The women’s basketball team traveled up to Alaska to play two conferences games on Jan. 11 & 13, securing their second road win of the season in the process.
On Thursday, the 11, the Wolves were up against the conference leading Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves. The Wolves kept the game highly competitive to start, with the score being 23-17 at the end of the first quarter.
As the game went on though, the Seawolves proved why they are the sixth ranked team nationally. The Wolves surrendered a 23-9 second quarter, and were not able to get any momentum after, suffering a 85-53 loss.
Turnovers were a key issue in the game, as the Wolves coughed up the ball 24 times. Juniors Savannah Heugly–a forward and guard Kennedy Corrigan lead the team in points, with both topping double figures scoring 14 and 11.
The second game of the week was also played on the road, this time against the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Coming into the game, the Nanooks had struggled recently against conference opponents, losing all games against GNAC opponents.
The Wolves made sure that streak continued on Jan. 13, and picked up their second road win in the process. The play on the defensive end contributed a large part to the win, as the Wolves were able to grab 12 steals and hold Alaska-Fairbanks to 31.1 percent shooting.
Heugly was once again a key contributor. The junior scored 20 points, had 13 rebounds and stole the ball four times in the victory. Shelby Snook came in the game as a substitute to score 18 points, helping the team out score Fairbank’s bench by 16.
The game was in the paws of the Wolves for a large portion of the 74-54 victory. The Wolfpack hope to make something of a run in the next three games, all at home. Next on tab are the Montana State Billings Yellowjackets in a red out game. Tipoff is set for 5:15 p.m.
With conference play starting for most GNAC teams over winter break, this past week’s games on Jan. 4 and 6 were crucial for the Wolves. After winning their first conference game, the team went into a Jan. 4 game against the Simon Fraser Clan on a three game skid against conference foes.
Unfortunately, that slide continued against the Clan, as the Wolves lost 81-67.
The game had one major difference between the teams — free throws. Simon Fraser took 32 shots from the charity stripe, compared to just 13 for the Wolves. Overcoming that large disparity proved to be too much as the Clan capitalized on getting the Wolves in foul trouble.
Kennedy Corrigan lead the team with 16 points, shooting 6-11 from the field. The Wolves also were able to force Simon Fraser into 19 turnovers in the losing effort.
The game on Jan. 6 brought much more excitement and was a landmark victory. The Wolves defeated the Western Washington Vikings for the first time since Feb. 23, 2008. The 18 game losing streak against the VIkings was snapped during the 54-50 victory.
Corrigan started off hitting a barrage of early three pointers, helping secure a 21-14 lead at the end of the first quarter. The defense from the Wolves was a key factor in this victory, holding Hannah Stipanovich, the 11th highest scorer in the GNAC (13.1 ppg), to just four points.
With the game locked in at 48-48 in the final minute, the Vikings got out to a late two point lead with a layup with just 54 seconds left. In the last forty seconds, the Wolves were able to draw three late fouls against the Vikings. Junior Shelby Snook had two free throws with just 16 seconds lefts to put the Wolves up on top 52-50.
The Vikings had an opportunity to steal the victory or tie the game, but missed their golden opportunity to tie as Corrigan secured the rebound and was fouled immediately after.
Coming off a huge victory before winter break may lead to some momentum going into this week, as the team will be traveling up to Alaska. Thursday, Jan. 11, the team will be taking on GNAC conference leader Alaska Anchorage. They finish up the trip up north by playing against the University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks on Saturday, Jan. 13.
The previous week’s games on Jan. 2 and 6 were big for the men’s basketball team, as the Wolves captured two outstanding wins. This brings the winning streak to six, helping contribute to a 13-1 overall record.
On Tuesday, Jan. 2, the Wolves drew their first win of the week against Concordia, 71-60. The team played great defense against the Cavaliers’s high scoring duo of Jarrett Gray and Christopher Edward, the 7th and 8th leading scorers in the GNAC conference. Coming in averaging over 33 points per game between the two, the Wolves held them to 20 points combined.
Seniors Malik Morgan and Vince Boumann lead the way for the Wolves, both contributing 17 points in the victory. Points came easy in the paint on Tuesday, with 40 of the 71 points coming from shots near the basket, as the Wolves continued to show they are one of the best teams in the GNAC.
On Saturday, Jan. 6, the Wolves took on the Montana State University Billings Yellowjackets, picking them apart in a 92-68 win.
From the opening tip, the offense was in tune, jumping out to a 46-28 lead in the first half. The Wolves had a balanced attacked the whole game, with six players scoring in double figures.
Three of those players, Demetrius Trammell, Janvier Alaby and JJ Chirnside, reached double figures while coming off the bench. Every player who saw the court on Saturday had points on the board for the Wolves, making it impossible for the Yellowjackets to keep pace.
