Women's Basketball | 1/3/2011 9:15:45 PM
MONMOUTH, Ore. -
Complete Release in PDF Format
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Thursday, Jan. 6 - 7:00 pm
West Gymnasium - Burnaby, B.C.
Western Oregon (5-6, 3-0)
at Simon Fraser (3-4, 0-2)
&
Saturday, Jan. 8 - 3:00 pm
Carver Gymnasium - Bellingham, Wash.
Western Oregon
at No. 18 Western Washington (9-1, 2-0)*
*(Two games pending - 1/3 at Central Washington, 1/6 vs. Saint Martin's)
MEDIA INFORMATION
Live video can be found at PennAtlantic.com. To view the video stream, click "Select to View Live" on the right-hand side of the page, next to the specific game.
Live stats for Thursday's game can be found HERE. Live stats for Saturday's game can be found HERE.
QUICKLY
Western's 3-0 GNAC start is the program's best in conference history . . . WOU finished December at 4-2, their best December finish since the 2001-02 season . . . Sophomore Hannah Whitsett became the fourth Wolf to score 20 or more points in a game this year with her 22-point outing at Saint Martin's.
SCOUTING SIMON FRASER
After finishing last season with a 32-1 record and the Canadian national championship, Simon Fraser finds itself at 3-4 in its first season of NCAA DII competition. The Clan is currently on a four-game skid; their last victory came on Nov. 26 against Metro State. In GNAC play, SFU has dropped two home contests, first to MSU Billings (66-59), then to Seattle Pacific (65-60). Simon Fraser is averaging 70.1 points per game are shooting 44.7-percent from the field. Sophomore forward Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe (21.4 ppg, 12.0 rpg) is the Clan's top player; she has scored 20 or more points in five of SFU's seven games.
SCOUTING WESTERN WASHINGTON
No. 18 Western Washington enters its date with the Wolves on a four-game winning streak. The Vikings are winners of nine of their ten contests, a loss to No. 20 Chico State their only blemish. WWU owns GNAC wings over MSU Billings (80-70) and Northwest NAzarene (68-51). The Vikings are allowing just 49.6 points per contests while averaging 69.2. Against WWU, foes are shooting an average of 35.2-percent from the field and 24.6-percent from long range. Senior forward Lauren Hefflin (11.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.4 bpg) and senior guard Amanda Dunbar (11.2 ppg, 3.1 apg) are two of four Vikings to average double-figures.
OFFENSIVELY
The Wolves shot 41.2-percent at Saint Martin's, their best road shooting percentage since they recorded a 42.7-percent mark at Alaska Fairbanks back on Jan. 21, 2010. The 11 offensive rebounds WOU pulled down against the Saints was the second straight game, and third in the last four, that WOU has grabbed more than ten offensive boards. With 13 assists against Saint Martin's, Western assisted on 61.9-percent of its made shots, the best assist percentange since Nov. 26, 2010 (73.7-percent).
DEFENSIVELY
In their last outing, Western held Saint Martin's to 29.5-percent shooting from the field, the fourth time this season an opponent has failed to shoot at least 30-percent against WOU. SMU's shooting percentage was the lowest for a home team against Western since Alaska Fairbanks shot 28.5-percent on Jan. 21, 2010. The Wolves' 16 steals tied their season-high, and SMU's 26 turnovers marked the fourth time in five games that Western has forced at least 20 giveaways.
STARTING OFF WITH A BANG
The Wolves sit atop the GNAC standings at 3-0, the program's best start in the conference's ten-year history. Their previous best start through three conference games was 2-1, which they had done twice before.
A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER
With Saturday's victory over Saint Martin's, WOU finished December with a 4-2 record, the best December since Western went undefeated (6-0) during the 2001-02 campaign. The Wolves began this December with a three-game winning strreak then dropped two games before rebounding to defeat SMU.
20/20 VISION
WOU fans have seen some incredible individual performances this year. After dropping 22 points against Saint Martin's last week, sophomore guard Hannah Whitsett became the fourth Wolf to register at least 20 points in a game this season. Sophomore guard Jamie Richardson recorded 20 points against Oregon, junior forward Rylee Peterson notched 20 points against Humboldt State, and senior guard Sara Zahler put up a career-high 24 points against Central Washington. Zahler also scored 20 points against Dixie State. The last time WOU had four players score at least 20 points in a game was the 2007-08 season.
STAT STUFFER
Junior forward Rylee Peterson showed up in a big way in Western's victory over Saint Martin's last week. She recorded 13 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and seven steals, leading WOU in every statistical category (except points). Peterson now has career-highs of 20 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, six blocks, and seven steals (twice).
MAKING IT RAIN
Western has made at least three three-pointers in every game this season and are 32-for-89 (36.0-percent) in their last five games. The last time WOU failed to connect from beyond the arc was Nov. 28, 2008 (0-11). Six Wolves have made at least one three-pointer this season. Senior guard Sara Zahler connected on 5-of-6 treys against Central Washington, and sophomore guard Hannah Whitsett was 6-for-12 last week against Saint Martin's. Zahler is WOU's DII career leader with 137 three-pointers made; Whitsett ranks ninth with 53 made treys.
