MONMOUTH, Ore. – Junior Devon Alexander hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer that sent the game into its first overtime before Western Oregon University's men's basketball team outscored Seattle Pacific University by 10 points in the second overtime en route to securing a hard-fought 94-84 victory Saturday in Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) play inside the New PE Building.

"After a hard, tough battle, we're 100% proud of the heart and the toughness that went into that game from the very beginning," said Head Coach Brady Bergeson. "I could not have been prouder of our young men. This was one we really wanted to get with all of our hearts, but we also know that in the back of our minds, we got a long trip here coming up in terms of the last seven games. We'll be ready for it. We'll just be focused on the day."

Junior Andy Avgi led all players with a career-high 33 points on 11-of-20 shooting from the field to go along with a 10-for-11 performance at the free throw line, while three other Western Oregon (18-3, 10-1 GNAC) starters – junior Devon Alexander, junior Julian Nichols, and junior Jordan Wiley – also scored in double figures with 20, 18, and 10 points, respectively. On the boards, Nichols led the Wolves with six rebounds to go along with a game-high six assists and three steals.

"It was a really important [game]," said Avgi. "We lost up there, and we didn't play our best. We played our best here, and they played their best, and we came out with the win. Our defense got us into overtime. The main focus of this week was our defense, and I believe that we did it well."

For Seattle Pacific (16-5, 8-3 GNAC), Mitch Penner led a trio of Falcons in double figures with 19 points, while Cory Hutsen and Riley Stockton added 18 and 13 points, respectively. Stockton also led all players with nine rebounds, while Penner handed out a team-high five assists for SPU.

In the opening three minutes of the game, Seattle Pacific would jump out to a quick 10-4 lead on a three-pointer by Penner with 16:48 on the clock. Western Oregon would fight back to within a single point (12-11) via a 7-2 run over a span of 70 seconds only to watch the visiting Falcons pull back in front by five points (18-13) two minutes later. Over the next four-plus minutes, Western Oregon used a 9-0 run to go ahead 24-18 on a jumper in the paint by senior Adam Hastings with 9:15 left in the first half. The Wolves would continue to hold the lead over the next six minutes until Seattle Pacific grabbed a 33-30 lead on a lay-in by Shawn Reid with 2:42 remaining. Over the final two-plus minutes, SPU would continue to hold onto the lead as Seattle Pacific took a 38-34 advantage into halftime.

The second half would begin with Seattle Pacific using an 11-4 run over the opening seven minutes to pull ahead 49-38 on an old-fashion three-point play by Stockton with 13:18 on the clock. Despite the Falcons pulling ahead by double digits for the first time all night, Western Oregon continued to apply the pressure and got within three points (51-48) on a basket and free throw by Avgi with 10:06 left in regulation. Seattle Pacific would increase its lead to as much as nine points (67-58) with 4:36 left before Western Oregon began its comeback. Avgi would begin the comeback with an old-fashion three-point play before the Wolves slowly started chipping away at the Falcons' lead. Despite back-to-back lay-ins by SPU's Matt Borton and Brendan Carroll in the final minute of regulation, Western Oregon hung within striking distance and got within three points (72-69) on a lay-in by Nichols with under 10 seconds left. A pair of missed free throws by Borton with under seven seconds left opened the door for Alexander, who hit a three-pointer from the wing as timed expired to send the game into its first of two overtime periods tied at 72-72.

In the first overtime, Seattle Pacific pulled ahead by three points on two seperate occasions that included a 78-75 advantage with 2:11 left. Avgi and Nichols would hit back-to-back field goals to put Western Oregon ahead by one point (79-78) with 43 seconds left before Penner tied the game at 79-all with his second of two free throws with 26 seconds on the clock. Western Oregon would have a chance to win the game in overtime, but a turnover in the final seconds sent the game into a second overtime knotted at 79-79.

The second and final overtime would see Western Oregon come to life both offensively and defensively, as the Wolves jumped out to a quick four-point lead (83-79) on a jumper by Avgi and back-to-back free throws by Alexander with 3:14 left. Holding to a four-point lead (85-81) with just under two minutes left, Alexander hit another clutch three-pointer with 1:19 on the clock to give Western Oregon an 88-81 advantage. Over the final minute, Western Oregon would seal the win at the free throw line as the Wolves were a perfect 6-for-6 en route to earning the 10-point win (94-84).

As a team, Western Oregon combined to shoot 29-for-61 (47.5%) from the field that included a combined 18-for-30 (60%) in the second half and overtime periods. The Wolves were also 5-of-18 (27.8%) from beyond the three-point line and 31-for-36 (86.1%) at the free throw line. On the other hand, Seattle Pacific was a combined 29-for-63 (46.0%) from the field, 5-of-15 (33.3%) from long distance, and 21-for-30 (70.0%) at the charity stripe.

Western Oregon returns to the hardwood on Thursday, February 5, against Central Washington University beginning at 7 p.m. in Ellensburg, Washington.