Mount Hood

Struggles persist

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

Women’s basketball suffered a pair of losses last week when they hosted conference rivals Concordia and Montana State Billings.

Late in the game against Billings, the Wolves held a 12 point lead but the Yellowjackets completed a comeback in the dying minutes. The Wolves, who had led for more than half of the game, committed 11 fouls in the final six minutes the game. The Yellowjackets were able to capitalize, picking up 16 points on free throws.

The final score was 60-64. The four point loss was the closest the Wolves had come to winning since their three point victory over Northwest Nazarene on Jan. 21.

Sophomore guard Kaylie Boschma put up 16 points against Concordia and 10 points against Montana State Billings to make it four games in a row with double-digit scoring.

With no games played over the weekend, the Wolves are having a full week off after their dropped game against the Yellowjackets. On Thursday, Feb. 16, they host the last team they defeated as Northwest Nazarene makes the trip to Monmouth.

With four games left in the season, the Wolves have a 7-16 record and are ranked 10th in the GNAC.

Contact the author at jorunalsports@wou.edu

Who’ll stop the rain?

By: Burke​ ​De​ ​Boer
Sports​ ​Editor

Wolves baseball is eager to get its season started, but the season doesn’t want to start for Wolves baseball.

A slated double header against Concordia in Monmouth was rained out at the start of February. In last weekend’s trip to Fresno, the rain allowed only two games to be played out of a scheduled four.

Western Oregon garnered a 1-1 record out of the scheduled six games.

The first game of the season saw Western trail 5-4 before putting up a three-run eighth inning to rally over Fresno Pacific.

Sophomore shortstop Garrett Anderson scored two runs in the 7-5 victory. Sophomore first baseman Koty Fallon hit in two RBIs.

The second game had excellent pitching blaze five scoreless innings. Senior right hander Elias Bedolla was pitching a no-hitter going into the sixth inning when everything went upside down. The first run came on an RBI when Bedolla hit the Fresno batter with bases loaded.

Western Oregon would commit two errors and give up a total of seven runs, three of which were unearned.

Western lost the second game, 0-7.

The Wolves are in San Diego this weekend. NBC San Diego reports rain in the forecast.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Record-setting weekend for indoor track

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

The Wolves track and field team was named the GNAC team of the week after an incredible showing at the University of Washington Invitational.

The indoor track event saw Western Oregon break two conference records and five school records.

Junior distance runner David Ribich ran a mile in 4:02.30 to set a new record for both the school and the conference. It’s also this year’s first NCAA automatic qualifier coming out of the conference and stands as the fastest time in all of Division II so far.

Kennedy Rufener then finished the 5,000 meter race in 17:24.07, a new school record. Her time currently leads the GNAC.

School records were set in both the men’s and women’s distance medley relay.

First-year sprinter Grayson Burke arrived with a flash, joining the veteran 4×400 meter relay team to set the fifth team record.

Junior Suzanne Van De Grift was involved in both the distance medley relay and the 4×400 meter relay teams to get into the record books twice. She also ran a 2:14.10 to rank 16th in the nation in the 800 meters.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Dispatches from the sports desk

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

The Washington Wizards opened the year terribly, going 2-8 but turned things around and have the best record in the east over the last two months.

Just last week, they dressed in all-black to put their rivalry with the Celtics to rest. And it was a funeral, beating the third-ranked Celtics 123-108. They followed it by thrashing the fourth-ranked Hawks 112-86.

Meanwhile, at the top of the Eastern Conference, the Cavs lost to the Blazers, the Pelicans, the Kings. LeBron made headlines saying his team is too top-heavy.

Cleveland will get back on track; LeBron teams always do. But if this Washington team stays on form I’m seeing a new candidate for sheriff in the east.

John Wall has scored right around 30 points a game for two months. He’s averaging 23 points and 10 assists this season. That’s an average of a double-double.

Otto Porter and Bradley Beal have also found themselves. The young core that Washington spent a few years developing is now paying off.

Coming off the bench, Kelly Oubre is a defensive machine and Trey Burke sometimes shows flashes of lightning. If the Cavs are worried about depth, the Wiz may be the stuff of nightmares.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Get amped for baseball

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

The Wolves were ranked second in the GNAC preseason poll, and pitcher Brady Miller was named an All-American as high hopes were extended to Western Oregon Baseball.

