BURNABY, B.C. – A quick offensive start and a 50 percent shooting night were not enough for the Western Oregon women's basketball team as they dropped their Thursday evening meeting with the Simon Fraser Clan, 68-59, at West Gym.
Western Oregon (5-13, 2-9 GNAC) opened with a solid first quarter offensively, putting up 19 points to pull out to a quick advantage. The Wolves shot 60 percent from the floor in the first quarter, hitting 9 of their 15 tries.
Leading 19-13 heading to the second, the Wolves managed just six shots in the second period while the Clan chucked up 22. Despite the disparity in attempts, SFU hit only four field goals while WOU was right behind with three.
Simon Fraser moved into the driver's seat for the second half of play, out-scoring Western by 14 after the break to overcome what was once a 13-point lead for the Wolves. The turnaround was helped along by 4-for-6 shooting from deep in the fourth for Simon Fraser as a team.
Jessica Jones led all scorers with 25 points along with five rebounds and two assists. Jones was 6-for-16 from the field and 4-for-9 from 3-point range.
Freshman
Meadow Aragon made just her second collegiate start, leading the Wolves with 12 points, six rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in 28 minutes of play while shooting 6-for-8 from the field. It was the second time this season Aragon has hit double figures in scoring.
Cali McClave was the only other Western player in double digits as the underclassmen led the way. McClave scored 11 points along with four rebounds and an assist.
Ball protection proved an issue for Western on Thursday, giving up 25 turnovers that led to 33 Simon Fraser points. SFU gave up just 12 turnovers of their own.
Western Oregon shot better than 40 percent in every period of the game and 50 percent or better in two of the four quarters. It was the first time this season they have shot 50 percent from the field as a team.
Next up, Western Oregon will visit Western Washington on Saturday, Feb. 1. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. PST at Carver Gym.
