MONMOUTH, Oregon --- The Western Oregon men's basketball team returns from its holiday break and back to GNAC action as the Wolves host Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON HEADING INTO THIS WEEK | 2022-23 STATISTICS
The Wolves last played Dec. 15 at BYU, falling to the D-I Cougars 97-64. The only game since Dec. 3 other than that one was a home 97-92 loss to Cal Poly Humboldt on Dec. 13.

Qiant Myers leads the Wolves and the GNAC and is fourth in the country in assists at 6.4 per game to go along with 6.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals (tied for the team lead and third in the GNAC) per game.

Cameron Cranston leads four Wolves averaging double figures in scoring at 14.8 points per game while adding 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Yosani Clay is averaging 12.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and tied for the team lead at 1.7 steals per contest. Cameron Benzel is averaging 11.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.1 steals while John Morrill-Keeler is averaging 11.4 points and a team-high 6.0 rebounds. 

THE WOLVES' OPPONENTS THIS WEEK ... WESTERN WASHINGTON STATS | SIMON FRASER STATS
Western Washington is coming off a three-day event in Honolulu, Hawaii from Dec. 17-19, dropping games to Texas Permian Basin (76-66) and Emmanuel College (105-98 in OT) and defeating Hawaii Pacific (70-69).

Daniel Hornbuckle leads the team in scoring at 15.9 points per game while D'Angelo Minnis is averaging 14.6 points while leading the team in 3-point percentage (54.5, 24-for-44), assists (3.3) and steals (1.1). Kai Johnson is averaging 12.3 points while Jonathan Ned is averaging 11.9 points. The Vikings are fourth sixth in the nation and first in the GNAC in scoring at 91.4 points per game and let it fly from 3-point range making 10.5 3s per game (15th in the D-II) on 27.6 attempts per game (22nd in the nation).

Simon Fraser last played at the same Hawaii tournament, beating Hawaii Pacific (79-73) and Chaminade (74-69) and falling to St. Edward's (76-66).

The Red Leafs have two players averaging double figures in Immanuel Oludele (10.6) and Gorges Lefebvre (10.4) as they play numerous players for long minutes with nine players averaging more than 13.9 minutes per game and six averaging 20-plus minutes (no player is averaging more than 29.4 minutes per game). SFU is fifth in the nation and first in the GNAC in blocks per game at 5.8.

WOU's RECENT HISTORY VERSUS WWU, SFU
The Wolves have won four-straight matchups against Western Washington - including all three matchups last season (twice in conference, once in the GNAC Tournament). WOU hasn't lost at home to the Vikings since Jan. 14, 2017 (though the teams have only played four game in Monmouth since then). Since the 2000-01 season, WOU is 17-28 against WWU.

The Wolves went 1-1 against SFU last season - including suffering its first loss at home to the Red Leafs - a 75-73 overtime loss. Overall since the teams first started playing in the 2010-11 season, the Wolves are 20-2 against SFU.
  MYERS RACKS UP MOST ASSISTS FOR WOLF SINCE 2015
WOU's Qiant Myers showed his ability to give 12 days before Christmas this season as the sophomore racked up 13 assists against Cal Poly Humboldt - the most for a Wolves player since Julian Nichols had 15 on Jan. 22, 2015. He's the first WOU player to reach double figures in assists since 2016. His 6.4 assists per game ranks fourth in the nation and first in the GNAC.
 

MBB | Tis the season for giving ... and Western Oregon's Qiant Myers did just that Tuesday night against Cal Poly Humboldt. pic.twitter.com/Qabr4LLRJm

— Western Oregon Wolves Athletics (@WOU_Wolves) December 15, 2022

PERFECT SHOOTING ON BACK-TO-BACK DAYS FOR WOU FORWARDS BENZEL AND MORRILL-KEELER
It's unusual to have one player score 19 or more points while not missing a shot from the field or free-throw line, but to have it happen on back-to-back days is an impressive feat the Western Oregon men's basketball team did Nov. 18-19 at the Ron Logsdon Basketball Challenge in Rohnert Park, California.

On Nov. 18, Cameron Benzel went 8-for-8 from the field and 3-for-3 from the free-throw line to finish with 19 points in a win over Stanislaus State. The next night in a win over Sonoma State, John Morrill-Keeler went 7-for-7 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line for 20 points. It wasn't quite a record, however, as Yuri Whyms during the 2001-02 season went 11-for-11 from the field in a contest against Saint Martin's.

CRANSTON PICKED AS PRESEASON GNAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR, WOLVES TABBED TO FINISH EIGHTH
Western Oregon's Cameron Cranston was named the GNAC Men's Basketball Preseason Player of the Year as the 6-foot-6 senior is coming off a season where he averaged 18.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.3 blocks while shooting 43.2 percent from 3-point range and 79.3 percent from the free throw line. Cranston earned All-GNAC Second Team honors in 2021-22. The rest of the All-GNAC Preseason Team can be found here.

As a team, WOU was voted eighth in the GNAC Preseason Men's Basketball Poll. The Wolves and their 48 points - which did include one first-place vote - were in a pack of three teams within five points of each other with No. 6 Alaska Anchorage (53 points) and No. 7 Central Washington (52). Saint Martin's was picked to win the conference with 81 points and three first-place votes - though five teams overall garnered first-place votes in No. 2 Northwest Nazarene (78 points, two first-place votes), Montana State Billings (69 points, three first-place votes) and Western Washington (66 points, one first-place vote). WOU is coming off of a 9-18 2021-22 campaign, going 6-10 in GNAC play to finish ninth - but the Wolves did make a run to the GNAC Championship semifinals.

MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL
1. Saint Martin's (3), 81 pts.
2. Northwest Nazarene (2), 78 pts.
3. Montana St. Billings (3), 69 pts.
4. Western Washington (1), 66 pts.
5. Seattle Pacific, 60 pts.
6. Alaska Anchorage, 53 pts.
7. Central Washington, 52 pts.
8. Western Oregon (1), 48 pts.
9. Simon Fraser, 23 pts.
10. Alaska, 20 pts.