The college baseball season is upon us. It would already be here, but Western Oregon’s opening pitch was delayed on account of weather. Last weekend’s rain postponed a double-header against Corban.

And so excitement continues to build as the Wolves wait to get the 2017 season under way.

The preseason coaches’ poll placed Western Oregon second in the GNAC, with one vote for first place. Northwest Nazarene, the team that beat the Wolves for the GNAC championship in last year’s 8-9 title game, remain on top.

Then the National College Baseball Writers released their preseason rankings, where the Wolves and Northwest Nazarene tie for 10th place in the western region.

The Baseball Writers also named their preseason All-American rosters. Junior pitcher Brady Miller made the All-West first team and the All-American third team.

Miller was last year’s GNAC pitcher of the year, going 10-2 with a 3.14 ERA.

The Wolves will open their season this weekend in Fresno. After some time on the road, their first game at home is a double header on March 4.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Dispatches from the sports desk

By:Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

The Korean Zombie earned a first round knockout of ninth-ranked Dennis Bermudez in his return bout.

Bermudez opened the Feb. 4 fight with strong blows, but found the inevitable lurch of Chan Sung Jung to be inescapable.

A bear of an uppercut took Bermudez to the ground. Jung was on him, delivering hits, when the fight was called.

Knockout. 2:49 in the first.

Probably a bit of an early stoppage, all things considered. But the bell was rung and what’s done was done.

I’ve been a fan of The Korean Zombie since I first found out there was a fighter with the nickname “The Korean Zombie.” A few years ago, he was one of the most exciting, rope-a-dope fighters out there.

The prevailing theme across fight media is “The Korean Zombie is back!” He didn’t have as much as ring rust as many predicted and he picked up a win in his classic style.

Belal Muhammad tweeted, “There was three years of anger in that uppercut.”

We shouldn’t be this surprised.

We may remember that he missed his fights in 2014 following a shoulder injury he suffered in his championship fight. But he’s not returning from that injury. He’s back from serving mandatory time in the South Korean Military.

That time serving not only gave him time to heal, but it was time spent keeping him fighting fit.

South Korea raises one of Asia’s strongest militaries. And in the case of Chan Sung Jung, one of the world’s toughest fighters. The soldier’s return has put his division on notice.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Wolves on a hot streak

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

Men’s basketball continued its dominant streak with two wins at home last week.

This extends the winning streak

The Wolves beat St. Martin’s 82-73 in a Feb. 2 home match. Junior forward Tanner Omlid lead the scoring with 23 points.

The defense shutting St. Martin’s down opened the door for a lot of points, as the
Wolves forced 16 turnovers and scored 22 points off of turnovers. Junior forward JJ Chirnside grabbed 8 rebounds and made 3 blocks, while Omlid added 5 rebounds, six steals and 2 blocks of his own.

Chirnside also contributed 15 points of offense.

The game saw a few lead changes as the teams sparred through the first half. But after halftime it was all Wolves. Western Oregon lead by as much as 16 throughout the second half on their way to the 9-point win.

Three dunks were slammed in by Omlid and Chirnside through the second half.

Tanner Omlid continued to put on a clinic when Seattle Pacific came to Monmouth on Feb. 4. He scored 18 and made 15 rebounds on his way to a double-double.

The Wolves took down Seattle Pacific, 84-70 in the GNAC Game of the Week.

Junior guard Ali Faruq-Bey and JJ Chirnside both put up 17 points. Coming off the bench, junior guard Demetrius Trammell scored 11 to make it four – Wolves with double digit points.

Trammell lead the much stronger bench performance, which saw the Wolves’ reserves score 27 while the Seattle Pacific bench was held to four. Senior forward Yanick Kulich also contributed 8 points in 10 minutes off the bench.

“We are just playing a lot harder and we’re all on the same page now,” JJ Chirnside said on the team’s recent form. “We’re moving the ball well and getting better on the defensive end. We’re getting stops which leads us to transition points.”

