Sports – Page 76 – The Western Howl

By: Jamal Smith 
Sports Editor

The Portland Timbers tied FC Dallas 2-2 on Sunday Nov. 30, 2015, but advanced to the MLS Cup Finals with a 5-3 aggregate goal victory.

The Timbers entered Sunday’s match against FC Dallas with a 3-1 goal advantage from the game played a week before in Portland.

Neither team could find the back of the net in the first half, but the second half was much different.

Portland scored first in the 54th minute when midfielder Diego Valeri flicked a ball into the box to a wide-open Fanendo Adi who slotted it past Dallas’s young goalkeeper.

Just when it looked like Portland would easily defeat Dallas up 3 goals, Dallas gained momentum after Striker Blas Perez was subbed into the game. Dallas defender Ryan Hollingshead scored a goal in the 68th minute to close the gap to 4-2.

Six minutes later, in the 73rd minute Perez added another Dallas goal on a header off of a free-kick from just outside of the 18 yard box. All of the momentum now belonged to Dallas and it looked like they might be able to pull off the impossible.

Dallas nearly evened things up when Perez took a wide open shot in the 18 yard box, but Portland defender Nat Borchers came out of nowhere to deflect the ball, saving an easy Dallas goal.

Portland survived wave after wave of Dallas attacks, but Portland fought back with counter-attacks.

In stoppage time and on a counter-attack, Valeri flicked the ball forward to striker Lucas Melano who dribbled the ball around the Dallas defense and slotted the ball into the back of the net with a cheeky finish, sealing Dallas’ fate.

“This is a great moment for this club,” Timber’s head coach Caleb Porter said after the game. “This is our first trophy, but we want the biggest trophy and we have one more game still to achieve that.”

Portland is the hottest team in the MLS and are unbeaten in their last eight games. The team is firing on all cylinders and their defense is coming up big like they have all year.

“I think sometimes it just felt like the only people that believed in our cause were us,” Borchers said after the match. “I’m just really proud to how we’ve responded to all that pressure. It’s not easy. We easily could have given up and called it a day in the game at Salt Lake, but we won that game. We continued to win and here we are now.”

Portland will face their toughest test yet, when they play the Columbus Crew in Columbus, OH for the biggest prize in MLS. The Crew beat out the New York Red Bulls 2-1 to win the Eastern Conference Championship and advance.

The game kicks off at 1 p.m., Sunday Dec. 6, 2015 on ESPN.

The Western Howl

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While you were away

By: Jamal Smith 
Sports Editor

Cross country:

On Saturday, Nov. 21, sophomore David Ribich competed in the 2015 NCAA Division 11 Championships in Joplin, MO.
Ribich finished 67th out of 246 runners in the 10K Individual Championships with a time of 30:58.

Men’s basketball:

On Friday, Nov. 27, WOU dominated Notre Dame de Namur University 81-51 in their first game of the NDNU Thanksgiving Classic in Belmont, Calif.
Senior Andy Avgi (F) made his season debut for the Wolves and had a game-high 24 points in only 22 minutes of play, also adding 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Three other Wolves finished the game in double figures; senior Jordan Wiley (G) had 15 points, redshirt-sophomore Alex Roth (G) had 14 points and first year Kadeem Strickland (G) had 11 points.
On Saturday, Nov. 28, WOU defeated Holy Names University 84-75 in their second and final game of the NDNU Thanksgiving Classic.
Avgi again had an outstanding game finishing with 29 points, shooting 10 for 16 from the floor. Senior Julian Nichols (G) added 16 points and 6 assists.
The back-to-back victories improves the Wolves’ record to 6-0. The Wolfpack’s jumped six spots in the National Basketball Coaches Association Poll from No. 10 in the country in Division 11 to No. 4.

Cross country:

Men’s basketball:

Woman’s basketball:

On Friday, Nov. 27, Western fell to Regis University 53-74 in the Mines Thanksgiving Tournament in Golden, Colo.
Junior Launia Davis (G) had a season high 10 points and was the only Wolf to score in double figures. Sophomore Sydney Azorr (G) and junior Jordan Mottershaw (G) added 8 points each.
On Saturday, Nov. 28, WOU was defeated by Colorado School of Mines 47-62 in their second and final game of the Mines Thanksgiving Tournament.
Mottershaw led the Wolves with 9 points, and first year Natalie DeLong (C) posted season highs in points and rebounds, finishing with 8 points and 11 rebounds. The two losses in the tournament give the pack an overall record of 1-5.