The key stats for the Wolves in this game were the field goal percentages. Shooting 63.8 percent, the team simply had their way offensively while putting up 92 points. The defense was locked in as well, which forced the Yellowjackets to struggle from the three point line (6-25) while attempting to get back into the game.
Before this week, the Wolves were ranked 14th nationally in the NABC/Division II rankings, and could be on the rise after these two wins. As conference play moves on in the coming weeks, the Wolves are currently ranked second in conference record (5-1), number one in points per game (86.6) and number one in margin of victory (19.1).
The Wolves will be on the road this week, taking a trip to Washington to first play St. Martin’s on Thursday, Jan. 11. The team will then take on Seattle Pacific, who is currently on a three-game winning streak, on Saturday, Jan. 13.
With an 8-6 record, the Seattle Seahawks football season is in flux. With only a few weeks left until the playoffs, they lie in the flock of many other teams contending for the Super Bowl. Their season’s still in the air but as the phrase goes: any given Sunday, any team has a chance.
Up until this point for the ‘Hawks, it’s been any given play, any given athlete and any given will towards pushing them through to postseason play. But the season’s been anything but a given.
Quarterback Russell Wilson has been tasked with more to give from his shoulders this year. He has accounted for 82% of Seattle’s offense this season, a first in NFL history, which means he’s been passing and running for most of the teams plays.
Consider the next hypothetical miraculous play as a summation to the Seahawks’s season: After an opposing defensive lineman caught a stitching of Wilson’s jersey in efforts to tackle him down, the elusive Wilson would free from the grips of the 6-foot-4-inch 270-pound lineman, keeping the play alive. Before anyone on the field, in the stands or at home watching knew it, the “scramble drill” was in effect whereby Wilson then ran towards the sidelines evading more defenders, and finally threw a 30-yard dash across his body out towards receiver Doug Baldwin, who then snagged the ball for a first-down in tight coverage.
That pretty much sums up Seattle’s season so far. They’ve found ways to win, and at other unfortunate times, came up short.
For as long they’ve had success, it’s been through the heart of a player like Wilson and through such unbelievable plays. One could say Seattle’s had many other players like the MVP potential through his first six seasons. Many would argue defensive safety Earl Thomas being the heart and soul of the defense, as he has been for as many games he’s played. But he went down with a broken leg last year, which also helped break Seattle’s hopes at a second Super Bowl.
For a long while cornerback Richard Sherman was also the backbone of the defense. Now Sherman’s out for this season with a torn achilles. And many other key defensive ball-hawkers of the famed “legion of boom” defense have gone down with him. For most of the season and because of the injuries, Seattle’s also had play around a depleted running back crew, a few young and inexperienced offensive lineman whose main job is to protect Wilson and block for those ‘backs, and an ailing defense, the latter of which most successful teams have.
Many argue that, without a running game or key impactful players like those aforementioned, it would be insurmountable for the ‘Hawks to reach a plateau as high as the Super Bowl — playoffs even.
I’d argue: the New England Patriots. Out of the five championships won by the ‘Pats in the Tom Brady era, three of those championships are also included as three of the four worst Super Bowl-winning rushing performances ever. Brady’s rarely ever had a lethal rusher playing behind him.
The New Orleans Saints have also had successful seasons, around their lone 2010 championship, primarily provided by a pass heavy offense.
But what New England’s had is what Seattle could potentially have — a system where a passing and running game work in tandem. In other words, quick short throws and yards gained after the catch.
Seattle has shown glimpses of that system this year. With the defense struggling and not bringing the boom like in years past — a top five defense since 2012 — mostly due to injuries, they’ll have to rely a lot on that system. Added to it is an offensive line also struggling. And so it is that very scramble drill mentioned earlier that they’ve become accustomed to. With Wilson’s vital organs still intact, the team has managed and have worked around their weaknesses, and the scramble, from what it looks like, is something they’ll continue to use to their advantage. Seattle, and in particular Wilson, is fortunate to have something Brady doesn’t have. Brady’s never been a threat on the ground running with the ball, something Wilson clearly has had under his belt. With many disadvantages, Wilson, the scramble, along with his canon of an arm, and the rest of the ‘Hawks are all still viable assets. Seattle’s also fortunate to have a record that places them just outside of a wildcard position for the playoffs.
The question is, can the ‘Hawks successfully and consistently be pass oriented? How many more magic tricks does the boom have up their sleeve in time for the potential playoffs that’s soon ahead?
