WESTERN OREGON WOLVES (3-12, 0-5)
STATS | GAME NOTES
Head Coach: Wes Pifer
Record at WOU: 48-73, 30-47 GNAC (5th Season)

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
Watch/Live Stat Links

SIMON FRASER (5-11, 1-5)

• 7 p.m. Thursday
• Burnaby, B.C., Canada
• All-Time: 31-14 · Last 10: 8-2 · Streak: Lost 1
• Last Win: Jan. 6, 2024 at SFU (67-58)

WESTERN WASHINTON (9-7, 1-5)

• 7 p.m. Saturday
• Bellingham, Wash.
• All-Time: 27-50 · Last 10: 5-5 · Streak: Lost 2
• Last Win: Jan. 28, 2023 at WWU (72-70)

HEADING INTO THIS WEEK

• The Wolves are looking to stay hot against the Red Leafs, having won eight of their last 10 with SFU and dominating the all-time series record with 31 wins in 45 games played. WOU is looking to turn the tides against the Vikings, having gone 5-5 with WWU in their last 10 games.
• Jason Gallant paces WOU in scoring at 16.9 points per game (fourth in GNAC) and in assists at 48. The Wolves are second in the conference in bench points per game at 26.8.
• The Red Leafs lead the conference in blocks per game at 4.3 and are led in blocks by Matthys Van Bylandt with 19 (third in GNAC). 
• The Vikings' Grant Kepley leads WWU in free throw percentage at 89.4 percent (second in the conference) and assists at 68 (fourth in conference). The Vikings are second in the GNAC in steals per game at 8.4.

LAST TIME OUT

• The Wolves are coming off an 79-74 loss to No. 18 Saint Martin's Saturday at home. Jason Gallant had a team-best 22 points and five assists while Jahville Collins added 20 points. Brady Grier had a WOU-high 11 rebounds
• Simon Fraser split its road games last week, defeating Montana State Billings, 82-67, before falling to Seattle Pacific, 71-56. Luke Howard had 29 points and six rebounds in the win over MSUB and added 10 rebounds in the loss to SPU.
• Western Washington also split its road games last week, falling to Seattle Pacific, 97-86, before beating Montana State Billings, 84-70. Will Wilson had 22 points in the loss to SPU while Grant Kepley and Tijan Saine both had 21. Garrett Levesque got a double-double in the win over MSUB, tallying 15 points and 11 rebounds.

WOU SEASON NOTES

Wolves shoot season-best from 3-point range in narrow loss to No. 18 Saint Martin's (Jan. 11)
The Wolves shot a season-high 46.2 percent from 3-point range - going 12-for-26 - in their nail-biting 79-74 loss to No. 18 Saint Martin's at home Jan. 11. Jason Gallant went 4-for-9 from 3-point range and added 22 points in the loss while Jahville Collins went 3-for-8  with 20 points.

Collins makes impact in return
Senior Jahville Collins - who missed last season due to injury - in his three games back for the Wolves is averaging 14.5 points, three rebounds and a steal per game.  The Camarillo, California, native in his first season with the Wolves in 2022-23 averaged 9.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and shot 46.6 percent for 3-point range.

Frosh Williams Jr. dazzles in second half against Linfield (Dec. 17)
Western Oregon true freshman Mario Williams Jr. scored all 21 of his points in the second half, including seven of the final eight for the Wolves, in a 63-61 win over Linfield on Dec. 17. The Wolves trailed the Wildcats 61-57 with less than 90 seconds left when Williams Jr. drained a 3-pointer to cut the Linfield lead to one. The 6-foot-5 guard used his length to pick up a clutch steal with 19 seconds remaining and was fouled to send him to the line and WOU still down one. Williams Jr. calmly sank both free throws, putting the Wolves up 62-61 as they held on for the win.

Williams Jr.'s 21 points along with seven rebounds (five offensive) and four steals were all career highs.

Gallant crosses 1,200 career points, 53rd on NCAA D-II active list
WOU guard Jason Gallant has crossed the 1,000-, 1,100- and now the 1,200-career point mark as he sits with 1,247 points - 54th on the NCAA D-II active list. The WOU senior who transferred to the Wolves prior to his junior season from Colorado Christian also is 39th in assists (294) and 17th in free throws made (330).

10th Anniversary of WOU's first GNAC title
This season marks the 10th anniversary of the Wolves' first GNAC title in the 2014-15 season as WOU went 15-3 in conference play and 23-7 overall. It was also the first of a run of four NCAA Tournament appearances in five years for the Wolves (including an Elite 8 appearance the next year in 2015-16).

Andy Avgi became WOU's first NCAA All-American in 2014-15 (the Wolves joined the NCAA for the 2000-01 season) - selected to the fourth team (Division II Belletin All-American Team) after averaging 18.5 points and 5.9 rebounds. Overall, he is  WOU's 11th All-American all-time (first and only since Mike Venderhoff in 1999-2000).

Gallant named to Preseason All-GNAC team (Oct. 22)
Western Oregon Senior Jason Gallant was named to the GNAC Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team when the conference released the team on Oct. 22.

Gallant, a senior guard from Simi Valley, California, led the Wolves and was sixth in the conference in scoring last year at 15.5 points per game while he was second in the GNAC in assists (4.4) and minutes per game (36.3) in his first season at WOU. He scored a season-high 31 points against Alaska Fairbanks on Feb. 22, 2023.