BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Taylor Stafford had 21 of his game-high 26 points making 8-of-10 shots in the second half to carry his Western Washington Vikings to a 73-63 victory over Western Oregon on Thursday night at Whatcom Pavilion.
 
The loss ended Western Oregon's winning streak at five games, and kept the Wolves (13-10, 10-5 GNAC) winless against WWU (18-5, 12-3) for the season.
 
How It Happened
An even first half saw six ties and nine lead changes. Midway through the half, junior guard Bryan Berg was fouled in the act of shooting from deep and gave WOU a 19-18 lead making all three charity shots. Junior forward J.J. Chirnside hit two free throws six minutes later for the final slim advantage of the opening half at 27-26.
 
WWU went on a 5-1 run before junior forward Tanner Omlid slammed home a two-handed dunk to trim the Vikings' lead at the break to 31-30.
 
Western Oregon forced three turnovers over the first three minutes of the second half to run off a 9-0 run sparked by a traditional three-point play from Omlid. Senior guard Evan Garrison connected from the wing for three following a steal from junior Ali Faruq-Bey. Omlid hit one of two free throws for a 39-31 lead.
 
The Vikings would respond with a 9-0 retort seizing the lead until Faruq-Bey's layin put WOU up by one.
 
Junior guard Demetrius Trammell hit his lone 3-pointer of the game at the 12:10 mark for a 48-45 lead.
 
After Chirnside missed a free throw to potentially tie the game with 8:01 to play, the Vikings went on a 15-6 run highlighted by Stafford and post player DeAndre Dickson to take a 70-60 lead with 1:56 remaining.
 
Omlid's bucket and harm but the WWU led to seven, but consecutive offensive rebounds allowed Western Washington to run out the clock
 
Wolves' Top Performers

• Ali Faruq-Bey notched his sixth game scoring at least 20 points this season with an 8-of-16 performance from the floor. He had five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
• Tanner Omlid had 19 points and four rebounds.
• J.J. Chirnside and Isaiah Edwards joined Faruq-Bey with five rebounds.

 
For the Vikings

• Stafford was 4-of-6 from 3-point land and 9-of-19 overall from the floor for the night. He had four assists and four steals in 39 minutes.
• DeAndre Dickson had 18 points and seven rebounds.
• Daulton Hommes and Logan Schilder each had seven rebounds.

 
Stats of the Game

• Led by Stafford's four makes, the Vikings had seven overall 3-pointers compared to the Wolves' four.
• Each team had 15 turnovers with WWU holding a 20-14 advantage in points off those giveaways.
• The Wolves shot 41.8 percent (22-of-55) for the game and 13-of-19 from the foul line.

Up Next
The weekend road trip continues Saturday night with a 7 p.m. tipoff at Simon Fraser. The Clan dropped a close 74-73 decision to Concordia on Thursday.