Men's basketball muzzles Gators with hot shooting

Box Score SAN FRANCISCO – The Western Oregon men's basketball opened the 2019 Gator Gobble with a sturdy 88-76 win over the host San Francisco State Gators Friday night at Don Nasser Family Plaza.

"Overall I thought that was a good win over a well prepared and well coached San Francisco State team. In the first half we had a few blown defensive assignments and it allowed them some looks from three-point range they were able to knock down," head coach Wes Pifer said. "The second half I felt we tightened up our attention to detail from a scouting report angle and we defended like we are capable of in stretches. When our guards rebound it fuels our transition game so it was good to Darius, Jaylyn and Dalven's defensive rebounding numbers. A number of guys stepped up making shots and that was good to see."

The first half saw a back-and-forth battle that had both sides up by multiple possessions early. Both teams shot well above 50 percent from the field in the first half with Western Oregon (4-0) leading the way with a 63.3 percentage in the opening half. San Francisco State (3-4) was not far behind though, hitting 58.6 percent of their shots.

"We played a good game. It won't be pretty all the time, but we got the job done. We hit some adversity in the middle of the second half, but we got through it together. If we could've got a couple more stops down the stretch, I feel like we could've put the game away a little earlier. Other than that, it was a great team effort!" Darius Lubom said.

The Wolves took a nine-point lead into the locker room on the back of their shooting. WOU shot 60.4 percent for the game, marking the third straight game they have finished better than 50 percent from the field and the second straight they have hit 50 percent or better from three, nailing a season-high 16 3-pointers.

"We overcame adversity in our first true road test," said Dalven Brushier. "As a team, we continue to stick to our coaching staff's principles. Once we figure everything out on the defensive end of the floor, it's going to be very difficult to compete with us."

Brushier scored 17 points along with four rebounds and four assists in 36 minutes. He was one of two players to log 36 or more minutes for the Wolves.

Darius Lubom scored a game-high 20 points on Friday, adding on seven rebounds, six assists and three steals in his 37 minutes of work.

Tyreek Price added 17 points off the bench, taking all of his shots from beyond the arc and going 5-for-9. Western's team 3-point shooting did not fall far behind their stellar field goal mark, hitting 53.3 percent of their shots from deep. This was led by a 5-for-5 night from Jaylyn Richardson who added 17 points of his own.

"I like the team's chemistry," said Richardson. "Guys are becoming more comfortable in their roles. We are gaining more confidence with each other every game. If we can keep this up and continue to grow and develop as a unit, we're going to be a tough team to beat."

Western Oregon needed only 37 points in the second half to hold off the Gators, out-scoring them by three after the break.

The Gators were led by the 17 points of Linton Acliese and finished with four players in double figures. Acliese went 7-for-14 from the field, pulling down three rebounds, swiping three steals and adding on a block.

Next up, the Wolves finish up the Gator Gobble by taking on Stanislaus State on Saturday, Nov. 30. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. PST at Don Nasser Family Plaza.

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Players Mentioned

#25 Darius Lubom: G; 6' 1"; Junior

#2 Jaylyn Richardson: G; 6' 3"; Senior

#20 Dalven Brushier: G; 6' 3"; Senior

#10 Tyreek Price: G; 6' 1"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#25 Darius Lubom
: 6' 1"; Junior
: G

#2 Jaylyn Richardson
: 6' 3"; Senior
: G

#20 Dalven Brushier
: 6' 3"; Senior
: G

#10 Tyreek Price
: 6' 1"; Junior
: G