Volleyball:

On Saturday, Nov. 21, the Wolves finished their season on a sour note with a three set loss to University of Alaska Anchorage in their season closer.

The set scores were 21-25, 16-25 and 11-25. The loss saw Western close out their year with an overall record of 8-21 and 5-15 in GNAC conference play which placed them tied for eighth in the GNAC.

Volleyball:

On Saturday, Nov. 21, the Wolves finished their season on a sour note with a three set loss to University of Alaska Anchorage in their season closer.
The set scores were 21-25, 16-25 and 11-25. The loss saw Western close out their year with an overall record of 8-21 and 5-15 in GNAC conference play which placed them tied for eighth in the GNAC.

The Western Howl

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Wolves dominate Concordia 92-59

By: Jamal Smith 
Sports Editor

The Western Oregon men’s basketball team crushed Concordia University (CU) 92-59 in their GNAC conference opener on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015 in Portland, Ore.

This game was the first-ever meeting between the two schools in GNAC conference play. Concordia joined Division II and the GNAC conference earlier this year.

WOU took the lead before the ball was tossed up at midcourt due to an administrative technical foul called against CU. Senior Jordan Wiley (G) made the free throw to give the Wolves a 1-0 advantage.

The first five minutes of the game belonged to the Wolves who outscored the Cavaliers 17-3.

CU came within 9 points of lead on two occasions in the first half, but could not chip away at the lead any further thanks to Western’s stifling defense. The first half ended with the Wolves up on the Cavaliers 45-29.

In the second half, the Wolfpack continued their consistent play on both sides of the ball. WOU outscored the Cavs 47-30 in the half and kept a double-digit lead throughout.

Redshirt-senior Andy Avgi (F), the 2014-15 GNAC Player of the Year, led all scorers with 27 points on 10 for 16 shooting from the floor. Avgi excelled from distance, shooting 4 for 5 from the beyond the arch and also adding 6 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Wiley was one of three Wolves in double figures and had a season-best 21 points on 7 for 10 shots fired.
Freshman Kadeem Strickland (G) filled up the stat sheet tallying 13 points, 5 assists and 3 steals.

Defense and ball security played a key role in the Wolves’ victory.

WOU committed only 8 turnovers leading to only 4 points off of turnovers and created 22 Cavalier turnovers leading to 27 points. The Wolves also had a season high 13 steals and held the Cavaliers to just .420 shooting from the floor.

The 92 points scored for the Wolves was their high mark for the season. As a team, Western shot .507 from the floor and .464 from the three-point line. The Wolves held every possible statistical advantage.

With the decisive victory the No. 4 ranked Wolves improved to 7-0 overall and 1-0 in GNAC conference play.

Next up, the Wolves host Montana State University-Billings (2-4) on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015 at 7 p.m. in the New P.E. Building.

You can purchase tickets online or in person on game day at the box office.

The Western Howl

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Women’s basketball drops first two games of the season

By: Jamal Smith 
Sports Editor

WOU’s woman’s basketball team fell to California State East Bay University (CSEBU) 57-42 on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015 in their first regular season game of the year.

The Wolves came out flat in the opening four minutes of the game until junior Jordan Mottershaw (G) would get on the scoreboard with a pair of free throws.

CSEBU’s defense held Western to only 14 first half points, and the Pioneers would maintain a 26-14 lead going into half time.

In the second half, the Wolfpack would come within six points of CSU on multiple occasions but the Pioneers would answer with mini scoring runs of their own.

Mottershaw led the Wolves in scoring with 15 points. Junior Kelsey Henry (F) and junior Launia Davis (G) each had eight points coming off the bench.

Then on the following day, Saturday, Nov. 14, WOU lost in a hotly contested game to California State Monterey Bay (CSMB) 59-50.

After the Wolves seized the lead in the first minutes of the game, the Otters took advantage of a WOU cold stretch and CSMB would outscore Western 13-5 to finish out the first quarter.
The Otters continued to build on their lead in the second quarter taking a 30-17 lead into half time.

Western showed grit and determination, chipping away at the Otters lead late in the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter.

The Wolves came within a basket of tying the game during this stretch, but CSMB would answer back with scoring runs to seal an Otters victory.

Western struggled from the field, making 17 of 54 field goal attempts and finished with a shooting percentage of 31.

Sophomore Sydney Azorr (G) was the only Wolf in double figures and finished with 10 points, four steals and two assists. Mottershaw and senior Emily Howey each had nine points.
The Wolves echelles heel so far for the season has been turnovers and free throw shooting. In the first two regular season games the Wolves have committed 38 turnovers and shot slightly above 50 percent from the stripe.

