Lake Larsen | Sports Editor
Coming off a double digit loss in their last home game and their second loss in a row, the Wolves needed to right their ship if they wanted any hope of a postseason. Sitting at eighth in the GNAC, Western was desperate for a conference win on Jan. 19. In the first of two Western home games in the night, the Wolves took the court against last place Alaska Fairbanks University.
From the first tip off it was evident that Western was playing at a much higher level than the Nanooks. A swift 10 point run took the Wolves to a double digit lead before Alaska Fairbanks scored a single point. A three pointer and a pair of jumpers helped the Nanooks narrow the margin to five, but this was no worry for the Wolves. The first quarter finished as it started, with Western on top by 10.
The second quarter turned into a shooting gallery for Western. Layups were followed by three pointers which were followed by jumpers, then followed by more layups. There seemed to be no answer by the Nanooks for Western’s relentless shooting as the Wolves kept extending their lead.
After the half, what was once considered a basketball game devolved into an all out massacre. Western’s deadly offense pushed the lead to higher and higher margins. Starting the half with a whopping 25 point lead, the Wolves blew past the defense of the Nanooks to finish the 3rd quarter with an immense 37 point lead, more than doubling the score of Alaska Fairbanks.
The 4th quarter saw the Nanooks show some signs of life by bringing the lead back to only 29 points by the end of the game. But the game was seemingly over before it started. Western snapped their losing streak and finished the night on top with a final score of 79-50. Their next home match is Feb. 7 against Western Washington University.
Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu
