The Basics

• Final score: Western Oregon 53, Saint Martin's 62
• Records: WOU 4-23, 3-16 GNAC; SMU 6-20, 4-15 GNAC
• The Saints improved their lead in the all-time series to 34-14.
• Location: Monmouth, Ore. – New P.E. Building

 
How It Happened
After a scoreless first three minutes for the Wolves, Sydney Azorr put up their first bucket with a spin move and a layup. Azorr gave the Wolves more energy as she stole the ball and set Boschma up for a layup. It was a fairly even first quarter, but the Saints had a slight edge, 14-12.
 
A layup from Jasmine Miller tied up the score immediately in the second quarter. As the Saints knocked down a few extra shots, the Wolves stayed close behind, but the visiting team led at the half, 32-26.
 
Going into the second half, Western Oregon cut into Saint Martin's lead with four points from Ali Nelke and a jumper from Michelle Bromagem to put the Wolves within two. However, the Saints retaliated with a 10-0 run to end the third quarter.
 
In the fourth period, the Wolves fought to close the gap, and they gave themselves several opportunities after numerous steals. With four minutes left in the contest, Western Oregon started to gain rhythm starting with a steal from Miller underneath the basket. She then got to the foul line and put the Wolves within seven points. Western Oregon scored 21 points in the fourth quarter alone, but they were unable to catch up to the Saints.
 
Wolves' Top Performers

• Emily Howey led the Wolves with 15 points and nine rebounds. She also had two assists.
• Sydney Azorr posted 12 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and two assists.
• Ali Nelke contributed eight points, going 4-for-4 from the free throw line, along with six rebounds, two steals, and one assist.
• Jasmine Miller had eight points and one steal.

 
For the Saints

• Krista Stabler recorded 19 points, going 3-for-5 from behind the arc, along with three steals.
• Megan Wiedeman totaled 13 points as she went a perfect 8-for-8 in free throws.

 
Stats of the Game

• The Wolves shot 40 percent from the field in the first half and finished the game with a 33.3 field goal percentage.
• The Saints went 7-for-14 in three-pointers and 17-for-20 in free throws, while Western Oregon went 2-for-14 in three-pointers and 11-for-12 in free throws.
• Western Oregon totaled 28 points in the paint, while Saint Martin's had 18.
• The Wolves won the battle in rebounds, 37-36, as well as in steals, 11-9.
• The Wolves had 22 turnovers, and the Saints executed 18 points off of those miscues, whereas the Saints had 21 turnovers, and the Wolves executed 11 points off of those miscues.

 
Coach Quotes
WOU head coach Holli Howard-Carpenter after the loss:

• "Consistency has been our Achilles heel all season, and we allowed it to be a factor again tonight. Saint Martin's made good adjustments at the half, and we did a poor job countering and getting the ball to the open player. We missed a lot of easy baskets, and Saint Martin's just flat out wanted it more than we did in the third quarter. More importantly than our play, our energy and toughness must be consistent throughout if we expect to win games."
• "Emily had a solid night for us and gave us extra opportunities by crashing the boards hard. Ali had a solid stat line, and Jasmine Miller gave us a great lift off the bench."

 
Up Next
The Wolves will play their final home match against Seattle Pacific on Saturday, February 27 at 2 p.m. It will also be Senior Day for the Wolves.