Men's Basketball | 1/30/2014 9:40:00 PM

Box Score

BILLINGS, Mont. – The Western Oregon University men's basketball team ended its five-game losing streak with an 84-77 win at Montana State University Billings Thursday.

The Wolves (11-9, 4-6 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) made 47.6 percent of their shots from the field, after shooting 54.5 percent in the first half. WOU finished with four players scoring in double-digits, led by Jordan Wiley's career-high 21 points. The sophomore made six of his eight shots from the field, including all three of his shots from behind-the-arc. Rodney Webster and Devon Alexander both scored 13, and Marwan Sarhan added 11.

Alexander led the Wolves with three assists and three steals. He and Adam Hastings both grabbed eight rebounds. Sarhan made a pair of blocks. As a team, Western Oregon committed eight turnovers, one off its season-low. WOU outrebounded the Yellowjackets, 36-31. The Wolves made five of their 10 three-pointers, and 19 of their 32 free throws.

"I liked the way our guys put two halves together tonight," WOU Head Coach Brady Bergeson said. "We got a lead and kept it through their runs. We've got to keep doing the little things."

Montana State Billings' only lead was from the first basket in the game. Western Oregon led for 39 of the 40 minutes. The Wolves followed MSUB's opening points with a 13-0 run. The Yellowjackets were held scoreless and missed six shots over the four-minute span. MSU Billings closed the gap to 27-23 with 8:30 remaining in the first half. A Jonathan Mesghna three-pointer trimmed the margin to 40-38 with two minutes left in the opening stanza. WOU led 44-41 at halftime.

Western Oregon stretched its lead back to nine points early in the second half. The Wolves led for the entirety of the half, as MSUB came as close as four points. WOU had a 76-63 advantage with 2:45 remaining in regulation, but the Yellowjackets made one final push with a 14-5 run over a two-minute span.

Kalob Hatched led Montana State Billings with a career-high 28 points. The senior made 9-of-16 from the field, 3-of-4 from three-point range, and 7-of-10 from the free throw line. He also dished a game-high six assists. Hatcher entered the game as the conference leader, and sixth in NCAA Div. II, in assists per game. Jonathan Mesghna added 24 points for MSU Billings. Chase Miller matched a game-high eight rebounds.

The Yellowjackets (8-10, 4-6 GNAC) shot 40 percent from the field in their third straight loss. They have dropped five of their last seven contests. MSUB made 9-of-28 from behind-the-arc, and 20-of-25 from the free throw line. Montana State Billings committed 11 turnovers.

Western Oregon was attempting to not lose six consecutive contests, following six straight wins. The Wolves swept the season series with Montana State Billings, and moved into the sixth place in the conference standings. WOU's win Thursday, was only its second in nine all-time trips to Billings. Its last victory at MSUB came in 2008. The Yellowjackets hold a 10-8 all-time advantage over Western Oregon in the series.

The Wolves travel to No. 20 Seattle Pacific for their next game Saturday. The Falcons (17-4, 8-2) have won a conference best six straight games. SPU eased past Saint Martin's Thursday, 76-53. WOU upset then-ranked Seattle Pacific earlier this season, 74-70. The 4 p.m. tipoff will have live stats and video will be on WOUWolves.com.

Western Oregon vs MSU Billings
01/30/14 7:00 PM at Billings, MT (Alterowitz Gym)
At Billings, MT (Alterowitz Gym)
WESTERN OREGON 84, MSU BILLINGS 77
WESTERN OREGON (11-9, 4-6 GNAC)
Wiley,Jordan 6-8 6-8 21; Alexander,Devon 5-11 2-4 13; Webster,Rodney 5-13
3-5 13; Sarhan,Marwan 4-12 3-4 11; Sabic,Mirza 3-3 0-0 7; Avgi,Andy 2-6 2-4
6; Hastings,Adam 2-3 2-4 6; Schriber,Jordan 2-4 0-0 4; Thomas,Lewis 1-3 1-3
3; DupreeTurner,Dezmond 0-0 0-0 0; Johnson,Drew 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-63
19-32 84.
MSU BILLINGS (8-10, 4-6 GNAC)
Hatcher,Kalob 9-16 7-10 28; Mesghan,Jonathan 7-15 6-6 24; Matthews,Marc 2-8
3-5 8; Donaldson,Connor 1-6 2-2 5; Nelson,Tyler 2-2 0-0 4; Hudson,Austin 2-7
0-0 4; Miller,Chase 1-6 2-2 4; Anderson,Jace 0-0 0-0 0; Desin,Danny 0-0 0-0
0. Totals 24-60 20-25 77.
Western Oregon................   44   40  -   84
MSU Billings..................   41   36  -   77
3-point goals--Western Oregon 5-10 (Wiley,Jordan 3-3; Sabic,Mirza 1-1;
Alexander,Devon 1-3; Schriber,Jordan 0-1; Sarhan,Marwan 0-1; Webster,Rodney
0-1), MSU Billings 9-28 (Mesghan,Jonathan 4-10; Hatcher,Kalob 3-4;
Donaldson,Connor 1-3; Matthews,Marc 1-7; Miller,Chase 0-4). Fouled
out--Western Oregon-None, MSU Billings-Nelson,Tyler; Hudson,Austin.
Rebounds--Western Oregon 36 (Hastings,Adam 8; Alexander,Devon 8), MSU
Billings 31 (Miller,Chase 8). Assists--Western Oregon 7 (Alexander,Devon 3),
MSU Billings 11 (Hatcher,Kalob 6). Total fouls--Western Oregon 21, MSU
Billings 27. Technical fouls--Western Oregon-None, MSU
Billings-Hudson,Austin. A-734