Mount Hood

Wolves best Simon Fraser 58-57

By: Jamal Smith 
Sports Editor

The women’s basketball team edged out Simon Fraser University (SFU) 58-57 at home on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015.

Senior Emily Howey (C) led the Wolves in scoring with 14 points on 6-9 shooting from the floor. Junior Launia Davis (G) tallied 9 points while freshman’s Ali Nelke (G/F) and Natalie DeLonge (C) both added 8 points.

The first quarter went back and forth with five lead changes. The quarter would end with the score even at 20-20.

At the start of the second quarter, Howey scored three unanswered baskets, with all of her points coming in the paint. Western fed off of Howey’s energy and played smart basketball by taking high percentage shots. The Wolves held a 36-29 advantage going into half time.

In the first half, Western played arguably their best half of the season shooting .54 from the floor and going 2-4 from beyond the 3-point line. The Wolves also created 13 points off of turnovers and had 10 offensive rebounds.

Three minutes into the third quarter the Wolves got their largest lead of the game at 11 points. The Clan, however, would fight their way back into the game after Western went cold from the floor to take a 41-40 lead with three minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Both teams struggled with shooting the ball in the final quarter and the score remained within a single basket for nearly the rest of the game.

With 1:41 remaining for the game, Wolves’ head coach Holli Howard-Carpenter subbed in sophomore Jasmine Miller (G/F). Miller scored the final four points to seal the much needed victory.

Western finished the game shooting .438 from the floor and .375 from beyond the arch. Western out-rebounded SFU 38-33 and tallied 7 steals.

The Snow Gods have blessed Oregon

By: Jamal Smith 
Sports editor

Winter term is officially here, and to the delight of skiers and snowboarders, so is the snow. On Monday, Jan. 4, 2016, snow pounded the valley and Western Oregon University closed its doors.

Although many students might have been upset, skiers and snowboarders rejoiced. Last year, snowfall in the mountains hit record lows. Mt. Hood Ski Bowl had so little snow last year that the resort’s lifts stayed closed the entire season.

This year, however, Ski Bowl already has a base of 68” and all of the resort’s lifts are operational.
Because Ski Bowl’s elevation is significantly lower than Mt. Hood’s other two resorts, Mt. Hood Meadows and Timberline, Ski Bowl’s snow levels provide a good indication on how much the Snow Gods have blessed Oregon.

Monmouth is smack dab in the middle of four ski resorts which provides ski and snowboard enthusiasts multiple viable options for entertainment. Mt. Hood’s three resorts are north east and Mt. Bachelor is to the south.

Mt. Bachelor is a three hour drive from Monmouth, and the mountain has been blasted with powder. With a snow depth of 115” and 243” of total snowfall since Oct. 1, 2015, the mountain has already seen more snow in a few months than all of last year.

Mt. Hood’s three resorts are a little closer in distance to Monmouth than Mt. Bachelor. According to Google Maps, the drive takes a little over two and a half hours, depending on the desired resort.

Mt. Hood Meadows has a base of 79” and Timberline has a base of 89.”

Already, in just a few months, snow levels are higher on all four resorts than they were at any point last season, which has diluted skiers and snowboarder’s tears from last year.

Snow has pounded Oregon ski resorts and it is up to you to take advantage.

Drama and excitement set to begin with NFL Playoffs

By: Jamal Smith 
Sports editor

The final day of the regular season in the NFL didn’t disappoint, and now after the dust has settled, all of the playoff matches are set in stone.

There are 32 teams in the NFL, and now, after waiting 11 months for the regular season to conclude, the remaining 12 playoff teams face a do-or-die, win-or-go home scenario.

The first two games, the AFC Wild-Card games, kick off on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016.

First, the No. 5 Kansas City Chiefs (11-5) travel to Texas to play the No. 4 Houston Texans (9-7). Kickoff is at 1:45 p.m. Then at 5:15 p.m., the No. 6 Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) travel to Ohio to play the No. 3 Cincinnati Bengals (12-4).

On the final day of the regular season, the Denver Broncos (12-4) seized the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC with a victory over the San Diego Chargers, and with a New England Patriot (12-4) loss to the Miami Dolphins which slid New England into the No. 2 seed.

