Women's Basketball | 2/17/2009 9:51:24 PM

[Complete release]

This week...
The Western Oregon University women's basketball team will have just one game this week as it faces Western Washington in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference showdown Saturday (Feb. 21) at 2:00 p.m.

Western Washington preview...
The Western Washington Vikings are ranked fourth in the NCAA west region with a 15-6 record. WWU currently sits in third place in the GNAC with a 7-3 record. WWU has won six of its last seven games with its only loss coming on the road at No. 1 Alaska Anchorage, 70-67.

Amanda Dunbar leads WWU and is ranked fifth in the GNAC with 12.7 points per game. She is fourth in the conference with 1.95 three-pointers per game and fifth with 3.14 assists. Marelle Moehrle is ranked 14th in NCAA Division II but just fifth in the GNAC with a 44.8 three-point percentage. Jessica Summers is ranked in the top 10 in the conference in blocks (fourth, 1.11), rebounds (fifth, 8.2) and points (10th, 12.1). Summers' 1.11 blocks per game has helped WWU lead the GNAC in blocks with 4.24 per game. The Vikings are also second in the league in scoring (73.5 ppg) and field goal percentage (.433). WWU shoots 38.4 percent from three-point range while holding its opponents to 27.5 percent from behind the arc.

Western Washington leads the all-time series with Western Oregon 31-8. The teams split their two games last season with each winning at home.

The Western Oregon Wolves...
Katie Torland is ranked second in the GNAC with 17 ppg and eighth with 7.3 rpg. She is averaging 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals to lead the Wolves in all four categories. Torland is also shooting 37.9 percent from three-point range (36-for-95). Torland has scored in double-figures in 20 of 22 games this season. She notched a double-double against Seattle Pacific (Feb. 12), with 21 points and 10 rebounds, her fourth of the year.

Sara Zahler is averaging 8.6 ppg and 4.4 rebounds. She slipped to third place in the GNAC in three-point percentage at 57.1 percent. She has converted on 40-of-70 attempts from behind the arc this season. She also ranks third in the conference with an 82.5 free throw percentage. Zahler is the Wolves second-leading rebounder with 4.4 per game. She has made at least one three-pointer in the past five games and in eight of the last nine.

Whitney Chase is putting up 8.4 ppg while averaging 24.1 minutes. This year, she has shot 76.5 percent at the free throw line and 45.2 percent from the field. She was the Wolves leading scorer against Montana State Billings (Feb. 14) with 15 points. Chase has eight double-figure scoring games this season.

Shayla Corder is averaging eight points and 1.4 steals per game. She scored a season-high 21 points against Regis University (Nov. 29) as she went 9-of-17 from the floor. Prior to the Seattle Pacific game, Corder had started three straight games and averaged 14.4 ppg.

Erika Wilson has taken over the point guard position the past four games. She has scored in double-figures in three of those games including putting up a career-high 13 points against Seattle Pacific on 6-of-11 shooting. She is averaging 4.2 ppg and 1.9 assists. She has played in 20 of 22 games for the Wolves as a true freshman.

Other Western Oregon notes...
The Wolves rank 27th in NCAA DII with a 37.3 three-point percentage and 47th with a 74.4 free throw percentage...10 of Western Oregon's 14 losses have come against teams ranked in the top eight in the west region or DI opponents...The Wolves defeated the west region's No. 7 team, Montana State Billings at home 68-64, Jan 17...The Wolves are 6-3 this season when scoring more than 70 points...WOU is 7-0 this season when shooting a better field goal percentage than its opponents and 6-3 when shooting a better percentage from the three-point line...This year's squad made history when it earned three victories in its first six games against NCAA Division II opponents, this is the first time that has happened since WOU moved to D-II in 2000-01…Western Oregon has competed in its toughest schedule as a D-II team, by playing 21 of its 22 games against D-I or D-II opponents…The Wolves have outrebounded its opponents in seven of its eight victories.

Last week...
The women's basketball team dropped games at Seattle Pacific (65-48) and at home to Montana State Billings (77-63) to run its current losing streak to four games.

The No. 17 ranked Seattle Pacific Falcons used a 13-2 run to open the second half to earn a 65-48 victory over the Western Oregon. The Falcons hit five of its first six shots in the second half to break a 28-28 halftime score. SPU was aided by seven Western Oregon turnovers and three missed field goals during its 13-2 run. Katie Torland registered
game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds. She went 7-for-15 from the field including four of six from three-point range. Erika Wilson was the Wolves only other double-digit scorer with 13. Kelsey Hill led three Falcon players in double-figures with 15 points.

In the Montana State Billings game, the Yellowjackets dominated the offensive glass as it pulled down 16 offensive boards and outscored WOU 14-5 on second chance points to earn a 77-63 victory in Monmouth. Alira Carpenter and Jetton Meaders each scored 18 points to lead Montana State Billings. Whitney Chase had 15 points to pace Western Oregon. MSUB also made 9-of-17 from behind the arc and 24-of-31 at the free throw line. Western Oregon went 16-of-19 at the line. Montana State Billings lead throughout the second half, but a Sara Zahler three-pointer with 3:45 cut the lead to seven at 65-58. The Yellowjackets then responded with two straight Jen Smith three-pointers to go on top 71-58 and seal the win.