MONMOUTH, Ore. — The Western Oregon Wolves began conference play with a pair of wins last week, topping Simon Fraser 72-58 before beating Western Washington 96-88 in a double overtime thriller. They remain at home with a single non-conference matchup against Corban University. Tipoff Dec. 8 against the Warriors is set for 3 p.m. at NPE Gym.

ABOUT CORBAN (8-2, 0-1 CCC): The Warriors are playing their third game of the week Saturday when they come to Monmouth. They opened with a 94-49 win at New Hope Christian on Dec. 3 before a Thursday meeting with Willamette University at home. This will be Corban's second game against a GNAC team this year. They fell 90-68 to Central Washington in an exhibition game Nov. 24 in Ellensburg. This will also serve as an exhibition game for Corban although it will be an official contest for the Wolves.

Corban has scored at least 80 points in all but one of their games so far this season— a 76-62 loss to No. 22 Carroll College. They currently rank 1st in the CCC in field goal percentage (.506), rebounding defense (28.4 rebounds per game allowed) and rebounding margin (+17.6).

Joel Johnson and Beau Roggenbach are both averaging more than 14 points a game, the only two Warriors in double figures. Johnson's 74.7% shooting from the field is tops in the CCC. Roggenbach is averaging a double-double with a 10.9 rebounds per game mark, also the top mark in the conference. The sophomore forward additionally leads the team with 13 total steals.

WOU vs. CU: This is the first meeting of the teams since 2013 when the Wolves topped the Warriors 75-60 at home on Nov. 30. Western Oregon is 7-3 all-time in the series and have won seven straight. The Warriors' last win came Dec. 8, 2001 in Salem and their last win in Monmouth just two weeks earlier on Nov. 24. WOU is 3-2 at home in the series.

ABOUT WESTERN OREGON (5-1, 2-0 GNAC): The Wolves opened Great Northwest Athletic Conference play with a pair of wins last week, cruising past Simon Fraser before a tight matchup with Western Washington. The double overtime win over the Vikings was the longest game for the Wolves since a triple overtime win during the GNAC tournament March 3, 2017 when they beat Alaska Anchorage 91-84 in the semi-finals.

Riley Hawken scored a combined 36 points and pulled down 16 rebounds in the two games. The junior forward tied his career-high with 22 points Thursday against Simon Fraser. It is his highest scoring total while with the Wolves and matched the 22 he scored while a freshman at Concordia University.

Jaylyn Richardson provided a team-high 22 points off the bench on Saturday in the double OT win over Western Washington. It was two points shy of Richardson's career-high and the third time this season a bench player has led WOU in scoring.

NATIONAL RANKS: The Wolves are currently 5th in TO margin (+6.8), 11th in 3-point field goal defense (27.1%) and 17th in scoring defense (64.2 ppg) in NCAA DII.

GNAC RANKS: In the conference, the Wolves rank 1st in scoring defense (64.2 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.399), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.271) and turnover margin (+6.83). They are additionally 2nd in scoring margin (+10.8).

SHARING THE LOAD: Seven separate Wolves are averaging six or more points per game.

MAKE YOUR FREE THROWS: WOU went 25-28 at the line Dec. 1 against Western Washington. It was the most free throws made in a game by the Wolves since March 23, 2016 when they went 28-for-31 at the stripe in an 81-68 win over Saginaw Valley State in the 2016 Elite Eight.

BENCH PRODUCTION: The WOU bench has produced at least 18 points in each of their first six games including three games of at least 30 points. The Wolves' leading scorer has been a reserve in three of their first six games.

TURNOVER MARGINS: The Wolves are 5th in NCAA DII with a +6.8 TO margin. Including two exhibition games this season, WOU has forced at least 16 turnovers in all but one game they have played.

DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE: The 35 points scored by Colorado Christian Nov. 17 in WOU's 64-35 win was the fewest allowed in a game by the Wolves since Walla Walla's 29-point performance on Dec. 10, 2011.
 
SOUZA PERFECT FROM THE FIELD: Buster Souza tied his career-high with 14 points off the bench Nov. 17 in a 64-35 win over Colorado Christian. Souza led all scorers in 14 minutes of play. The senior forward was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field while also pulling in four rebounds and two assists. It was only the third time in the school's NCAA-era history that a player has been perfect from the field on seven or more shots.
 
CONFERENCE OPENERS: Western Oregon has won five straight GNAC openers dating back to the 2014-15 season. Their last loss in their first conference game of the season came in a tight 67-66 loss to No. 5 Western Washington on Dec. 5, 2013 in Bellingham. The Wolves got their revenge with an 88-85 win in the regular season finale.

SPANISH GNAC TIES: Former Western Oregon standout Tanner Omlid and former Simon Fraser guard Kedar Salam are now professional teammates, playing for CB Moron of LEB Plata in Spain.  

HAWKEN PRESASON ALL-GNAC: Junior Riley Hawken was the only Western Oregon player selected to the GNAC Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team, named a unanimous selection for the 2018-19 season. Hawken is one of six juniors on the team of 15 with the remainder being seniors. Hawken is the lone returning starter off of Western Oregon's GNAC championship team. He averaged 8.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 79.5 percent from the free throw line and averaging 1.6 assists per contest during the Wolves' historic season.

2018-19 GNAC PRESEASON POLL: The Wolves were picked to place third in the league standings following Saint Martin's and Seattle Pacific… WOU received two of the 11 first-place votes for 94 total points in the poll to SMU's 118 and SPU's 105… the Wolves were the only team outside of the Saint's to receive a first-place vote and held an 11-point buffer over fourth-place Western Washington.

2017-18 REVIEW: The Wolves went 31-2 overall last season and 19-1 in conference… They cruised to both a regular season and conference tournament title with their only regular season slip coming in the second game of conference play against Western Washington. After the loss to the Vikings, the Wolves rattled off a school-record 24 consecutive wins while setting a Great Northwest Athletic Conference record for wins. WOU returned to the West Regional Championship game for the second time in three years, falling to Cal Baptist, 80-76. Tanner Omlid pulled in several postseason accolades, being named the GNAC Player of the Year, D2CCA West Region Player of the Year, D2CCA and NABC All-American and NABC DII All-District Team.

D2 WEST REGION POLL: After a 2-0 week to start GNAC play last week, Western Oregon jumped three places in the most recent D2SIDA West Region Poll... The Wolves collected a season-high 27 points in the poll
 

D2SIDA West Region Poll (Dec. 3, 2018)
Rank / School	Record	Points
1. UC San Diego (5)	7-1	59
2. Saint Martin's (1)	7-1	55
3. Chaminade	5-0	40
T4. Cal Poly Pomona	3-1	36
T4. Northwest Nazarene	6-1	36
6. Point Loma	6-2	30
7. Western Oregon	5-1	27
8. Cal State East Bay	7-1	17
9. Western Washington	6-2	16
10. San Francisco State	5-2	10
WOU in D2SIDA West Region Poll
Date	Rank	Points
Nov. 12	7th	21
Nov. 19	9th	14
Nov. 26	T-10th	8
Dec. 3	7th	27