BILLINGS, Mont.—Down by 14 in the first half, the No. 4-ranked Western Oregon University men's basketball team rallied to captured its 14th straight win by defeating Montana State Billings, 71-60, inside the Alterowitz Gymnasium on Thursday.
 
Western Oregon (21-1, 13-1 GNAC) outscored MSU Billings (11-13, 3-10 GNAC), 37-18 in the second half to erase the deficit and post the 11-point win.
 
MSUB's Zach Rollins poured in eight of his game-high 20 points early in the first half to help the home team to a 31-17 lead. Trailing 44-34 moments into the second half, a 9-0 WOU run started by a Riley Hawken 3-pointer and capped by a Tanner Omlid layup made it a one-point contest with 16:55 to play in regulation.
 
Buoyed by a 3-pointer by Rollins, the Yellowjackets maintained the lead until the 12:58 mark as Hawken returned for WOU with a pair of buckets in the paint to reverse the spread.
 
After traded baskets and down 55-54, WOU stepped up its defensive intensity by holding MSUB to just two field goals over the final 10 minutes of action. MSUB shot 56.7 percent (17-of-30) in the first half and dropped to a 22.6 percent (7-of-31) rate in the second half.
 
In addition to forcing tougher shots after the break, the Wolves crashed the glass for a 26-to-10 advantage on the boards in the second to limit potential second-chance points by the 'Jackets.
 
Four players reached double figures in scoring for WOU with Omlid and Hawken sharing the team lead with 14 points each. Malik Morgan and Demetrius Trammell added 10 points each in the winning effort. Omlid and Vince Boumann each snared seven rebounds to share game-high honors.
 
The Wolves will return to action on Thursday, Feb. 8 when the team hosts Seattle Pacific University. Opening tip is set for 7:30 p.m. as part of a WOU hoops