The Basics

• Final Score: Western Oregon 53, Concordia 43
• Records: Western Oregon 3-12, 2-5; Concordia 3-12, 1-6
• This is the first time the two programs have met in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
• Win snapped Western Oregon's three-game win streak.
• Wolves led for 38:18 of the 40-minute game.
• WOU extended their advantage in the all-time series to 36-11.
• Location: Monmouth, Ore. – New P.E. Building

How It Happened
The Wolves and Cavaliers played a balanced opening five minutes with each team holding the lead. WOU pounded the ball inside to build a six-point lead, 19-13, at the end of the first quarter.
 
Western Oregon opened the second quarter on an 8-0 spurt to take a 14-point lead with 6:39 left in the half. The run was bookend by 3-pointers from Kaylie Boschma and Jordan Mottershaw.  The Cavaliers would respond to whittle down the lead at halftime to 31-25.
 
Concordia continued to apply pressure in the third quarter, trimming the WOU advantage to one (39-38) before consecutive buckets from Launia Davis and Ali Nelke.
 
The Wolves seized control with a 10-0 run to begin the fourth quarter. Free throws from Emily Howey and Nelke preceded a 3-pointer from Sydney Azorr to make the lead double digits once again. Howey connected on another pair from the line and a Mottershaw jump shot pushed the lead to 14 points, 53-39, with 6:07 left.
 
WOU would not score again, but held CU to four points in the final five minutes to win. The Cavaliers had chances via the offensive rebounds, but they were unable to connect on their final nine shots of the game.
 
Wolves' Top Performers

• Jordan Mottershaw led all scorers with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field, 2-of-5 from beyond the arc.
• Emily Howey shot better than 50 percent form both the field and the foul line to post 13 points. She added three rebounds and a block shot.
• Ali Nelke had a perfect night from the field (3-3) and the line (2-2) for eight points while pulling down eight rebounds.
• Sydney Azorr bested all on the night with nine rebounds, three coming of the offensive glass.

 
For the Cavaliers

• Sierra Dean had a 11 points off the bench, but needed 19 shots to get there.
• Briannah Smith paced the Cavaliers with six rebounds, four on the offensive side.

Stats of the Game

• The Wolves held CU to 7-of-19 shooting (18.8 percent) in the second half and 25.8 percent overall (16-62).
• The 43 points is the fewest amount allowed by the Wolves this season and the fewest since allowing 39 points in a win against Alaska on Feb. 10, 2011.
• Concordia won the battle of the glass 39-38, including a 21-10 advantage on the offensive boards.
• The Wolves assisted on 11 of their 19 buckets, while Concordia only had five assists on 16 field goals.
• WOU turned the ball over 18 times, but CU only scored six points off the giveaways. On the flip side, CU had 13 turnovers that led to 15 points for the Wolves.

 
Coach Quotes
WOU head coach Holli Howard-Carpenter after the win over Concordia:

• "I'm really proud of the way we bounced back tonight, we had great energy from the start and that carried us through to the end.  We defended with a sense of urgency and made them take contested shots while keeping them off the free throw line.  I thought we really showed some heart when Concordia closed the gap at the end of the third quarter and then we answered with a pair of buckets and then went on to only allow them four points in the fourth quarter."
• "Emily had a great start and played absolutely determined to get this win for her team.  We did a good job feeding her the ball and she did a great job kicking out to our guards."  
• "Although we gave up too many offensive rebounds late, we were still able to get stops.  Ali and Syd really controlled the boards for us and Jordan had a great shooting night.  More importantly, all three played stellar defense.  Kaylie gave us a great lift off the bench and really played aggressive tonight."

• "We really need to have this type of focus and effort from everyone, every night in order to be competitive.  We aren't a team that has a few superstars supported by role players, it takes all of us to get it done and I think we are starting to embrace that and really play hard for each other."

Up Next
Western Oregon hosts Montana State Billings on Saturday, Jan. 16, at 2 p.m. The Yellowjackets play at Concordia on Thursday night prior to their trip to Monmouth.