Both Denver and New England earned a first week bye. Denver will host the lowest seeded victor from the Wild-Card matchups on Sunday, Jan. 17. New England will play the highest ranked victor on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016.

The NFC Wild Card games will kick off on Sunday, Jan. 10.

The red-hot No. 6 Seattle Seahawks (10-6) travel to the east coast to face the No. 3 Minnesota Vikings (11-5) at 10:05 a.m. Then at 1:40 p.m., the No. 4 Washington Redskins (9-7) host the No. 5 Green Bay Packers (10-6).

After a surprising season, the Carolina Panthers (15-1) dominated the regular season and look to continue their momentum into the playoffs. Because Carolina seized the No. 1 seed in the NFC, they got a first round bye and will host the lowest seed winner of the NFC Wild-Card games on Sunday, Jan. 17 at 10:05 p.m.

The No. 2 Arizona Cardinals (13-3) also earned a first round bye and will host the highest seeded winner from the Wild-Card games on Saturday, Jan. 16 at 5:15 p.m.

What makes this NFL Playoff so exiting is there is no clear-cut favorite. There will be drama and there will be excitement. Twelve teams remain but there will be only one winner.

Men back on track with victory over NNU

By: Jamal Smith 
Sports Editor

After back-to-back losses the Wolves got back on track with a decisive 75-53 victory against Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016.

Western dominated the game with a balanced attack. Five players scored in double figures with redshirt-sophomore Alex Roth (G) leading the way with 16 points.

Senior Julian Nichols (G), coming off a season-high 29 points against Central Washington University, tallied 13 points and had a game-high 8 assists. Senior Jordan Wiley (G) and redshirt-sophomore Tanner Omlid (G/F) each added 12 points, and redshirt-senior Andi Avgi (F) had 11 points.

NNU had a 3 point lead with 3:49 remaining in the first half, but the Wolves would buckle down on defense and hold NNU scoreless for the remainder of the half. Western would score the final 10 points of the first half to take a 34-27 lead into halftime.

The Wolves continued their stellar play in the beginning of the second half with stifling defense and ball control. After NNU cut the Wolves’ double digit lead to just 8 points with 13:32 remaining for the game, Western converted four unanswered buckets from beyond the arch; two from Roth, one from Nichols, and one from Omlid to increase the lead to 59-39.

The 12 point swing proved to be insurmountable for NNU and the Wolves cruised to a hard-fought victory. Western shot .476 from the floor, .462 from beyond the arch and held every statistical advantage over NNU.

With the victory, the Wolves improve their overall record to 10-2 and 4-1 in GNAC conference play.

Western Oregon currently sits in third place in the GNAC behind University of Alaska Anchorage and University of Alaska Fairbanks; however, the Wolves host both teams in two weeks.

Up next, the Wolves host Seattle Pacific University (9-3, 2-2 GNAC) on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016 at 7 p.m. in the New P.E. Building. Fans are asked to wear black to support the team. Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office on game day.

Wolves fall to CWU in nail-biter

By: Jamal Smith 
Sports Editor

Coming off a tough loss to the University of Oregon just two days earlier, the men’s basketball team fell to Central Washington University (CWU) on New Year’s Eve in Ellensburg, Wash. The final score was 77-81.

Western Oregon was led by senior Julian Nichols (G) who had a game-high 29 points and also added 3 assists and 1 steal. Redshirt-senior Andy Avgi (F), the second leading scorer in the GNAC, added 16 points. Redshirt-sophomore Alex Roth (G), was the third player in double figures with 12 points.

The Wildcats jumped out to an early 10-5 lead but the Wolves would go on a 6-0 run thanks to multiple hustle plays from Avgi. The first half continued in this back-and-forth trend and there was eight lead changes in the first half alone.

The Wolves would hold a 40-39 advantage going into half time.

Western looked to put the pressure on CWU early in the second half. With stingy defense and cohesive play, the Wolves went on a 14-6 run to take a 9 point advantage with 14:47 remaining for the game.
CWU responded with an 11-2 run which included three shots from beyond the arch. The Wildcats went 6-10 from deep in the second half.

