MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Oregon women's basketball team plays their final two non-conference games of the 2019-20 season this week, hosting the Corban Warriors on Monday, Dec. 16, before heading to Boise to take on the Division I Boise State Broncos in an exhibition meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 18.
Western Oregon (2-6, 0-2 GNAC) slid to five straight losses last weekend to open Great Northwest Athletic Conference play, falling in overtime, 81-76, to the Alaska Nanooks before a 73-41 loss at the hands of the No. 13 Alaska Anchorage Seawolves.
The Wolves saw both ends of the spectrum in scoring last week, posting both their highest and lowest-scoring nights of the year. Four players registered double figures in the five-point overtime loss in Fairbanks, including a 20-point performance from junior guard
Keyonna Jones. Jones would lead WOU in scoring again on Saturday, this time with just nine as they posted 41 points in the loss.
Western averages 56.9 points per game on 36.2 percent field goal shooting. They have allowed the second-fewest rebounds in the GNAC, giving up just 32.1 per night.
Jones' 10.6 points per game average leads the team while
Shariah Green (9.1) and
Cali McClave (8.8) are not far behind. Green additionally shoots 46.7 percent from the field, good for the 15
th-best mark in the conference. Sophomore
Amber Winkler currently leads the GNAC by averaging 1.9 blocks per game. This includes 12 blocks over her last four appearances.
Corban (6-4) plays their second of three exhibition games Monday against the Wolves. They are currently on a two-game winning streak and have won four of their last five games going back to Nov. 21. Their only blemish during that time was a 71-69 loss to Northwest Christian to begin December.
The Warriors offense is anchored by the 9.1 points per game average of Kendra Murphy who also pulls in a team-best 6.6 rebounds per night. She has missed two games, starting all eight of her appearances.
WOU is 5-4 against CU all-time. The Wolves have won three straight in the series and Monday represents the first meeting of the teams in Monmouth since Dec. 7, 2007. Corban's last win over Western was on Dec. 15, 2006, and their last win in Monmouth on Dec. 10, 2005. WOU is 2-2 at home in the series.
Boise State (6-4) will be the Wolves' lone NCAA Division I opponent of the year. The Broncos have won three of their last four games as they have opened Mountain West play with consecutive victories. They are one of four teams in the conference to start unbeaten in Mountain West play along with Fresno State, San Jose State and Wyoming.
The Broncos average 76.9 points per game on 46.3 percent shooting, including 36.2 percent from 3-point range. They are holding opponents to 71.9 points a night and 44.1 percent shooting.
Four players average 10 or more points for Boise State, led by the 13.7 of Riley Lupfer. Lupfer shoots 43.2 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from 3-point range.
Wednesday represents the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
Tipoff against Corban is set for 3 p.m. PST at NPE Gym while Wednesday's exhibition against Boise State will begin at 11 a.m. PST in Boise.