A bright spot for the Wolves is rebounding. In the first two games, Western has averaged 38 rebounds per game. They are also averaging 7.5 steals per game.
The Wolves next two games are back-to-back home games in the WOU/Hampton Inn D2 Shootout.

The first is on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m. against California State University, Chico. The second is on Sunday, Nov. 22, also at 2 p.m. against The Evergreen State College.

Both games are to be held at the New P.E. Building. You can order tickets online and pick them up at will call, or purchase them from the box office on game day.

The Western Howl

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Volleyball snatches comeback victory in final home game

By: Grace Knapp Staff Writer

Emotions ran high as Western’s volleyball team fought to stay alive against Montana State Billings (MSB) in their final home game of the season on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015.

With an incredible comeback victory, the Wolves overcame a two set deficit to surpass MSB in three straight sets.

The set scores were 15-25, 18-25, 26-24, 25-22 and 15-9.

The narrow victory over MSB (6-21, 5-13) boosted WOU’s ranking three spots in the GNAC, taking the Wolves (8-19, 5-13) from tenth to a 4-way tie for seventh with Seattle Pacific University, Montana State Billings and University of Alaska Fairbanks.

The Wolves started slowly and found themselves with their backs against the wall as they were down two sets.

Redshirt-freshman Amanda Short (OH) shifted the momentum of the game by blasting a kill to win the intense rally. Western would come out victorious in the third set to stay alive in the match.

Starting slow once again, WOU trailed MSU by five points for the majority of the fourth set.

However, two huge outside blocks and a kill by redshirt-sophomore Sydney Blankinship (MB) during a four-point scoring streak, led the Wolves to claim the set and even the overall match score 2-2.

The final set was crucial, and the Wolves brought their A-game. Short secured WOU’s victory by securing four straight points during a rally of eight straight points.

MSB fought back, closing the gap to 12-9, but ultimately could not compete. The Wolves finished the set with three straight points to win the overall match.

Head coach Brad Saindon is proud of the team’s performance against MSB. “In this match we really showed our true colors and showed what we’re made of,” said Saindon. “The girls fought hard and persevered.”

The volleyball team concludes their season on the road against Alaska Anchorage (24-2 overall, 16-2 GNAC) on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015.

The Western Howl

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Men’s Basketball gets back-to-back wins

By: Jamal Smith 
Sports Editor

The Western men’s basketball team defeated Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) 82-76 on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015 in their first game of the regular season.

The first half was back-and-forth, and there were eight ties and six lead changes. With the score tied at 38-38 with 2:15 remaining till half time, the Sea Lions outscored the Wolves 10-4 to take a 48-42 lead into the break.

PLNU, with the momentum carrying over from the first half, continued to build on their lead until the Sea Lions had an 11 point advantage with the score at 61-50.

The Wolves would claw their way back into the game and go on a 7-0 run with a three-pointer from senior Devon Alexander (G) and a tip from Sophomore Tanner Omlid (F).

WOU would take the lead with a little over five minutes to play and never look back.

Omlid, who made his WOU debut, led all scorers with 28 points and shot an amazing 93 percent from the field, making 13 of 14 shots. Omlid also added eight rebounds and six steals.
Western had three other players beside Omlid that cracked double digits in scoring. Senior Julian Nichols (G) had 14 points, sophomore Alex Roth (G) had 13 points and Devon Alexander had 11 points.

Then on Saturday, Nov. 14, the Wolves defeated Fresno Pacific University (FPU) 82-73 to improve to 2-0 on the season.

The Sunbirds jumped out to an early lead in the first half with an 11-8 margin. The Wolves would buckle down and tie the score at 11-11 with a Kadeem Strickland (G) 3-pointer.

After taking the lead on the next possession, WOU would not look back, and kept the lead for the rest of the game.

Although FPU would finish the game with a higher shooting percentage of 48 percent from the field compared with Western’s 42 percent, the Wolves won the turnover battle 12 to 18. WOU also had 13 steals compared with FPU’s five.

Winning the turnover battle has been key for the Wolves in the first two regulation games. In both games, the Wolves have had a total of 21 turnovers and created 39 turnovers off of their opponents.

Alexander led Western in scoring with 17 points and also added four assists. The Wolves had three other players in double digits for scoring; Roth and Nichols both had 16 points and Omlid had 12 points.

