MEDIA INFORMATION
Live video can be found at PennAtlantic.com. To view the video stream, select "Click to View Live" on the right-hand side of the page, next to the specific game.

THE MATCH-UP
This is the first meeting of the season between the Wolves and Saint Martin's. Western trails the all-time series with SMU 11-25 and is 3-18 against the Saints as a DII member. WOU has not defeated Saint Martin's since Jan. 25, 2007; the last time Western won in Lacey was during the 1992-93 season. Their most recent tilt resulted in a 69-72 WOU loss.

SCOUTING SAINT MARTIN'S
Like the Wolves, SMU enters the contest in the midst of a two-game skid, having fallen to Eastern Washington 44-73 in their last outing. The Saints are holding opponents to less than 60 points per game but are allowing a 41.2-percent shooting clip from the field. SMU has reached 70 or more points four times this season and are shooting 42.3-percent from the field in their last three games. Two-time GNAC First Team honoree Dara Zack (15.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.3 apg) is the only Saint to average double-figures. She notched a career-high 31 points earlier this season against Northwest Nazarene, and grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds against Central Washington in SMU's conference opener.

OFFENSIVELY
The Wolves are averaging 68.7 points per game, the most since 2000-01. Their 39.7-percent mark from the field is the best since 2003-04, and the 23.4 made field goals per game is the highest since 2001-02. WOU has scored over 80 points three times this season after hitting that mark just three times in 30 outings last season. Three different Wolves have recorded at least 20 points in a game this season; only two players notched 20 or more points last year.

DEFENSIVELY
Western is holding their foes to 39.4-percent shooting from the field, the lowest since 2001-02, and 27.5-percent from three-point range, a program best. WOU is blocking 3.6 shots per contest, the most since 2001-02, and are recording an average of 10 steals per game, also the most since 2001-02. The Wolves have forced at least 20 turnovers six different times.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
WOU is 4-1 at home this season, their best home record through five games since 2001-02. They are averaging 79.2 points and shooting 44.5-percent from the field, 33.3-percent from long range, and 79.1-percent from the charity stripe in the New P.E. Building. The Wolves are averaging five more rebounds, four more steals, 2.6 fewer turnovers, 1.4 more assists, and 1.2 more blocks at home than on the road.

'TIS THE SEASON
Senior guard Sara Zahler is making the most out of her final season with the Wolves. Her 13.8 scoring average leads the team and is up 5.3 points from a season ago. She is also grabbing 5.7 rebounds per contest, good for second on the team, and up from 4.1 last year. Her free throw percentage (91.7) is a career best, and her field goal percentage (40.4) is up from last season (37.1). She was named GNAC Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 29, 2010, the first Wolf to receive the award since Leada Berkey was honored Feb. 18, 2008.

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
Junior forward Rylee Peterson has been a human eraser for Western with 25 blocks through ten games, the most in a season since 2001-02. Her eight blocked shots against UT-Permian Basin set a WOU single-game record.

SOPHOMORE SURGE
After becoming the winningest freshman class since 2002-03, WOU's trio of sophomore guards have returned with a vengeance. Jamie Richardson is Western's third-leading scorer with 9.6 points per game and opened the season with a 20-point, five-assist, six-steal outing against Oregon. Lorrie Clifford is WOU's most accurate shooter at 45.8-percent and leads Western in assists with 26. Hannah Whitsett's free throw accuracy has continued as she is a perfect 9-for-9 this season. She has made 19 consecutive free throws, last missing on Jan. 14, 2010.

DIAPER DANDY
Freshman forward Melissa Fowler came to Monmouth ready to contribute, and contribute she has. She has started eight of WOU's ten games and her 17-point, ten-rebound performance against Simpson was the first double-double by a freshman since Feb. 21, 2008. Fowler has led Western in rebounding four different times and her 81.0-percent mark from the charity stripe is the second best for a freshman in WOU history. She is averaging 10.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in her last three games.

HI! MY NAME IS...
There are seven new faces on the roster this season, including three junior college transfers and four freshmen, all of whom have scored . . . Peterson is WOU's second-leading scorer and leading rebounder, and has already notched two double-doubles . . . Junior guard Jade Haas is averaging 5.3 rebounds in her last three games . . . Junior guard Dijana Topalovic averaged 7.5 points in the GNAC/CCAA Challenge and connected on three treys . . . Fowler has started eight consecutive games and has snagged the second-most offensive rebounds (14) . . . Freshman forward Mackenzie Beckley scored three points and grabbed five boards against Simpson . . . Freshman guard Ashley Hanson had four points, two assists, and two steals against Simpson . . . Freshman guard Olivia Hettrich recorded three points in seven minutes against Simpson.

CLASH OF THE TITANS
As has become the norm under head coach Greg Bruce, WOU played an extremely difficult non-conference schedule. After opening at DI member Oregon (9-2), Dixie State (10-1) and Humboldt State (4-4) came to Monmouth for the Phoenix Inn D2 Shootout. Western then traveled to Colorado for the Clarion Inn Thanksgiving Classic and games against Mesa State (7-3) and UT-Permian Basin (10-2). After hosting Simpson (3-10), the Wolves went south for games against Cal Poly Pomona (5-1) and Cal State L.A. (5-3) as part of the GNAC/CCAA Challenge. All told, WOU's non-conference opponents have a collective record of 53-26.

GNAC PREVIEW
After a fifth-place finish last season, and the most conference wins since 2003-04 (6), the Wolves were picked by the league's coaches to finish eighth in the preseason poll. WOU received 34 points, nine behind Saint Martin's. The conference is expected to be very strong again with three nationally-ranked teams, Alaska Anchorage (11), Western Washington (18), and Seattle Pacific (23). Canadian power Simon Fraser joins the league in their first year as an NCAA DII institution. They finished 32-1 and won the Canadian national championship last season.

A LOOK AHEAD
The Wolves will make their inaugural trip to Canada to face new GNAC member Simon Fraser Thursday, Jan. 6 before tipping off against Western Washington Saturday, Jan. 8, in Bellingham. Western's next home contest is a match-up with GNAC heavyweight Alaska Anchorage on Thursday, Jan. 13.