The Wolves are on the road this week, and will face Western Washington, one of the last teams they lost to before going on the win streak.

“We’ve learned a lot from them,” Chirnside said. “We just need to keep getting better everyday ‘til then.”

Western Washington are the top-ranked team in the GNAC, but have only a single game advantage on the third-ranked Wolves.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Softball opens season

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

Wolves softball traveled to Las Vegas for their first taste of competition in 2017. The season started hit-and-miss, and after three days of gameplay the Wolves are now at 2-3.

The first day was the hardest, as the Wolves suffered two losses. The first was a tight 1-3 to Azusa Pacific. In the second game, playing Chico State, Western Oregon went into the seventh inning with a 4-2 lead. But Chico State was able to capitalize on final mistakes, and won 7-4 in extra innings.

A high scoring second day saw Western Oregon win one and lose one. The win against Minot State came courtesy of a big fifth inning, where the Wolves scored three runs to take the lead and close out 5-4.

Senior Ashlee Lynch scored a homerun in the game, while first year pitcher Chandler Bishop recorded the win in relief.

The final loss came at the hands of Cal State San Bernardino, who scored the winning run on an RBI double in the home half of the final inning.

Senior Sammi Cadwallader pitched a shutout against Cal State Monterey Bay for the final win. Senior Kelsie Gardner scored the only run of the day in the first inning.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Pro women’s hockey fights for a future

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

It was only recently that women hockey players in this country began to be paid for their sport.

Now the National Women’s Hockey League is midway through its second season and the Boston Pride tops the table. The three teams below them are the Buffalo Beauts, the New York Riveters and the Connecticut Whale.

It is a faster-paced game than what is played on NHL ice, with less pauses to fight. And while NHL rosters tend to be dominated by Canadians, here American women lead the way.

Which only makes sense, as Team USA has won the world championship in each of the last three years.

While the Pride are undefeated, sitting at 11 wins from 11 games, the remaining three teams have played largely balanced games against one another.

League founder and commissioner Dani Rylan built the league on a strong business model, the likes is seen across all of professional sports. This attracted team owners, investors and sponsors. ESPN’s online streaming service ESPN3 has aired matches, and Dunkin Donuts gave the league a multi-year sponsorship deal.

But to make it over the hump that every new business faces, some concessions had to be made. The most notable was a pay cut early into the 2016-17 season. The 10,000 dollar minimum player salary was cut in half last November.

This is seen as an unfortunate yet necessary step from management. The first women’s league to pay its players does not intend to fold. The goal is to return to the original salary next year. But before that can be accomplished, the league must see financial improvements.

The league will continue to provide all uniforms and equipment to its teams. This too is a first for post-collegiate women’s hockey leagues in America.

The sports world certainly benefits from having a salaried women’s hockey league. What remains to be determined is just how far it will go.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Men’s Basketball goes 3-1 on Road



By: TK Layman
staff writer

Western Oregon Wolves Men’s Basketball finished a two-week road trip with a pair of wins last week.

The Wolves ended up edging out the Northwest NazareneCrusaders in a 69-67 victory. Ali Faruq-Bey totaled a team high 23 points that night, tacking on 5 defensive rebounds and 2 steals. Tanner Omlid had a great overall performance, totaling 13 points with 9 rebounds, 3 blocked shots, 6 assists, and 6 steals.

Rounding out the road trip the Wolves had an 85-68 win over the Central Washington Wildcats. Wolves Faruq-Bey continued his scoring performance with 21 points, scoring 15-of- 21 behind the arc. JJ Chirnside helped with a great defensive performance adding 8 rebounds to his 13 total points for the game.

Following the road trip the Wolves sit with an 11-9 record, 8-4 GNAC, putting them in third place for men’s GNAC standings.

They return home Thursday, Feb. 2 where they take on the Saint Martin’s Saints in the Hall vs. Hall night.

Follow the Wolves online at wouwolves.com
Contact the author at tlayman16@mail.wou.edu

Defensive skills not enough

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

The Wolves lost 45-65 to Western Washington and 49-60 to Simon Fraser.

Junior guard Shelby Snook put up 19 points against 15th-ranked Western Washington.

