OLYMPIA, Wash. (Nov. 13) – Sophomore forward Tanner Omlid led four players in double figures as the No. 21 Western Oregon men's basketball came back from 11 points down in the second half to edge Point Loma, 82-76, in the GNAC/PacWest Conference Crossover on Friday night at South Puget Sound Community College.
 
The Wolves, who improved to 1-0 on the season, picked up their first win as a ranked team to begin a season. PLNU also had four in double figures and shot 56.3 percent from the floor in the loss to fall to 0-1.
 
The season opener featured two teams that battled for NCAA Regional berths last season, and both teams fired out of the gate. A triple from senior guard Devon Alexander preceded a 5-0 Sea Lion run. Omlid, who went on a dunk frenzy in the first half, tied the game with a flush and pushed WOU ahead 16-8 with another slam five minutes in to the game.  Western held the lead until late in the half when PLNU closed out the final 2:15 on a 10-2 run to give them a 48-42 halftime advantage.
 
Point Loma hit nine shots from distance in the opening 20 minutes and the team's 10^th triple started a run that led to an 11-point lead, 61-50, with 12:57 to go. A quick five-point WOU spurt, a layup from freshman Kadeem Strickland and a 3-ball from Alexander, began the road back to the lead. Omlid put the Wolves on top to stay with a tip-in at the 5:07 mark that sparked a 7-0 run capped by a layup from senior Julian Nichols. The Wolves sealed the win from the charity stripe with four makes from Nichols, two from Alexander and one from Strickland.
 
The Wolves won the turnover battle, forcing 21 Sea Lion turnovers while committing just 11 of their own. WOU also took the rebounding battle with a 33-28 advantage, including 9-2 on the offensive glass. Point Loma shot a blistering 56.3 percent from the floor, but the Wolves had the edge at the free throw line going 20 of 27.
 
Individually, Omlid shined in his Western Oregon debut making 13 of 14 shots, pulled down eight boards and had six steals. Nichols finished with 14 points, two boards and two assists. Sophomore guard Alex Roth hit all six of his charity shots leading to 13 points and four rebounds. Alexander ended the night with 11 points while Strickland fell just shy of double figures with nine points in his collegiate debut.
 
Point Loma was led by the 16-point, five-assist performance from freshman Josh Rodriguez and 14-point, seven-rebound night from Judd Welfringer. The Sea Lions connected 11 times from distance and 27 times overall from the floor.
 
WOU will face Fresno Pacific on Saturday night at 5 p.m. Pacific before it returns home to host the D2 Shootout next weekend at home.