PORTLAND, Ore. – Utilizing another night of spectacular shooting, the Western Oregon men's basketball team ran away from the Regis Rangers in the second half for a 90-69 win on the final night of the Concordia Oxford Suites Portland Classic at LCEF Court.
 
Western Oregon (3-0) finished the tournament 2-0 as the only unbeaten team standing following the two-day event. After having to fight back from down seven in the first half Friday against Notre Dame de Namur, the Wolves would face similar diversity on Saturday, quickly trailing by seven at 10-3 and having their deficit grow to as much as eight in the first half.
 
Regis (3-1) kept most of their scoring inside of the arc, shooting just 12 times from 3-point range. Two of their three made 3-pointers came for their first six points of the night to jump out to the early three-possession lead.
 
Toni Rocak led the Rangers with 13 points on Saturday, going 6-for-9 from the field. He added on four rebounds, an assist and a steal.
 
The Wolves faced their largest deficit of the night with two minutes remaining in the first half, trailing 38-30. WOU then closed the half on a 7-0 run to come within one before the break.
 
"I thought we played great team basketball tonight, especially in the second half" said freshman Zach Baugher. "We really turned up the defense after the break." 
 
Baugher hit double figures in scoring for the first time in his young collegiate career, scoring a bench-high 15 points, all of which came on his five made 3-pointers. With John Morrill-Keeler getting into foul trouble early and limited to just 12 minutes, Baugher played 30 minutes of Saturday's contest – one of four Wolves to hit that mark.
 
The Western Oregon offense exploded in the second half. Improving on their solid 46 percent field goal shooting in the first half, the Wolves shot an eye-popping 78 percent on 21-for-27 in the second. This included going 9-for-12 from deep and shooting 58 percent overall from 3-point range in the game.
 
"It's exciting to see our identity forming as a unit," said Dalven Brushier, who scored a team-high 22 points. "We have a group of guys who showed toughness and filled their role this weekend. We are excited to build on these wins when that time comes."
 
Six players scored in double figures for Western, including getting at least three made 3-pointers from four separate players. Tyreek Price also contributed 11 points off the bench, playing 20 minutes and hitting four of his five shots.

"After the game the energy in our locker room was amazing and before the game we were locked in to make a statement against Regis," Price said. "Regis is  a good tournament level team. I thought I played an all-around solid game and played hard on both ends. I feel like this is just the beginning for our team. Our first three games we are just getting to know each other on the court. Once our chemistry gets to where it needs to be the sky is the limit for our team."
 
Defensively, the Wolves were able to force 17 turnovers, eight of which came on steals. Baugher also controlled the paint with three of WOU's six team blocks. Cameron Cranston finished with a team-high six rebounds and four steals in the start.
 
The Wolves out-scored the Rangers 53-31 in the second half to turn a close game into a runaway, marking their largest win of the 2019-20 season.
 
Next up, Western Oregon heads to San Francisco to play a pair of games following Thanksgiving for the Gator Gobble. The Wolves take on San Francisco State Friday, Nov. 29, and Stanislaus State Saturday, Nov. 30. The games are set for a 7 p.m. and 5 p.m. PST tipoff, respectively.