Women's Basketball | 1/21/2010 9:09:41 PM

Box Score [Box score]

FAIRBANKS, ALASKA – The Western Oregon women's basketball team set season-highs for most points scored in a game and most points scored in a half in a commanding 91-40 victory over the Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks Thursday (Jan. 21).

With the win, WOU improves to 8-11 (3-2 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) on the season, while Fairbanks drops to 1-14 (0-4 GNAC).

The Wolves were led by senior forward Katie Torland who had her sixth double-double of the season with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Western also got double-figure outings from sophomore forward Meaghan White (12), freshman guard Jamie Richardson (11), and junior guard Sara Zahler (10). WOU also received 50 points from its bench, led by White and Richardson.

“The kids off of the bench gave us a huge lift,” Western Oregon head coach Greg Bruce said. “They provided a lot of energy both offensively and defensively, which was great to see.”

Western led 51-18 after the first stanza, only giving up six points over 13:07. The second half was much the same as they allowed UAF to score only 22 points, nine of which were scored in the first 6:18 of the half. The 51-point spread was the most ever by WOU in a GNAC contest, and the 51 first half points and 91 total points were season highs.

The Wolves finished the game shooting 43-percent from the field, 35-percent from beyond the arc, and 71-percent from the charity stripe. They held UAF to 29-percent shooting. WOU outrebounded the Nanooks 51-37 and grabbed 22 offensive rebounds, also a season-high. Western had a season-best 18:8 assists-to-turnover ratio, while it forced UAF into 28 turnovers, scoring 33 points off those turnovers.

“The best part of the game was our effort on the boards,” Bruce continued. “We did not let down the entire game. I was really proud of our effort, especially on the offensive glass.”

WOU finishes off its road trip to Alaska Saturday when they travel to Anchorage to face No. 12 Alaska Anchorage in a GNAC contest. Tip-off time is set at 5:15 ast.