The Western Oregon University
men’s basketball team brought in the
New Year with a bang as they concluded
a nine-game winning streak.
Scoring more than 100 points in
their last two games and breaking a
single game 3-point record (20), the
Wolves were looking unstoppable.
The Wolves lost on New Year’s
Day by a close seven-point margin
(76-83) at Seattle Pacific University.
They were able to rally just two days
later after a long road trip to Billings,
Mont., to solidify another conference
win against Montana State
University (72-64).
The Wolves are currently 3-1 in
the Great Northwest Athletic Conference
and 11-3 overall. They rank
second in the GNAC in scoring
defense, allowing only 65.1 points
per game, as the Wolves have not
allowed more than 83 points to be
scored in a single game so far this
season.
The Wolves are led by guard Devon
Alexander who has started 30
games in a row and leads the GNAC
with 2.1 steal per game. Alexander
also leads the team with 2.9 assists
per game.
Starting alongside Alexander is
guard Jordan Wiley, who is averaging
8.7 points per game along with
2.7 rebounds a game. Wiley leads
the team with 30 3-point field goals
this season.
The dynamic duo constantly
threatens teams with their speed
and range abilities as Alexander has
17 3-pointers of his own this season.
A lot of the opportunities come
from point guard and notorious
“dime-dropper” Julian Nichols as
he ranks third in the GNAC in assists
per game handing out five assists
per game. Nichols also leads the
GNAC in 3-point percentage hitting
50 percent (14-for-28) of his shots.
Forwards Andy Avgi and Lewis
Thomas dominated the paint for
the Wolves with a combined 176
rebounds this season. Avgi earned
GNAC honorable mentions as a
redshirt sophomore and looks to
continue his impressive career as
he scored double figures in 13 of
14 games this season, including a
season high 26 against Alaska Fairbanks
on Dec. 4.
Avgi is also tied for first in the
GNAC in blocked shots per game,
rejecting an average of 2.8 shots per
game.
A big relief for Avgi and Thomas
is forward Marwan Sarhan. Standing
6 feet 8 inches and weighing in
at 220 pounds, his presence is a force
on the court. Averaging over eight
points a game, Sarhan can be a game
changer as well.
He scored 13 points and pulled
down a team high of seven rebounds
last week in their win against Montana.
Head Coach and Western Oregon
alumnus, Brady Bergeson had his
eyes set on the conference championship
during his fourth year on the
job.
“Sometimes growth is steady;
sometimes it comes in bursts,”
Bergeson said. “Ours is steady.”
With 14 games left in the season,
the title as champion is still up for
grabs.
“The two games this weekend are
crucial,” Bergeson said. “It’s a very
balanced conference.”
Western Oregon played their first
home game of 2015, Thursday, Jan.
8, against Northwest Nazarene University
before welcoming Central
Washington University on Saturday
Jan. 10, which tips off at 7:30 p.m.
The Northwest Nazarene Crusaders
entered Thursday’s game with an
overall record of 4-9 that includes a
2-1 record in GNAC play.
The Crusaders are on a two-game
win streak as they beat rival Central
Washington last weekend. They lead
the all-time series against Western
31-24.
Central Washington enters the
game at 7-3 overall and 2-1 in
GNAC games.
Northwest Nazarene snapped the
Wildcats five-game win streak as
they look to bounce back. They trail
in the all-time series 43-54 against
the wolves.
“We need to play the way we play
and make opponents adapt,” said
Bergeson on this weekend’s games.
“There isn’t really an X factor, we
just need to stick to what we do, and
we’ll be fine.”
The Wolves will play three of their
next five games at home before hitting
the road for 5-of-7 games in
February to close out the regular
season.