Junior forward Savannah Heugly made her second start in a row, and put up 9 points while grabbing 6 rebounds.

Western Washington benefitted from depth. Their bench put up 20 points while the Wolves’ bench could only score eight.

The Wolves forced 18 turnovers but couldn’t capitalize on them as well as the Vikings.
Against Simon Fraser the Wolves forced even more turnovers, with 21.

Though the defense was solid once again, the offense couldn’t generate enough to top 21st-ranked Simon Fraser.

Sophomore forward Ali Nelke and junior guard Sydney Azorr both but up 10 points.

The Wolves will be back in Monmouth on Feb. 7.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Men’s basketball tested in Alaska

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

The Wolves had their most dominant win of the season in Fairbanks on Saturday, Jan. 21, and came away from a trip to Alaska with a win and a loss.

Junior guard Demetrius Trammell impressed in both games in Alaska, first scoring a team-high of 17 against the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves, then contributing 15 against the Alaska Nanooks.

But even a 17 point performance from Trammell wasn’t enough to top the Seawolves in their Thursday night game.

It wasn’t the only point of frustration: the Wolves had deeper team play, with the bench putting up 40 points while UAA’s only scored 15. The two teams committed the same amount of turnovers but Western was more efficient with their opportunities. They scored 22 points off of turnovers while the Seawolves could only manage 16.

Despite all this, Western lost 73-81.

On the heels of the game that should have been theirs, the Wolves came out quick against the Nanooks. A three-pointer from Ali Faruq-Bey opened the scoring at 15 seconds and they never gave up the lead.

At 83-51, the Wolves put up with the widest margin of victory they’ve had all season.

Bryan Berg lead the scoring with 22, while Tanner Omlid and Akil Reese contributed 19 and 14 points respectively. Trammell and Faruq-Bey rounded out the top scorers, with Faruq-Bey putting up 9 points throughout the game.

The Wolves are on the road again this week, traveling to Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington.

They now sit at 9-9 on the season, and their 6-4 record in the GNAC ranks them fifth in the conference

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Baseball old timers make hall of fame

By: TK Layman
Staff Writer

The MLB Hall of Fame inducts the best players from years past, enshrining them forever as baseball’s greatest of all time.

For a player to be elected to the Hall of Fame, they must receive 75 percent of the total votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America. Many big-ticket players have made it in, such
as George Herman “Babe” Ruth and Hank Aaron. In recent years we have seen names like Mike Piazza and Ken Griffey Jr. inducted.

The hall of fame class of 2017 saw three players and two MLB executives.

Jeff Bagwell, who played all 15 years of his career with the Houston Astros, made it in after his seventh year being on the ballot. Known for his wide squatting stance, he ended with a career .297 batting average and 449 home runs.

Signed by the Boston Red Sox in the fourth round in the 1989 amateur draft, Bagwell made his Major League debut with the Houston Astros in 1991. During his tenure with the Astros he saw six postseason appearances, winning the National League pennant in 2005, but getting swept by the Chicago White Sox in the World Series. Among his playing career he racked up four All-Star Game appearances, three Silver Sluggers, the 1991 Rookie of the Year, the 1994 NL MVP, Gold Glove and Player of the Year.

His hall of fame bid saw some controversy with allegations of steroid use, that were ultimately unsubstantiated.

Tim Raines, a 23-year veteran of the MLB also saw induction after his 10th year being on the ballot. Making his breakthrough with the late Montreal Expos at 19, Raines .294 career average and a modest 170 home runs. Though he was not known for his power, he was a master on the bases with a .385 on-base percentage and 808 career stolen bases.

With 34 Postseason appearances, along with a World Series win in 1996, the seasoned outfielder saw seven All-Star games, winning the All-Star MVP in 1987 and the 1986 Silver Slugger and NL Batting Title
Ivan Rodriguez was the third player inducted to the class of 2017. After retiring in 2011 with the Washington Nationals, he became eligible for the vote this year, winning 76 percent of the vote on his first ballot. As Rodriguez wrote in a brief memoir on Player’s Tribune, he signed with the Texas Rangers at 16 years old and in 1991, at age 19, he made his debut. Amassing a career .296 average, 311 home runs and 2844 hits, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez made a name for himself as the second catcher to make it into the hall on his first ballot with 14 All-Star appearances, 13 Gold Glove awards, winning ten years in a row starting with his rookie year 1991, a seven-time Silver Slugger, winner of the 1999 MVP and 2003 NLCS MVP. Rodriguez made a career to remember as a great defensive catcher.