The No. 21 ranked Wolves’ next two games are back-to-back home games. The first is against California State Monterey Bay University on Friday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. The second is on Saturday, Nov. 21 against Warner Pacific College also at 7 p.m.

2014-15 GNAC Player of the Year Andy Agvi (F) will make his season debut for Western, after sitting out the start of the season due to NCAA regulations as he was also playing on the football team.

Both games are held at the New P.E. Building. You can purchase tickets online or on game day at the box office.

The Western Howl

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Heartbreak for football

By: Jamal Smith Sports Editor

Western Football dropped their last game of the season 29-13 to Humboldt State University (HSU) on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015 at McArthur Field.

The Wolves came into the game with the hopes of reaching the NCAA Division II Playoffs with a win against HSU.

The Wolves were ranked No. 10 in the region and Humboldt was ranked No. 3 prior to the game; the top eight teams in the region would qualify for the playoffs.

The Wolves struck first on their second drive of the game when redshirt-sophomore Phillip Fenumiai (QB) connected with sophomore Maurice McSwain (WR) for a 71-yard strike, giving the Wolves an early 7-0 lead and sending the Western faithful into a jubilant frenzy.

McSwain finished the game with a season-high 129 yards on five catches.

The Jacks would even up the score a few minutes later after the GNAC’s leading rusher Ja’Quan Gardner found a hole in the Wolves’ defense and broke away for a 43-yard touchdown run.

WOU’s running game, which has been a staple of the offense all season, had trouble establishing a rhythm. Leading rusher and true-freshman Malik Braxton was held to only 26 yards on 11 carries.

To make matters worse, the Wolves were stung by the injury bug. In the second quarter, senior defensive play maker Jonathan Breland (LB) had to leave the game after an apparent knee injury.

Then early in the second half, Fenumiai sustained an injury which took him out of the competition. Both players would not return.

HSU showed why they are at the top of the GNAC ladder in the second quarter, stopping the Wolves from scoring and then adding a field goal and a touchdown. The Jacks took a 17-7 lead going into half time.

Senior Trey Shimabukuro (QB) took over for Fenumiai early in the third quarter, but HSU’s defense held Western scoreless in the quarter. The Jacks would again add to their lead, scoring another field goal and a touchdown in the quarter to take a 26-7 lead into the fourth quarter.

After HSU kicked another field goal and went ahead 29-7 early in the fourth quarter, it seemed like the game could get out of hand. But the Wolves showed their never-say-die attitude and stepped up the defense.

Last weeks’ GNAC Defensive Player of the Week junior George Swartzlender (DL) continued his impressive play with a career-best 11 tackles for the game.

The Wolves’ leading tackler senior Shane Kuenzi (LB) had 8 tackles and also saved a touchdown with a key interception in the first half.

With just seconds left in the game and Western on the HSU 1-yard line, senior Joe Harris (RB) punched his way into the end zone. Although the score was insurmountable, scoring the last touchdown was a matter of pride for the Wolves.

“Getting in was the only way. I had to score,” said Harris after the game. “Not getting in wasn’t an option. We had to go out with a touchdown. That was the only way to go out.”
With the victory, the Jacks became 2015 GNAC champions, guaranteeing their spot in the NCAA Division II Playoffs.

“We couldn’t get enough on offense, and defensively we allowed them to run the ball and they wore us down,” said head coach Arne Ferguson after the game. “We knew we were going to play a really good Humboldt team; they are number three in the region. With their strength in schedule they should be number one in the region.”

Although the Wolves’ concluded their season on a sour note, Ferguson was optimistic about the future of the program.

“First of all we want all of our players to do well in school. We want them to be disciplined. We want them to develop as football players. Throughout the season our players continued to get better,” said Ferguson. “We aren’t where we would have liked to be, but the progress we made finishing 7-4, there’s a really good opportunity to build on that.”

The 7-4 season marks the tenth consecutive winning season for the Wolf Pack.

“We are fortunate to have most of our d-line coming back and they are the staple of our defense. Replacing seniors and that experience is so hard to do and [so is] the physicality they bring,” added Ferguson.

Western Oregon University’s Land Acknowledgement
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.

Accessibility Public Records Privacy Student Consumer Information

WOU prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by WOU.

Portland Timbers advance to the MLS Cup final

While you were away

Wolves dominate Concordia 92-59

Women’s basketball drops first two games of the season

Volleyball snatches comeback victory in final home game

Men’s Basketball gets back-to-back wins

Heartbreak for football

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