Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

After a huge win over Central Washington on Jan. 24, the Wolves continued their road stint against Northwest Nazarene University. The Nighthawks sat just above the Wolves in the GNAC standings at second place. With a chance to move ahead in the conference, the Wolves took to the court on Jan. 26.

In the opening minutes of the first half, the Wolves pulled ahead of the Nighthawks. However, this lead was short lived. What was once a multiple possession lead was quickly erased as Northwest Nazarene shot ahead. As the minutes ticked away on the first half, Western fell deeper and deeper into a hole with seemingly no way to fight back. At the half, the Wolves were down by 14.

In the opening minutes of the second half, the Wolves again fell victim to precise shooting and suffocating defense. The Wolves looked outmatched and out-classed as the Nighthawks put the pedal down and began to run away with the game. Finally, with the final half reaching the midpoint, the Wolves fought their way to a single-digit deficit. Unfortunately, this seemed to only be a minor speed bump to the Nighthawks as they quickly shot back ahead.

In the waning minutes of the match, Western again had brought the game to only being a few points down, but the match was all but over. Western hadn’t seen the lead beyond the opening minutes of the first half and as a result lost 70-78. The Wolves remain at third in the conference and still have chance at a postseason.

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton