WESTERN OREGON HEADING INTO THIS WEEK | 2022-23 STATISTICS
Last week:

• Jan. 7: L, 71-59 vs. Saint Martin's in Monmouth (Myers 14 pts, Morrill-Keeler 14 reb, Collins 4 ast)

Current Streak: Lost 1

Record Splits: Overall: 5-7 Home: 2-4 Road: 2-2 Neutral: 1-1

Stat Leaders (GNAC Rank):

• Scoring: Cameron Cranston - 15.4 ppg (6th)
• Rebounding: Morrill-Keeler - 6.7 rpg (4th)
• Assists: Qiant Myers - 5.8 apg (2nd)
• Steals: Yosani Clay, Qiant Myers - 1.7 spg (T-3rd)
• Blocks: Cameron Benzel - 1.0 bpg (7th)
• 3-pt FG/Game: Yosani Clay - 2.0 (T-6th)

OPPONENTS THIS WEEK ... SEATTLE PACIFIC STATS | MSU BILLINGS STATS
Seattle Pacific
Last week:

• Jan. 5: W, 92-72 at Simon Fraser (Samore 21 pts, Paulsen 5 reb, Sze 4 ast)
• Jan. 7: W, 90-73 at Western Washington Anderson 28 pts, Evans 12 reb, Sze 5 ast)

Current Streak: Won 4

Record Splits: Overall: 10-6 Home: 5-0 Road: 3-3 Neutral: 2-2

Stat Leaders (GNAC Rank):

• Scoring: Shaw Anderson - 19.9 ppg (1st)
• Rebounding: Ben Baker-McCann - 5.8 rpg (T-7th)
• Assists: Ben Baker-McCann - 3.0 apg (9th)
• Steals: Syon Blackmon - 1.0 spg
• Blocks: Shaw Anderson - 0.9 bpg (T-8th)
• 3-pt FG/Game: Zack Paulsen - 2.0 (T-6th)

MSU Billings
Last week:

• Jan. 5: W, 80-76 at Western Washington (Wiggins 18 pts, Shabazz 11 reb, Shabazz 6 ast)
• Jan. 7: W, 73-52 at Simon Fraser (Bah 23 pts, Ajanaku 9 reb, Ajanaku 4 ast)

Current Streak: Won 4

Record Splits: Overall: 12-4 Home: 3-1 Road: 6-2 Neutral: 3-1

Stat Leaders (GNAC Rank):

• Scoring: Carrington Wiggins - 17.8 (2nd)
• Rebounding: Bilal Shabazz - 8.5 (2nd)
• Assists: Bilal Shabazz - 2.7 (T-14th)
• Steals: Carrington Wiggins - 1.7 spg (3rd)
• Blocks: Bilal Shabazz - 1.2 (5th)
• 3-pt FG: Carrington Wiggins - 2.3 (3rd)

RECENT HISTORY VERSUS SPU, MSUB
WOU vs. Seattle Pacific
Streak: Lost 5
Last Season: L, 76-65 at SPU
Last Win: Jan. 19, 2019 (73-72 in Monmouth)
Last Win in Seattle: Jan. 13, 2018 (83-79)
Series Record Since 2000-01 Season: 18-28

WOU vs. MSU Billings
Streak: Lost 2
Last Season: L, 87-79 in Monmouth (OT); L, 77-71 at MSUB
Last Win: Feb. 1, 2020 - 98-75 at MSUB
Series Record Since 2000-01 Season: 21-12 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. 
 
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.