The Nov. 23 home game against Humboldt State showed plenty of change-of-pace action. With 11 lead changes and six ties, the Wolves managed to get the last basket near the rim, downing the Lumberjacks 64-62. The Wolves came in undefeated, and three games in have averaged 77 points, which is much attested to their balanced offense. When the ‘Jacks visited, a tightly knit back-and-forth game almost put their undefeated mark in jeopardy. This was evident in the first quarter when several lead changes ensued. The ‘Jacks looked to swing the momentum in their favor by presenting a three-point threat. The Wolves stood firm with a strong defense, a key factor late, to end the quarter down 13-12. Defense, along with hustle plays and scrappiness for every rebound, kept the game close. Then, it was the Wolves turn at the lead going into halftime up one, 25-24. Guard play from both teams was also a highlight, as senior Shelby Snook went head-to-head opposite Humboldt’s Tyla Turner. Snook made 7 out of 11 field goals totaling 15 points, while Turner shot 6 out of 20 totaling 14. As the teams continued to trade baskets into the fourth, it came down to the final seconds. With the score at 62, senior forward Savannah Heugly scored the go-ahead off a tightly contested lay-up attempt, putting the Wolves in front, 64-62. In waning moments, the Lumberjacks’s game-tying attempt was stuffed by Wolf senior guard Sydney Azorr’s clutch block that ended the game. Now at 4-0, the Wolves soon begin conference play where they’ll protect home court once again against Saint Martin’s on Nov. 30. Tip-off begins at 7 p.m.
A win on senior day, Nov. 11, capped the season on a high note. It was the first home win for the Wolves, putting them at a 3-8 overall record and 2-6 conference record. Despite an end to the season, two athletes earned first team all-GNAC honors, while six athletes earned second team honors.
Junior defensive linebacker Bo Highburger got his first team nod for the second straight season, while senior wideout Paul Revis went out with his fourth straight first team honor. Revis broke more than 20 Western NCAA DII-era school records on the season including 32 receiving touchdowns and 6,713 all-purpose yards. Highburger led the GNAC with 102 total tackles.
More records were broken during the season as senior quarterback Nick Duckworth tied a team record with six passing touchdowns versus Simon Fraser on Oct. 7. A total of 82 points in the same game set a Western DII-era school record. Volleyball: Western volleyball had a rough season but, like the football team, won their final game on senior night at home. Their record stood at an overall 7-20 with a 3-17 conference record by the end of the season.
Senior outside hitter Alisha Bettinson went on to receive an all-GNAC honorable mention. Bettinson broke the school record for kills on Nov. 2 against the Montana State YellowJackets and went on to surpass the 1,100 mark for kills. She is also the first wolf in the NCAA DII-era to have at least 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.
The only other Wolf senior is Sydney Blankinship, who finished her stellar career at third with an all-time in attack percentage of .280 and in the top 10 for blocks and block assists.
Cross Country:
When women’s cross country debuted the season, senior Kennedy Rufener finished atop runners to win the individual championship on Sept. 2 in the Linfield Harrier Classic. In the GNAC championships, Rufener finished 37 seconds ahead of where she was the year prior. The team’s five runners who returned from last year also improved on their GNAC championship individual times in the race. Rufener closed well for the Wolves in the regionals, qualifying as an individual for the Nationals. In the national championships, Rufener finished 97 out of 247 runners.
Men’s cross country was led by senior David Ribich most of the way but the team did enough to finish well in the GNAC championships by placing five finishers in the top 15 en route to a GNAC title. It was also the best finish in 10 years as the team finished as runner-ups in 2007. Ribich finished first again in the regionals and the team qualified to be in the Nationals thereafter. Ribich led most of the way in the national race but finished 30th in the end. The team finished at 21st. Ribich went on to receive all-American honors for his run.
Western Oregon went 2-0 over the weekend at the Thanksgiving Classic in California. The first game on Friday, Nov. 24, resulted in a 76-65 victory over Holy Names University. The second game on Saturday, Nov. 25, resulted in a 87-48 victory over Notre Dame de Namur. The Wolves had their worst shooting game of the season so far at 45 percent on Friday, while also having their best defensive effort of the year, holding the Hawks to 38 percent shooting from the field. The Wolves got off to a quick start, leading 17-9 off five points by senior Ali Farouq-Bey and four points from senior Janvier Alaby. The Wolves would not trail again for the rest of the game. Senior Tanner Omlid led the Wolves with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and senior Vince Boumann had 12 points. Seven players from Western each scored seven points or more in the victory. Saturday night showed more positive results for the Wolves offensively, as they torched the Argonauts with 53 percent from the field while holding them to 35 percent. Farouq-Bey put together his best game of the season, and finished with a season high of 19 points on 58 percent shooting from the field. The Wolves blew out the Argonauts 87-48 to improve to 6-0 on the season.
Simson Garcia | Sports Editor
