indiana for sixth overall nationally in scoring. She’s also tied with Ciezki as the top scorer among seniors in Division I.

Asked to describe Nicastro, teammate Allie Meadows said, “Oh my gosh. Superstar.”

Again, the numbers back that up. Nicastro also averages 10 rebounds per game, which ranks her 26th nationally. She also has seven double-doubles this season.

“What happened is she worked really hard,” Western Illinois coach JD Gravina said. “I mean, she got in the gym really hard this summer, and I think that helped her game, but what it really helped her was her confidence. She’s just playing with an unbelievable amount of confidence. And our team has embraced that.”

“Senior year, you want to feel confident, you want to feel comfortable, you want to feel good, you want to be able to fight through some mental challenges,” Nicastro said. “And I feel like I’ve been doing a good job of that.”

Nicastro has scored in double figures in every game this season, with two games of more than 30 points. She had a 23-point game in a home win over Missouri Valley Conference foe Bradley, then followed that up with a 20-point game against nationally-ranked Iowa.

Last year was a sort of rebirth for Nicastro’s career after her transfer from Saint Louis. After starting 24 games as a freshman and helping lead the Billikens to the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Nicastro’s role changed the following year. She played in just 26 games, averaging 5.5 minutes.

The transfer to Western Illinois got her back on track. She averaged 15.3 points and 7.3 rebounds on the way to first-team all-conference and all-newcomer honors in the Ohio Valley Conference.

“I can feel that confidence in me from everyone, from my teammates, from my coaches,” Nicastro said. “I’m really lucky just to have teammates who believe in me and support me, and look for me to play a big role. “I have teammates who look to get me the ball, look to find me when I’m open. They are  just unselfish, and that’s just huge. I mean, every single person on this team is an unselfish player.”

“You can get it to her in the lane, you know what to look for,” Meadows said. “She knows when to look for you. It’s almost just kind of like a lifesaver out there, something you can get involved on every play.”

Nicastro was a big part of the Leathernecks’ final run to put away Saturday’s 77-60 win over Tennessee Tech. She scored 25 points in the game, eight in the 16-1 run that came after Tennessee Tech got within 54-48 early in the fourth quarter.

“You can get it to her, and she knows what to do with the basketball,” Meadows said.

“When you’ve got a 6-2 kid who can step out and hit shots, it really puts pressure on the defense,” Gravina said of Nicastro, who has made 34.4% of her 3-point shots this season. “She can pull up and hit shots, she can drive to the basket. They double her, she can get the ball to someone else. She’s just playing with a lot of confidence right now.”

It’s all about the mindset.

“It’s taken me a long time to get to the mental point where even if I face some adversity in game, I can kind of stay focused, and I can keep a clear mindset and keep that confidence,” Nicastro said. “And I just feel really good.”

Photo: Western Illinois forward Mia Nicastro is one of the top scorers in NCAA Division I play this season. (Photo by John Lovretta)