MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Oregon women's basketball team secured their first win of the 2019-20 season on Saturday, easily defeating Cal State East Bay 65-49 at NPE Gym to finish off their first weekend of regular season play.
Leading the entire way, Western Oregon (1-1) needed just two 3-pointers the entire game for their 16-point win. The Wolves picked up 26 points in the paint, anchored in the post by
Shariah Green's 11 points, to out-score Cal State East Bay (1-1) by 10 down low.
Western opened the game on a nine-point run, leading by as many as 10 in the first quarter and taking a 16-point lead into the half. Green and
Tresai McCarver both scored nine points in the opening half as WOU shot 44.4 percent from the field on 12-of-27 shooting through the first two quarters of play.
"I wasn't sure how we would respond after last night but I'm really proud of how we bounced back," said Western Oregon head coach
Holli Howard-Carpenter. "Our number one focus tonight was toughness and this team showed me a lot of it tonight. We did a great job maintaining our composure in the fourth quarter and finishing strong. This was a great team win against a solid East Bay team. I'm really proud of our defensive effort and sense of urgency to talk and find shooters."
The WOU defense held the Pioneers to 30.4 percent field goal shooting and 25.9 percent shooting from three. Delia Moore led East Bay with nine points off the bench, adding on four rebounds and three assists.
The Wolves' lead reached as many as 21 in the fourth quarter, cementing their first win of the year on their home court. McCarver and
Keyonna Jones tied for a game-high 17 points on Saturday.
Shariah Green and
Rachel Rogers both just missed double-double chances. Green added eight rebounds to her 11 points while the sophomore Rogers had seven points, nine rebounds and three assists. Newcomer Cali McClave played 20 minutes in the start, contributing six points and seven boards.
"Cali came to play and really competed for us early," added Howard-Carpenter. "Keyonna was great down the stretch and helped control the tempo for us. Rachel and Shariah did a great job on the boards and Tresai gave us a lift from the free throw line. Again, solid team effort that I'm really proud of."
The victory over CSEB was the first for WOU against the Pioneers since 2016.
Next up, the Wolves head on their first road trip, taking on Sonoma State Nov. 15 and Chico State Nov. 16 in Rohnert Park, Calif. The games are set for a 2p.m. and noon tipoff PST, respectively.