Western wouldn’t back down and, with 2:08 left for the game, the Wolves took their final lead on a step-back 3-pointer from Nichols. The Wolves, however, couldn’t get stops in the final minutes of the game and CWU scored 8 points from the free-throw line in their final four possessions.

The Wolves shot .455 from the floor and .364 from beyond the arch.

The tough loss marks the Wolves’ first GNAC conference loss and brought their record to 9-2 overall and 3-1 in GNAC conference play.

College Football National Championship

By: Jamal Smith 
Sports Editor

Alabama and Clemson have proved throughout the year that they are the two best teams in college football. We will find out which of the two is the very best when they face off on Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 for the most coveted prize, the Holy Grail in college football: the College Football National Championship.

Clemson’s football program is at an all-time high. Not only are the Tigers riding a school-record winning streak of 17 games (spanning from last season), but the Tigers are also looking to become the only team in FBS history to go 15-0 in a season.

Standing in Clemson’s way for their second National Championship is SEC powerhouse Alabama. The Crimson Tide have dominated the college football landscape in the past decade and have four National Championships to show for it.

“[Alabama] certainly [has] been the standard in college football for a long, long time,” said Clemson’s head coach Dabo Swinney in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “But especially since Coach Saban has been there.”

Alabama struggled in the beginning of the season but have won 11 straight games by an average of 23 points per game. One of the major reasons for the Crimson Tide’s late season success can be attributed to the 2015 Heisman winner, Alabama running back Derrick Henry.

Over the course of the season Henry has tallied 2,061 yards rushing and a staggering 25 touchdowns.

Although Clemson’s defense has excelled all year, the Tigers are not as good in defending the run as they are in defending the pass. Alabama on the other hand, is No. 1 in the FBS at stopping the run.

Clemson is, however, much better then Alabama in converting third downs. Clemson ranks 13th in the FBS with a third down conversion success rate of 47.69 percent. Alabama is ranked 96th with a third down conversion success rate of 36.22 percent.

Who is the best team? We will find out Monday when the champ will be crowned.

Kobe Bryant announces his last season

By: Jamal Smith 
Sports Editor

Hate him or love him, no one can deny that Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

On Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015 Bryant announced that this season, his 20th in the NBA, would be his last.

Bryant, 37, addressed the media after the Los Angeles Lakers 107-103 loss to the Indiana Pacers, saying that he had made his decision to step away from the game a while ago.

“I’ve known for a while. A decision like this, you can’t make that decision based on outside circumstances,” Bryant said at the post-game press conference.

“It has to be an internal decision, and finally I’ve decided to accept that I can’t actually do this anymore and I’m OK with that,” said Bryant.

Kobe may be an amazing player, but three injury-plagued seasons have held him back.

In the last two seasons, Bryant has only appeared in 41 of 164 Lakers’ games, and he exited last season early due to a torn right rotator cuff.

Since making his return this year to the purple and gold, he has had trouble shooting the ball. Through 15 games this year Bryant is averaging only 16.8 points while shooting .311 from the field and .222 from beyond the arch.

Just a day before his announcement, Stephen A. Smith, a popular sports analyst for ESPN, said that Bryant should retire immediately. Smith called Bryant a liability on the court, and said his dreadful season could damage his legacy.

Bryant’s accomplishments in the eyes of most sports fans will overcome his lackluster final season, and with only 15 games played in the season Bryant has the opportunity to turn it around.

“With 17 NBA All-Star selections, an NBA MVP, five NBA championships with the Lakers, two Olympic gold medals and a relentless work ethic, Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players in the history of our game,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver in a statement. “Whether competing in the Finals or hoisting jump shots after midnight in an empty gym, Kobe has an unconditional love for the game.”

Fans and NBA players are still grappling with the news.

NBA superstar LeBron James was saddened that this is Bryant’s last season.

“I knew I had to be better because of Kobe Bryant. I knew he was in the gym and I knew he was working on his game. And I knew he was great,” said James in an interview with ESPN. “So every day that I didn’t want to work out or every day I felt like I couldn’t give more, I always thought of Kobe.”

No matter where you fall on the love-hate scale with Kobe, it will be sad to not see Bryant on the court.

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Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR is located within the traditional homelands of the Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (Kalapuya etc. Treaty), Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are a part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.

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