Men's Basketball | 11/18/2011 9:47:00 PM

Box Score [Box score]

MONMOUTH, Ore. – Blair Wheadon scored 21 points as he and his backcourt mates Jordan Freelander and Kyle Long combined to shoot 10-of-13 from behind the arc to lead Western Oregon to a 73-71 win in its home opener over Cal State East Bay on Friday, Nov. 18th.

Wheadon led the attack for the Wolves as he hit 6-of-9 shots, 4-of-5 from 3-point range and was a perfect 5-for-5 at the charity line. Three other Wolves scored double-digit points as Long scored 13, Freelander added 11 and Jamaal Veal put in 10 of his own.

The Wolves (2-1) did not want to stop their momentum they had at the end of the first, as Kolton Nelson hit a 3-point shot to extend their lead over Cal State East Bay (2-1) to four to begin the second half. As the game continued neither team could gain a significant lead over one another, until the final moments.

With 90 seconds of the game Freelander put in a lay up to help the Wolves pull ahead by two and Wheadon sunk in both of his free throw attempts, pulling the Wolves to a four point lead. The Pioneers would not give up as got a dunk from Jurell Turner. The Pioneers fired off a long 3-point shot attempting to take the lead back, but the attempt went wide as it bounced off the backboard and into the hands of Turner who attempted to tie the game but just could not see the ball fall into the net as the buzzer sounded.

In the first half, the Wolves had to fight their way back from an early 7-0 hole after two free throws and a long 3-point shot by Pioneers' Jason Smith. However, it did not take long for Western Oregon to strike back against East Bays offensive attack that was on display early. Long hit back-to-back 3-point shots, allowing WOU to gain a six-point lead and start the neck-to-neck battle which included 17 lead changes.

The Wolves were only able to take a one-point advantage into the locker room as they crept closer fighting every moment alongside the Pioneers. After two free throws and a long 3-point shot by Pioneers' Jason Smith, Nelson had to battle inside the key to score with a lay up. Shortly after the play Long hung around in the back court giving pressure to his man only to watch the ball sail into his hands allowing him to feed the ball to Veal who slammed the ball through the rim and take a one point lead into the half.

“East Bay is one heck of a team,” said men's head coach Brady Bergeson. “They really gave us some pressure and I'm proud of my guys to maintain their poise and seal off the win.”

WOU shot 65 percent from behind the arch and they were able to outrebound CSEB 36-28.

Mark Samuels scored 20 points to lead the Pioneers.

The Wolves will be back in action tomorrow (Nov. 19th) as they continue tournament play in the GNAC/Phoenix Inn D2 Shootout. They will take on Augustana at 5:30 p.m.

“Augustana is a really good team, they have a different style of play,” said Bergeson. “We will have our hands full.”

Tickets are available for $6 for adults and $4 for children and non-WOU students. All WOU students will be admitted for free with current school ID.