Along with the three players, John Schuerholz, Vice-President of the Atlanta Braves, and Allan H. “Bud” Selig, former MLB Commissioner, were also placed as MLB Executives.

Following the World Baseball Classic in March, the MLB regular season starts up April 2.

Contact the author at tlayman16@mail.wou.edu

Super Bowl matchup settled

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

A pair of blowouts on Sunday set the stage for the biggest sporting event in the country. The Atlanta Falcons will face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI.

The Falcons clobbered the Green Bay Packers 44-21 to claim the NFC title. Meanwhile the Patriots topped the Pittsburgh Steelers 36-17 for the AFC crown.

These score lines were par for the course in a lopsided playoff year, where only two games were decided by less than double digit points.

The Patriots return to the Super Bowl sees Tom Brady extend his record for Super Bowl starts by a quarterback to seven.

It’s the Atlanta Falcons’ first Super Bowl appearance since their ‘98 loss to the Broncos.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Wolves rally over Northwest Nazarene

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

Junior guard Sydney Azorr put
up the first double-double of her collegiate career to snap a three-game losing skid.

Last week’s action opened with a loss to Central Washington in a game where the women’s basketball team never had the lead. The Saturday game against Northwest Nazarene opened in a similar fashion but in the fourth quarter the Wolves came back from a 14 point deficit.

The 78-75 victory over Northwest Nazarene saw four Western players put up double-digit points. Azorr led the high-scoring effort, racking up 17 points; Kennedy Corrigan contributed 14 points and Savannah Heugly and Jasmine Miller put up 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Azorr had 10 rebounds in addition to her goalscoring effort, keeping the Wolves in the game on the way to her double-double performance.

Northwest Nazarene picked up the lead in the first few seconds of the game. The Wolves played catch-up, often coming within striking distance of tying the game. But the lead stayed with Northwest Nazarene. At the end of the third, they had 12 points on the Wolves.

Then, two and a half minutes into the fourth and final quarter, the Wolves began to turn on the heat. A three-pointer from Azorr kicked off the scoring. She soon hit a second one, then sank a pair of free throws. She led the team as they reenergized.

With 1:44 left, Ali Nelke scored on a jump shot to give the Wolves the lead for the first time. Northwest Nazarene took the lead back briefly but after Azorr took a layup for two points the game stayed with the Wolves.

A jump shot basket and two good free throws from Kennedy Corrigan closed the game.

The team effort in the rally took the Wolves to a 7-10 record.

The short losing streak was broken in time for the Wolves to grab a win from their two week road trip. They return to Monmouth this week to host Western Washington and Simon Fraser.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Men’s basketball fights hard through conference play

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

Men’s basketball split a pair of home games last week: beating Simon Fraser then falling to Western Washington.

JJ Chirnside broke the Western Oregon school record for blocked shots in a single game, a record that dated back to 1988, by stuffing nine players in the win over Simon Fraser. Chirnside also picked up the most rebounds on the night with seven.

“They were a driving team trying to get to the rim,” Chirnside said. “It was just one of those games where everything was clicking and going the right way.”

Ali Faruq-Bey continued to tear it up offensively, scoring 20 points against Simon Fraser and 17 against Western Washington. Faruq-Bey is on a four game streak of scoring in the double digits. Only four times in the 16 games played so far has he been held to under 10 points.

The 85-60 win over Simon Fraser on Jan. 12 had the Wolves in high spirits. But two days later, Western Washington came to town sitting at the top of the conference.

The Wolves went into halftime with a six point lead. Through the whole first half, Western Oregon executed an effective game-plan, sinking threes and making layups. Tanner Omlid put up 11 points in the first half alone.

Western Washington regrouped and came out in the second to take the lead for the first time all night. The lead changed frequently in a close second half. When Demetrius Trammell hit a three-pointer with 11 seconds left to cut the Western Washington lead to six, a miraculous finish seemed in reach.

