Men's Basketball | 11/21/2008 11:31:05 PM
Box Score MONMOUTH, Ore. -
Mike McLaughlin scored 19 of his career-high 31 points in the second half as the Western Oregon men's basketball team came back from a four point halftime deficit to defeat Chico State 81-77 in the first round of the WOU/Phoenix Inn D2 Shootout.
McLaughlin went 10-of-11 from the field and 11-of-12 at the line to help the Wolves improve to 2-0 on the season. His .909 shooting percentage set the tournament record eclipsing the previous mark of .833 (10-12) set in 1992 by Joel Holland of Linfield. The loss dropped Chico State to 0-3 on the year.
Travis Kuhns put up 21 points for Western Oregon on 8-of-15 shooting. Sam Kelly was the team's leading rebounder with nine while McLaughlin had a team-best six assists. The Wolves got to the free throw line 11 more times and converted on 10 more free throws than the Wildcats.
"We showed good resilience tonight but we need to put a full game together if we are going to do anything long term," remarked head coach Craig Stanger. "We were able to score easily early and then we got complacent and really had to battle back for the victory."
In the first half, Western Oregon jumped out to a 21-9 lead but Chico State stormed back with a 34-18 run to close the half and take a 43-39 lead into the locker room. Bocian scored 30 of the Wildcats 43 points in the half as he went 12-of-16 from the field and 3-of-4 from three point range in just 18 minutes of play. McLaughlin went 5-of-6 from the floor in the half as he led the Wolves with 12 points.
In the second half, Gabe Thrash came in for the Wolves as turned the tide of the game without making a basket. He re-entered the game midway through the second half and immediately responded by blocking a Chico State shot off the backboard on an attempted lay up. He would continue to do the same for much of the rest of the half as he help Western Oregon lock down the paint.
"Thrash came in and gave us a good defensive presence inside," said Stanger. "He has a lot of athleticism and as he continues to learn the game he is going to grow as an asset for our team."
Stanger also commented on the outstanding offensive display by his junior forward. "Offensively we were able to get a lot from McLaughlin tonight," explained Stanger. "He can be extremely difficult at times to guard when he gets this way."
The Western Oregon men's basketball team will now face Saint Martin's in the championship game of the WOU/Phoenix Inn D2 Shootout Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
