BURNABY, B.C. – After trailing by as many as 14 in the first half, the Western Oregon men's basketball team fought back for a crucial 94-80 win over the Simon Fraser Clan on Monday afternoon at West Gym.
 
Western Oregon (10-4, 4-4 GNAC) pulled back to even in Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings by snapping their two-game losing streak. Originally slated to be played on Thursday, the matchup between the Wolves and Simon Fraser (11-6, 4-4 GNAC) was postponed due to snow through the weekend.

"Proud of how our group battled back and secured this road victory. It was a bit of a funky week with the weather as we haven't practiced fully since Wednesday. Total team effort and every guy contributed to this win," head coach Wes Pifer said.  "Tyreek has the ability to do that on a nightly basis. Cam had a heck of a second half and the unit of Riley, Emanuel, Zach, Dalven and Darius made the final surge with a great activity level."
 
The Wolves were able to shoot 50 percent from the field in the first half, but were plagued by nine first-half turnovers and the impeccable shooting of the Clan. SFU went 7-for-11 from 3-point range before the break for 63.6 percent, shooting 55.6 percent from the field. Othniel Spencer scored 14 before the half for Simon Fraser, helping them build their lead to as many as 14 inside the first 20 minutes of play.
 
The Wolves were able to trim their deficit to just three at halftime, utilizing a 12-0 run inside of the last seven minutes to cut it to a one possession game and trail 42-39 going into the locker room.
 
Just as Simon Fraser was able to put together a big shooting first half, Western Oregon improved on an already impressive mark from the field by hitting 63.6 percent of shots and 57.1 from 3-point range in the second half, going 8-for-14 from deep. The offensive outpouring led to 55 points in the second half and turning what was a 14-point deficit into as large as a 17-point lead.
 
"Coming off the Western Washington game on Saturday, we knew this was going to be a huge bounce back game and we couldn't drop it," said sophomore Cameron Cranston. "We are a resilient team and no lead is safe because we will always fight back. Having trust in our teammates on offense and getting stops on defense was the key to getting the win."
 
Cranston scored all 20 of his points in the second half, going 8-for-10 from the field in the second period of play. He added on two rebounds and an assist to his third 20-point game of the season.
 
Tyreek Price had a game-high 26 points off the bench for the Wolves, going 6-for-9 from deep and 10-for-13 from the field in the game. Price scored 13 in both halves, also pulling in three rebounds in his best scoring effort of the year.
 
"It felt good to hit some shots to get into a rhythm early and let everything flow and come to me from there on out," said Price. "The run we put together at the end of the first half and the big run in the second were huge for us. We knew that we needed this win and we came out locked in, focused on getting stops and just playing our game on the offensive end."

John Morrill-Keeler had several key early baskets in the paint to keep the Wolves close before going on the run and eventual victory.  The sophomore center reached double-figures in scoring for the second straight game after going for 12 points, along with four rebounds, three steals and a block against the Clan.

"Simon Fraser is a good team and we knew what we needed to do from the start, as coach said it was a great team win," Morrill-Keeler said. "We had great energy from both the starters and the bench. Tyreek had a great game today and Cameron had a big second half, while Emanuel Gant, even though he didn't score, his defensive energy and rebounding showed."
 
It was just the second time this season the Wolves have beaten an opponent in a true road test and their first road win since Nov. 29.
 
With the win, Western Oregon is now in a four-way tie for fourth place in the GNAC standings, sitting at 4-4 along with Simon Fraser, Alaska Anchorage and Northwest Nazarene. They are just one game out of third place, but three out of second.
 
Next up, Western Oregon returns home to host the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks on Thursday, Jan. 23, and the Central Washington Wildcats on Jan. 25. Tipoff for the two conference matchups are set for 7:30 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. PST, respectively.