Men's Basketball | 3/5/2014 4:37:00 PM

Box Score
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
POSTGAME LOCKER ROOM FOOTAGE
PHOTO GALLERY
POSTGAME NOTES

LACEY, Wash. – That Seawolf that has been on the back of the Western Oregon University men's basketball program has been removed. The fifth-seed Wolves advanced to the semifinals of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference tournament after a 94-88 opening round win over fourth-seeded University of Alaska Anchorage Wednesday.

Western Oregon (18-11) won its first postseason men's basketball game since 1999, and the first since the school moved to NCAA play. There were plenty of firsts with the victory. It also marked the first times WOU beat the Seawolves, not only this season, but under Brady Bergeson. UAA was the lone conference team to sweep the Wolves this season, and the lone GNAC member Bergeson had not beat in his previous six matchups.

Alaska Anchorage had won the two meetings this season by 34 points and 19 points, with the latter coming only 12 days ago in Anchorage. The Seawolves were looking for their 10th straight victory over the 'land' Wolves.

Western Oregon seemed to out-UAA the Seawolves. Roles reversed from the previous two meetings this season, as WOU surprised from the outside in the third matchup. Alaska Anchorage made a combined 46 three-pointers in the first two games this season, but it were the Wolves that finished with a season-high 13 three-pointers Wednesday. After late three-pointers, UAA also made 13 shots from behind-the-arc. Both teams now have the tournament-record for three-pointers made in a single game. It took 24, while Western Oregon attempted 26.

Rodney Webster finished with a career-high 30 points. The senior extended his collegiate career by making 12 of his 18 shots from the field, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. He matched a career-high with five assists as well. Jordan Wiley also had a career-high 24 points. He made a tournament-record seven of his 12 three-point attempts, becoming the first Wolf to make seven three-pointers in a game since Blair Wheadon in 2012. Andy Avgi added 10 points and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.

In a game that featured plenty of drama and 10 ties, the teams also exchanged the lead six times. The Wolves opened the game with the first five points, before UAA went on a 17-2 run to take its largest lead of the game, eight minutes into the contest. The Seawolves later matched that 10-point lead, 21-11, with 10:34 remaining in the first half.

Western Oregon countered with a 14-4 run over a three-minute span to even the score. WOU continued its momentum, taking a seven-point lead after a pair of Avgi free throws with 56 seconds left in the half. The Wolves had a 44-38 lead at halftime after making 9-of-16 from behind-the-arc in the opening half. Alaska Anchorage shot 54.8 percent from the field in first half, but missed its lone free throw attempt.

The Seawolves scored the first seven points of the second half to regain the lead. WOU responded again taking a five point advantage. The seesaw battle continued and UAA had a five point lead with 9:30 left in regulation after back-to-back three-pointers. A 15-5 Western Oregon swing put the Wolves up for good. WOU built two 10-point leads down the stretch before winning by six. Both teams shot extremely well in the second half, as the Wolves made 64 percent of their shots from the field, while UAA connected on 58.6 percent of its attempts.

Western Oregon finished 53 percent from the field, while the Seawolves were at 56 percent. It was the first loss for Alaska Anchorage this season when it made 50 percent of its shots from the field. The Wolves made 21-of-31 from the free throw line, compared to UAA's 7-of-11 shooting from the line. WOU improved to 11-2 this season when it outrebounds opponents, as it had a 31-27 advantage Wednesday.

Kyle Fossman led Alaska Anchorage (18-13) with 27 points. The senior made 10-of-18 from the field, including 6-of-11 from three-point range. He totaled 86 points in the three matchups against WOU this season. Stafford added 18 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds. Travis Thompson chipped in 17 points and Brian McGill had 12 points. McGill also dished out five assists.

The Seawolves came into the game averaging a national-low 8.3 turnovers per game. WOU for forced them into 14. Western Oregon committed 13. The Wolves turned 11 offensive rebounds into a 17-6 advantage in second chance points. WOU's bench also had a 46-10 positive margin over Alaska Anchorage.

The Wolves first victory in the GNAC tournament came in their third attempt in the event's four-year history. WOU qualified for the inaugural GNAC tournament in 2011, played at higher-seed sites, and in 2012 in Lacey. Western Oregon was the sixth-seed in 2011 and fell at third-seeded Seattle Pacific by four points. In 2012, fourth-seeded WOU fell in the first round to Montana State Billings', the fifth-seed, Cinderella run to the conference title. No current Wolves have played in the tournament before.

The first semifinal at 5:15 p.m. will send third-seed Alaska (18-9) against No. 2 Western Washington (19-7). UAF gained its berth in the semifinals by defeating Montana State Billings 69-59 in Wednesday's first game.

Western Oregon advances in the GNAC tournament for the first time and will play top-seeded, and No. 18 in NCAA Div. II, Seattle Pacific. The Falcons, also ranked fourth in the West Region, split with WOU this season as both teams won on their home courts. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Live video and stats will be available on WOUWolves.com.

Western Oregon vs Alaska Anchorage
03/05/14 2:15 pm at Marcus Pavilion - Lacey, WA
At Marcus Pavilion - Lacey, WA
WESTERN OREGON 94, ALASKA ANCHORAGE 88
WESTERN OREGON (18-11)
Webster,Rodney 12-18 3-5 30; Wiley,Jordan 7-13 3-4 24; Avgi,Andy 3-5 4-5 10;
Sarhan,Marwan 3-5 3-3 9; Johnson,Drew 2-3 3-4 9; Schriber,Jordan 2-2 2-2 6;
Alexander,Devon 1-6 2-2 5; Hastings,Adam 0-1 1-4 1; DupreeTurner,Dezmond 0-2
0-2 0; Thomas,Lewis 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 30-56 21-31 94.
ALASKA ANCHORAGE (17-13)
Fossman,Kyle 10-18 1-2 27; Stafford,Teancum 6-12 1-3 18; Thompson,Travis
7-10 1-2 17; McGill,Brian 4-7 4-4 12; Lauwers,Colton 2-5 0-0 4; Mears,Brad
2-5 0-0 4; McTier,Jackson 1-1 0-0 2; Leckband,Christian 1-1 0-0 2;
Blossom,Boomer 1-1 0-0 2; Baisa,DeVante 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 34-60 7-11 88.
Western Oregon................   44   50  -   94
Alaska Anchorage..............   38   50  -   88
3-point goals--Western Oregon 13-26 (Wiley,Jordan 7-12; Webster,Rodney 3-6;
Johnson,Drew 2-3; Alexander,Devon 1-5), Alaska Anchorage 13-24 (Fossman,Kyle
6-11; Stafford,Teancum 5-8; Thompson,Travis 2-3; Lauwers,Colton 0-1;
McGill,Brian 0-1). Fouled out--Western Oregon-None, Alaska
Anchorage-McGill,Brian; Lauwers,Colton. Rebounds--Western Oregon 31
(Avgi,Andy 7), Alaska Anchorage 27 (Stafford,Teancum 6). Assists--Western
Oregon 16 (Webster,Rodney 5), Alaska Anchorage 16 (McGill,Brian 5). Total
fouls--Western Oregon 14, Alaska Anchorage 22. Technical fouls--Western
Oregon-None, Alaska Anchorage-None. A-216