Women's Basketball | 12/1/2010 9:11:02 PM

[Box score]

MONMOUTH, Ore. - Two clutch three-pointers by senior guard Sara Zahler and a game-winning lay-up by junior forward Rylee Peterson earned the Western Oregon women's basketball team an overtime victory in their conference opener against Northwest Nazarene Wednesday, Dec. 1, in the New P.E. Building.

The win gives WOU sole possession of first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and improves its overall record to 2-4 (1-0). NNU ends its unbeaten streak, dropping to 3-1 (0-1) with the loss.

Western was led by Peterson (Newport, Ore./Newport), who scored 17 points, including the game-winning lay-up with 9.1 seconds left in overtime. She also pulled down seven rebounds and blocked five shots. Zahler (Newberg, Ore./Newberg) contributed 16 points, six of which came on two clutch treys, one with 33 seconds left in regulation to bring WOU within two, and the other with 1:27 remaining in overtime to give the Wolves a five-point lead. Sophomore guard Jamie Richardson (Grants Pass, Ore./Hidden Valley) added 11 points and three steals.

"Those two threes were just instinctual," Zahler said. "I've always been a shooter, and I have confidence in my ability to knock down those shots. I wasn't really thinking about the situation; I was open and I felt good about my ability to put them in."

The Wolves struggled out of the gate, falling behind 22-9 with 4:34 left in the first half. They would close the half on a 10-5 run, capped by Zahler's lay-up as time expired. In the second stanza, the Crusaders struck first with a three to increase their lead to 11. They still led by seven with 11:07 remaining, but would go cold as WOU fought back to tie the game at 39 with 6:44 to play in regulation. NNU would go back up by five points three different times, but Western would score the final five points to tie the game and send it to overtime knotted at 48.

After a jumper by NNU, Richardson would convert the and-one with 3:47 left, giving the Wolves their first lead of the game. They would increase their lead to four points three different times, but a lay-up by NNU tied the game at 59 with 33 seconds left. Western went to Peterson on the final play, and she delivered the game-winning lay-up with 9.1 seconds to play. NNU would not get a shot off on its final possession.

"I just went for it," Peterson explained. "You can't think about what's going to happen if I make it or miss it, you just have to trust yourself and put it in the basket."

WOU shot 43.1-percent (25-58) for the game, including 54.2-percent (13-24) in the second half and 55.9-percent (5-9) in overtime. It held NNU to 29.6-percent (24-81) shooting, including 20.6-percent (7-34) in the second stanza. NNU outrebounded Western 50-46. The two teams combined for 47 turnovers, 24 of which were travelling calls. NNU outscored WOU 23-8 in points off turnovers, but Western scored 40 points in the paint to NNU's 26.

"It was not a pretty game by any means," WOU head coach Greg Bruce said. "We were able to grind it out. Once again, our kids fought and refused to give up, which shows a lot about the character of this team. We're playing pretty good defense right now; we just gave them too many extra possessions, both on the offensive boards and with our turnovers."

Northwest Nazarene was led by junior forward Briaunna King's 14-point, 16-rebound effort. Freshman guard Chelsie Luke added 13 points off of the bench.

The Wolves continue conference play Saturday, Dec. 4, when they host Central Washington. Tip-off time is scheduled for 2:00 pm.

"Tonight's crowd was one of the best we've had in my five years here," Bruce noted. "They were into it and the energy was great. I know our girls really enjoyed having the support. I hope they liked what they saw and will come back out Saturday."