SERIES HISTORY ...
VS. MSU BILLINGS
- All-time: 21-16
- First Meeting: 1999
- Streak: Lost 5
- Last 10: 5-5
- Last win: Feb. 1, 2020 - 98-75 in Billings
- Earlier this season: The Wolves fell at home to MSU Billings 69-60 on Jan. 20. WOU stayed within striking distance and was down just six points with a minute left - but couldn't get any closer. Cameron Benzel led the Wolves with 21 points while Kris Cook had 20 points, four rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Jalen Tot and Daniel Moody led MSUB with 17 points apiece.
VS. SEATTLE PACIFIC
- All-time: 26-47
- First Meeting: 1949
- Streak: Lost 1
- Last 10: 3-7
- Last win: Feb. 11, 2023 - 80-74 in Monmouth
- Last win in Seattle: Jan. 13, 2018 - 83-79
- Earlier this season: The Wolves lost at home to the Falcons, 91-56, on Jan. 18. Kris Cook led the Wolves with 19 points - going 5-for-8 from 3-point range. Jadin Penigar led SPU with 24 points.
THE WOLVES ...
LAST WEEK:Â Loss vs. No. 13 Saint Martin's, 83-79, in Monmouth
STREAK:Â Lost 4
SPLITS: Home 2-8Â | Road 3-5Â | Neutral 0-2
TEAM STATS:
- PPG: 70.6Â (7th) | PPG Allowed: 77.9Â (9th) | Scoring Margin: -7.3Â (8th)
The Wolves are coming off a close home loss to nationally ranked Saint Martin's, 83-79, on Saturday. WOU rallied from a 15-point deficit in the second half to tie the game, and had a chance to send it to overtime, but a last-second 3-pointer was just off the mark.
Jason Gallant led the team with 24 points to go along with seven rebounds and six assists.
Carson Frincke added 23 points.
Kris Cook is eighth in the conference in scoring at 14.2 points per contest while Gallant (14.1) and
Cameron Benzel (14.1) are tied for ninth. Benzel is third in the GNAC in rebounding (7.9), first in field goal percentage (62.9) and second in blocked shots 1.2 rebounds. Gallant ranks second in the conference in assists (4.0). Cook is fourth in the GNAC in 3-pointers per game at 2.3 per game.Â
THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS ...
MONTANA STATE BILLINGS (17-6, 11-2)
LAST WEEK: Win at Simon Fraser, 76-72, on Thursday; Win at Western Washington, 88-83, on Saturday
STREAK:Â Won 3
SPLITS: Home 9-3Â | Road 5-3Â | Neutral 3-0
TEAM STATS
- PPG: 75.5 (4th)Â | PPG Allowed: 69.2Â (4th) | Scoring Margin: 6.3Â (4th)
The first-place Yellowjackets won another pair of close contests last week - this time on the road at Simon Fraser (Moody with a team-high 20 points and 11 rebounds) and at Western Washington (Zharon Richmond with a team-best 28 points). MSUB's last seven games have been decided by nine points or less (5-2 in those games) with five of those games by five points or less (4-1).
The Yellowjackets are led in scoring by Jalen Tot at 15.1 per game (sixth in the GNAC) while Moody is just outside the top 10 at 12.9 per games. Moody is second in the GNAC in rebounding (8.3) and third in blocks (1.1). Tot is first in the GNAC in 3-pointers per game (2.5), second in 3-point percentage (43.9) and fifth in assists (3.2) and steals (1.6 - tied with teammate Steven Richardson).
SEATTLE PACIFIC (13-13, 6-7)
LAST WEEK: Loss at Western Washington, 80-76, on Thursday; Loss at Simon Fraser, 71-63, on Saturday
STREAK:Â Lost 2
SPLITS: Home 10-2Â | Road 1-9Â | Neutral 2-2
TEAM STATS:
- PPG: 73.8Â (5th) | PPG Allowed: 70.9Â (5th) | Scoring Margin: 2.9Â (7th)
The Falcons' Jekyll-and-Hyde season between home and the road continued last week as SPU dropped a pair of road games to fall to 1-9Â on the road - the worst record in the GNAC. However, SPU is 10-2 at home - the second-best mark in the conference.Â
SPU is one of the top shooting teams in the conference as the Falcons are first in the conference in 3-point percentage (38.6) and second in field goal percentage (48.7) and free throw percentage (76.0). Senior Shaw Anderson leads the team and is second in the GNAC in conference in scoring at 21.0 points per contest.
