Athletics | 7/22/2014 8:16:00 AM

Editor's Note: This is the first in an 11-part series recapping the Top 10 sports moments of the 2013-14 year at Western Oregon University as compiled by the WOU Sports Information Department. New moments will be revealed every Tuesday and Thursday over the summer. See the bottom of the page for links to all of the top-ten moments. Upon the final release, you as the fan and supporters of Wolves' Athletics, will have a chance to vote on what you believe is the "Top Story" of the year.

MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Oregon University men's basketball team sent a large crowd home very happy on Feb. 26, with an 82-71 victory over Simon Fraser University (B.C.). The Wolves clinched a berth in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference tournament with the victory that was televised regionally on ROOT Sports Northwest.

Western Oregon advanced to the six-team tournament that was played in Lacey, Wash., on March 5-8. It was the third time in the tournament's four-year history that WOU was in the field.

Andy Avgi led Western Oregon with 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field. Rodney Webster added 14 points off of the bench. Jordan Wiley grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds and dished out a career-high five assists. Devon Alexander matched his season-high of five steals.

The Wolves shot 40 percent from the field, while SFU made 39 percent. Both teams made 16 free throws, as the Clan attempted 22 and WOU shot 20. Western Oregon had a slim 47-44 edge on the glass. The Wolves turned 15 offensive rebounds into 20 second chance points. They also totaled 46 points in the paint.

Western Oregon opened the game by scoring the first 13 points. A dunk by Lewis Thomas and a lay-in from Alexander closed a 6-for-10 shooting start over the first four minutes. The Clan answered with a 14-0 run over the next four minutes. SFU took a 26-20 lead after a three-pointer from Dillon Hamilton with 8:11 left in the first half. The Wolves regained the lead, 36-30, with 4:02 remaining in the half. The third, fourth, and fifth ties of the game came in the final two minutes of the half, until a pair of free throws from Marwan Sarhan gave WOU the 41-40 edge at halftime.

The Wolves led for the entirety of the second half. Simon Fraser closed within one early in the half, but never tied or took the lead. Western Oregon's largest lead of the half was 11, twice, including the final margin.

The Clan fell to WOU for the 11th straight time. The last time Simon Fraser won in the series was a 70-61 decision in Burnaby, B.C., in 1999. Western Oregon has won 10 straight at home over the Clan. SFU's last win in Monmouth was the first meeting between the programs in 1968, 97-86. The Wolves have won all eight of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference meetings between the teams, and all six meetings under Bergeson against the Clan.

Sango Niang led all scorers with 30 points. The junior finished 10-of-23 from the field, and has totaled 93 points in the past three games. Taylor Dunn added 16 points. Ibrahim Appiah grabbed a game-high 19 rebounds, matching the most rebounds by a WOU opponent under Brady Bergeson.

The energetic and large crowd enjoyed the closely-played game, which was televised to over three-million households in the Northwest. It was the largest home crowd, 1,078, this season for WOU.

"It was great—beautiful atmosphere," Bergeson said. "I really appreciate all of the fans coming out tonight and support. It was a lot of fun. They were great, and they made a nice difference."

No. 10 - Men's Basketball Qualifies for Postseason on ROOT
No. 9 - Thursday, July 24
No. 8 - Tuesday, July 29
No. 7 - Thursday, July 31
No. 6 - Tuesday, Aug. 5
No. 5 - Thursday, Aug. 7
No. 4 - Tuesday, Aug. 12
No. 3 - Thursday, Aug. 14
No. 2 - Tuesday, Aug. 19
Honorable Mention- Thursday, Aug. 21
No. 1- Tuesday, Aug. 26