Senior Wilmont undaunted by recent 'slump'

Don't tell Rod Wilmont that he's in a slump. He'll just smile and laugh it off.\nThe IU senior has scored just four points on 1-of-8 shooting in the last two games. But to Wilmont, that's no reason to discount his shooting and scoring abilities when IU faces Western Illinois University (3-4) at 7 p.m. tonight at Assembly Hall.\n"I was just off last game; that's all it was," Wilmont said. "I just felt like my shot was just flat, and I wasn't getting enough legs under me. But I'm not in a slump or anything."\nDespite his offensive struggles against the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Saturday, Wilmont grabbed a career-best 10 rebounds in the Hoosiers' 74-57 victory. He and the rest of the IU defense have limited opponents to an average of 62 points per game this season, a trend that junior forward D.J. White said he would like to see continue.\n"Our defense has been pretty good the past couple games," White said. "What we emphasize right now is offensive execution. Everybody is unfamiliar with the offense right now; people are kind of timid in certain situations. It just requires reps in practice."\nIU (4-2) will travel out of the state for just the second time on the season Saturday to take on the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington, Ky. But first, Wilmont said the Hoosiers are not overlooking tonight's game and have been making the necessary changes in practice to improve as a team.\n"We have gotten better since last week, two weeks ago," Wilmont said. "It's gonna take time for the offense to flow. We did better last game. Coach (Kelvin Sampson) is changing some things. Because he's a good coach, he made some adjustments."\nThe Hoosiers received an offensive boost against Charlotte on Saturday night when junior Lance Stemler returned to action after sustaining a concussion that forced him to miss nearly an entire week of practice. The forward contributed 10 points in 12 minutes of play against the 49ers, and he said Tuesday that he was happy to get back onto the court.\n"My legs were a little wobbly there for the first couple of minutes just because I got a little winded right away," Stemler said. "I had done some running, but I was really limited on what I could do."\nStemler could see more playing time tonight against the Leathernecks with his health vastly improved from last week. He and the other Hoosier perimeter players will face a Western Illinois squad tonight that has had five of its six games decided by three points or less, two of which have gone into overtime. The Leatherneck defense has allowed 72 points per game but just 30 percent 3-point shooting.\nLast season against Western Illinois, though, the Hoosiers went on a 3-point barrage, nailing 16 3-pointers -- the second-most in school history -- en route to a 102-79 victory in Macomb, Ill. \nSo will Wilmont pass up a 3-pointer tonight if given a good look?\n"No chance. If I'm open, I'm shooting," he said. "Shooters go through those times. I'll be fine (tonight)"