MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Oregon Wolves opened up Great Northwest Athletic Conference play with a convincing 72-58 win over the Simon Fraser Clan Thursday at NPE Gym.
Both offenses struggled to get going as the game went without a point until almost three minutes had expired, but after each team found the basket, 46 combined points were scored over an eight-minute span.
Simon Fraser (4-3, 0-1 GNAC) held a brief early lead when Michael Provenzano hit a corner three to put the Clan up by one. Leading 3-2 at the 17:07 mark of the first half would be the first and only lead that SFU held Thursday night.
Riley Hawken led the Western Oregon (4-1, 1-0 GNAC) attack with 13 points in the first half and tied his career-high with 22 in the game.
"I thought Riley really stepped up in a big way," said Western Oregon head coach
Jim Shaw. "I felt Brandell's experience and maturity were big factors as well."
Hawken finished 4-of-5 from three, tying his high in made 3-pointers. The Wolves shot 50% as a team from 3-point range in the first half, making seven 3-pointers.
The Wolves led by as many as 11 in the first half before SFU made a strong push to close the half down by just five. The Clan committed 12 of their 22 turnovers in the first half, but were able to pull in eight steals. In total, SFU forced 17 turnovers including 10 in the first half.
"Moving forward, we have to do a way better job at taking care of the ball," added Shaw. "We need to be able to spread out our opportunities and get contributions from more guys."
WOU went on a 7-1 run to open the second half to get their lead to 12 just minutes into the period. After the 12:51 mark of the second, they did not lead by any less than 11.
Darius Lubom added 14 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in 31 minutes.
Simon Fraser struggled at the line, hitting 15-of-24 free throws to give away extra opportunities.
With the 22 forced turnovers, Western Oregon has forced 16 or more turnovers in all four of their wins this season.
The Wolves continue play at home Dec. 1 against Western Washington. Tipoff Saturday at NPE Gym is set for 7 p.m.
