MONMOUTH, Ore. – The No. 4 nationally-ranked Western Oregon University men’s basketball team avenged its early-season loss to Western Washington University with an 89-73 victory over the Vikings Thursday evening in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action in the New PE Gymnasium.
WWU had its five-game winning streak snapped to drop to 20-7 overall and remains in 2nd place in the GNAC with a 15-4 league mark. Western will be the No. 2 seed in the GNAC Championships that will be played March 1-3 at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, Alaska.
WOU extended its winning streak to 19 consecutive games, the longest active winning streak in NCAA Division I or II, to improve to 26-1 overall and remain undefeated in home games at 14-0. The victory also clinched the GNAC regular-season title for WOU, the third in the last four seasons, with an 18-1 league record. The Wolves’ only defeat this season was a 27-point loss, 85-57, Dec. 2, 2017 against the Vikings in Carver Gym in Bellingham.
The Vikings faced their biggest halftime deficit (18 points) and allowed the most first half points to an opponent this season trailing 54-36 through the first 20 minutes of the game. WWU grabbed a quick 4-2 lead, but from that point on the Wolves controlled the first half building their lead to as many as 20 points. WOU went on an early 13-2 run to grow its lead to 9 points at 15-6 and added another 17-7 run late in the first half.
Western Oregon led virtually wire-to-wire in the 16-point victory, shooting 45.1% from the field (32-for-71) compared to the 42.9% mark from WWU (21-for-49). WOU was 9-for-27 from 3-point range, while the Vikings tied their season-low with two 3-pointers made going 2-for-16 (12.5%) from beyond the arc.
Sophomore forward Daulton Hommes (Lynden, WA/Lynden Christian) scored a game-high 21 points for the Vikings, shooting 5-for-10 from the field and was 11-for-12 from the free throw line. He also grabbed a game-high-tying 7 rebounds. Junior guard Trey Drechsel (Woodinville, WA/Cedar Park Christian) added 16 points.
Western Oregon had four players reach double-figures in scoring, led by 20 points from senior guard Ali Faruq-Bey (6-for-17 FG). Vince Boumann (13 points, 6-for-10 FG), Riley Hawken (12 points, 4-for-7 FG) and Malik Morgan (11 points, 3-for-9 FG) also reached double-digits in scoring. The Wolves out-scored the Vikings 42-30 in the paint and held a 39-32 advantage in rebounds.
Hommes led the Vikings in the first half with 13 points on 3-for-7 shooting from the floor, recording over half his points from the free throw line going 7-for-7. Drechsel added 10 points on 3-for-4 shooting and was 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Western shot 44.0% from the field (11-for-25) and was nearly perfect from the charity stripe going 14-for-16, but was 0-for-4 from beyond the arc.
WOU was led by a first-half-leading 14 points from Faruq-Bey (4-for-8 FG) and 13 points from Boumann (6-for-9 FG). The Wolves shot 52.8% from the field (19-for-36) and were 5-for-13 from 3-point range.
Western Oregon opened the second half on a 11-0 run to grow its lead to 29 points at 65-36. The Vikings cut the lead to 20 points at 65-45 with a 9-0 run, but senior Tanner Omlid connected on a 4-point play to grow the lead back to 24 points. WWU out-scored WOU 37-35 in the second half, but couldn’t overcome the deficit that hovered above 20 points for most of the second half.
The Vikings (20-7, 15-4) complete their Oregon road trip and the 2017-18 regular season Saturday with a 7 pm match-up against Concordia on LCEF Court in Portland. The game can be followed via a live webcast and live stats at GNAC.tv. WWU will then head to the postseason for the 10th consecutive season competing in the GNAC Championships that will be held March 1-3 at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, Alaska.
Game Notes: WWU had its 5-game winning streak snapped and suffered only its second loss of the season on the road (9-2)…Daulton Hommes scored in double-digits for the 26th time in 27 games this season (47 of 58 career games)…the 54 first-half points allowed set a season high, bettering 49 points allowed against Saint Martin’s (1/25) and Seattle Pacific (1/27)…18-point halftime deficit also set a season-high (previous: 14 points vs. Saint Martin’s)…WWU made its first 3-pointer of the game at the 2:38 mark in the second half, extending its streak of consecutive games with a made 3-pointer to 218 games…the last time WWU did not made a 3-pointer in a game was the season-opener of the 2011-12 national championship season vs. Dominican (11/4/11)…Trey Drechsel was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 Team earlier in the day, becoming the third WWU player to earn that honor in 20 years at the NCAA Division II level…WWU committed 20 turnovers, leading to 27 WOU points (2nd-most turnovers in a game this season, 21 in season-opener vs. Notre Dame de Namur).
About WWU Basketball:
One of the premier basketball programs in NCAA Division II, recording a 20-win season in eight of the last 10 seasons. WWU is a six-time Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion and has appeared in the NCAA II Elite 8 three times. The Vikings won the 2011-12 NCAA Division II National Championship and advanced the following season to the NCAA II Final Four. Western is coming off a 2016-17 season where the program went 25-6, winning the GNAC regular season and conference championships title, and advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships as the No. 3 seed in the West Region. The program enters its 116th season, having combined for 1,478 victories and a .591 winning percentage.
— @WWUHoops —
