Written by Iain Dexter, Sports Information Intern

MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Oregon University men's basketball team clinched the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) regular season championship in dramatic fashion over Simon Fraser University, 93-91, Saturday on Senior Night inside the New PE Building.
 
When asked about the team's performance, Head Coach Brady Bergeson said, "It was outstanding. We had a hard time guarding them. It was a problem all game long. They're loaded with fire power. We knew they were, and we knew it was going to be a full game like that, and it was. We just got barely enough stops down the stretch to figure out a way to get it done, so I couldn't be prouder of the efforts put forth by our guys."
 
Before the game, the Wolves (22-4, 14-2 GNAC) honored four seniors for their last career games at Western Oregon. Forwards Lewis Thomas, Marwan Sarhan, Adam Hastings and guard Kelvin Okundaye were recognized at center court for their collegiate basketball careers as Wolves.
 
"I'm so proud of our seniors, and I'm so proud that they got to experience this game and this season," said Bergeson. "Our number one goal on the outset of the season and since we've been here has been to win a GNAC championship. I'm so proud of them that they got to experience that."
 
Junior Julian Nichols led the Wolves to victory with a career night, as he scored 34 points on 12-of-22 shots, with nine assists, six rebounds, five steals and one block. Nichols played a game-high 35 minutes and netted 24 of his game-high 34 points in the second half. Junior Jordan Wiley also eclipsed the 20-point mark with 22, as he was 5-of-8 shooting from three-point range and added six rebounds. Thomas finished in double-digits as well with 11 points, two assists, two steals and one block.

"It's a special night for those four [senior] guys," said Nichols after the win. "We started the year off with a group that we didn't know, but we formed a brotherhood, and it's tough to see those guys go, but we're not done yet. We hope to get a regional game here."
 
For Simon Fraser (11-14, 6-11 GNAC), Michael Harper led the team with 21 points. Rodger Evans-Taylor had 17 points and a game-high eight rebounds, while Sango Niang and Justin Cole finished in double-digits with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Niang added six assists, but also six turnovers for the game.
 
WOU finished shooting 49.2% (32-for-65) and 46.2% (12-for-26) from three-point range. On the other side, the Clan shot 50.8% (32-for-63) from the field and 40.7% (11-for-27) from behind the three-point arc.
 
The Wolves, who were missing their leading scorer in junior Andy Avgi for the second straight game, knew it would be a fight as the Clan came into the game with the No. 1 scoring offense in the NCAA Division II putting up just over 105 points per game.
 
Western Oregon took an early 5-0 lead in the first 40 seconds of the game after a Thomas layup. The team took a game-high five-point lead (15-10) with 15:17 left in the half after a Nichols basket. Simon Fraser continued to keep pace with the Wolves though, tying the game (17-17) at the 13:47 mark after a hit three-pointer by Harper.
 
Back-and-forth action continued as the teams were tied up once again at 27-27 with 8:52 left in the first half. The Wolves fell behind by three points (39-36) with 5:31 on the clock after a jumper made by Evans-Taylor, but WOU answered back taking a 49-44 lead into halftime.
 
The Clan opened the second half quickly, grabbing the lead (56-51) just over two minutes in off a three-pointer by Patrick Simon. The Wolves recaptured the lead at 59-58 after a Nichols' three-point basket, but Simon Fraser answered back with 15:50 remaining, holding the lead for over the next nine minutes.
 
Nichols hit another three-pointer with 6:32 left to take back the lead, 83-81. The Wolves would hold onto the lead the rest of the way, taking the game and the conference title with a 93-91 victory. The Clan had an opportunity to win the game at the buzzer after an inbound pass with two seconds setup Justin Cole with an open three-point shot. The attempt hit the right side of the rim as the clock reached zero, sending the Wolves and the seniors off with a win.
 
When asked about the mindset during the last minutes of the game Nichols said, "Honestly, just to finish the game. In the huddles, we packed them in tighter and we just kept saying, 'defense.' Defense was just running through our mind. That team is difficult to stop. They have a lot of shooters, and they got a lot of bodies that can post up, so it was just defense."
 
Western Oregon wraps up their regular season on the road in Alaska, first taking on the University of Alaska Anchorage on Thursday, February 26. They then finish the year off with the University of Alaska on Saturday, February 28. Both games will tip off at 7:30 p.m. Alaska Time.

The team will then prepare for the GNAC Tournament as the No. 1 seed, beginning March 5 in Billings, Montana.