But then the Vikings drew a foul and after sinking two free throws finished out the game 76-84.

“We had control for most of the time,” JJ Chirnside said afterwards. “We just need to keep getting better and finish plays down the stretch.”

The Wolves go on the road to close out the month, but will be back in the New P.E. building to host Saint Martin’s on Feb. 2.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Back from the brink to leave it all on the rink

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

Canada may very well be back in 2017.

The 2016 National Hockey League season was characterized by an all-American playoff race. For the first time in 46 years, not a single Canadian team posted a good enough record to make it into the postseason.

But we are now halfway into the 2016-17 season, and each one of the seven Canadian teams remains competitive in the playoff hunt.

The most prominent of these is the Montreal Canadiens, currently on top of the Atlantic Division.

The high profile trade that sent PK Subban to Nashville and Shea Weber to Montreal was the jaw-dropping move of the offseason. Subban is younger than Weber and moves the puck across the ice quicker. Since the Canadiens drafted him in 2007, he has become an organizational icon and is known around the league as one of the elite defensemen.

Similarly, the Predators had a great defensive scheme. Weber was an important part of the team, but when the news broke it seemed it was all coming up for the Predators. Nashville mediaman Brooks Bratten reported that Subban said he felt, “a whole closer to winning the Stanley Cup.”

But with Carey Price in goal and the defense altered to protect him, the Canadiens are looking tougher than they have in a long time.

Meanwhile, a coaching change in Ottawa has seen the Senators stay on the Canadiens’ heels at the top of the Atlantic Division. Under head coach Guy Boucher, the Senators have improved on defense, special teams and puck possession.

Out west, the Edmonton Oilers are gripped in the throes of the longest currently active playoff drought in hockey. 20-year-old Connor McDavid has ripped 14 goals and 36 assists this season. Though not old enough to drink alcohol when his team travels to our side of the border, McDavid is leading his team in their race for a playoff return.

Their Albertan rivals, the Calgary Flames, are neck and neck with the Oilers.

The Flames roster features all-star Johnny Gaudreau and Hart Memorial Trophy candidate Matthew Tkachuk. The Flames are scrappy, and have recorded upsets against higher-ranked teams such as the Ducks, Sharks and Bruins.

In one game against the Vancouver Canucks, who are on the playoff bubble after a midseason win streak, the Flames defense allowed only 13 shots, while their offense put up 46. But the Canucks came away with the win due to shoddy goaltending from Brian Elliott, which has cemented the brick wall of Chad Johnson as the Flames’ man in goal.

The following night, with Johnson’s goaltending, the Flames became the team that ended the Canucks’ impressive run. Though they began with a rough start, Vancouver seems to have learned from their losses and improved to being a scary team to face.

Vancouver are joined in the Canadian fringe by the Winnipeg Jets and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The young Leafs team is getting better, and the Jets continue to punch above their weight despite rampant injuries.

Whether or not all Canadian teams make the postseason cut, it has been quite a turnaround from last year.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

High-scoring Snook not enough to sneak out win

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

It was a tough week on the road for the Wolves, who suffered losses visiting Concordia and Montana State Billings.

A 30-point performance from Shelby Snook in Billings wasn’t enough for the Wolves to return to Monmouth with a win. Neither were her nine rebounds and eight assists.

Sydney Azorr put up consistent numbers in both games, scoring nine against Concordia and 11 against MSU Billings. Most of the rest of the roster were hot one night and cool the other.

The 46-55 loss to Concordia in Portland on Jan. 10 kept both near the bottom of the conference, now totalling two conference wins a piece.

The Wolves were more accurate and scored more in the paint when they got the chance. Kaylie Boschma scored 12 points, three of which came from a jump shot and a free throw in the final three minutes as the Wolves attempted to rally. This last ditch effort cut the Concordia lead from 12 to five before ultimately faltering.

Concordia had more turnovers and scored more off them, racking up 17 points just from turnover chances. The Concordia bench also put up 20 points when it got involved while Concordia’s defensive game kept the Wolves bench to only nine.

These problems persisted in the trip to Billings. Snook’s 30 points and the 16 put up by Jasmine Miller couldn’t lead the Wolves to victory.

MSU Billings scored 25 points off turnovers while Western Oregon only got two. And they were able to play slightly deeper into the roster, as the Billings bench put up 11 points while the Wolves were held to six.

Head coach Holli Howard-Carpenter spoke to wouwolves.com after the match. “This was a tough loss to swallow. We played them even for much of the game but just could not close the gap enough at the end,” Howard-Carpenter said. “We have to value the basketball more, we just can’t give up 25 points off turnovers, period.”

The road trip continues for the Wolves this week, when they will visit Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

The odds against 2016

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

2016 may go down as the best year in the history of sports.

In terms of historical significance and sheer entertainment, the year had highlights all across the board.

At the beginning of the year, the NFL was caught in the throes of the Carolina Panthers. They were a cocky team with the talent to back it up, having suffered only one loss in the 2015 campaign and being widely regarded as Super Bowl favorites. They lost to the Broncos in the farewell game of Peyton Manning. One of the most incredible quarterbacks in history, Manning had long been in decline as a player. Despite this, the Sheriff went out on top.

The English Premier League has seen dominance of the “Big Four” for well over a decade now, with Chelsea, Arsenal and the Manchesters regularly filling the top four spots on the table at the end of the year. But for the first time in their 132 years as an organized club, Leicester City, only recently promoted to the Premier League, won the championship.

In June, the Cleveland Cavaliers faced the Carolina Panthers of the NBA. The Golden State Warriors were reigning champs and had broken the Chicago Bulls’ regular season wins record. LeBron James had rings from his time in Miami, but returned to Cleveland to “win one for the land.” In the best of seven series, the Cavs fell behind 1-3, then clawed their way back to bring the city of Cleveland its first sports title in 52 years.

In the Canadian Football League, the Calgary Stampeders played some of the best ball of all time, many calling them the greatest Canadian team in history. Their championship opponent, the Ottawa RedBlacks, represented a city that hadn’t won the Grey Cup since 1976. Their aging quarterback was on his last days of professional play, and to top it off they had barely scraped into the playoffs, not even amassing a winning record in the regular season. Onside kicks and goal line stands took the game to overtime, where the RedBlacks clinched the win.

Vols’ devil magic ruled the first half of the college football season. The Tennessee Volunteers battled back from near-losses to Appalachian State, Florida and Georgia before succumbing in second overtime to a Texas A&M team that had itself come from behind.

Elsewhere in college football, the Beavers beat the Ducks to end the longest winning streak in Civil War history at eight years. Army beat Navy to end the longest streak in Army-Navy history at fourteen years. And in the Governor’s Cup, Kentucky beat Louisville for the first time since 2010, despite Louisville’s Heisman-winning quarterback.

The Chicago Cubs won their first World Series in 108 years, themselves battling back from a 1-3 series against Cleveland.

But now we are in 2017. With so much magic condensed into a single year, it seems unlikely that 2017 will live up to its predecessor but if 2016’s taught us one thing it’s that just because something is unlikely doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Williams breaks out for Chargers

Chargers lose 24-31 to the Miami Dolphins at Qualcomm Stadium.
Chargers lose 24-31 to the Miami Dolphins at Qualcomm Stadium.
By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

Many remember Tyrell Williams’ days as a Wolves star. Now, in the NFL, a breakout season has lead to his nomination for the VIZIO Value Performer trophy.

The trophy represents which player was the biggest bang for the buck in the regular season. Fans vote for one of the five players to decide the trophy winner.

Williams posted 1,059 yards and caught seven touchdowns throughout the San Diego Chargers’ 2016 campaign.

According to overthecap.com, Williams’ salary for this year is $525,000. In a business filled with high profile contracts, Williams’ position as an undrafted free agent who fought his way onto a team is reflected in his salary.

But Williams’ stats this year put him above world class names like Larry Fitzgerald, DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green and Michael Crabtree. He ultimately finished the 17th ranked receiver in the country.

Voting is already open at VIZIO.com/TVP, and fans can vote as often as they want. Polls close on Jan. 16.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

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