WESTERN OREGON WOLVES (4-13, 1-6)
STATS | GAME NOTES
Head Coach: Wes Pifer
Record at WOU: 49-74, 31-48 GNAC (5th Season)

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
Watch/Live Stat Links

NORTHWEST NAZARENE (13-2, 6-1)

• 7:30 p.m. Thursday
• Monmouth, Oregon
• All-Time: 33-40 · Last 10: 2-8 · Streak: Lost 2
• Last Win: Feb. 23, 2023 in Monmouth (65-53)

CENTRAL WASHINGTON (12-5, 6-1) ALUMNI NIGHT

• 4:15 p.m. Saturday
• Monmouth, Oregon
• All-Time: 23-50 · Last 10: 4-6 · Streak: Lost 4
• Last Win: Dec. 1, 2022 at CWU (69-67)

HEADING INTO THIS WEEK

• The Wolves are looking to get back into the win column after earning their first win of GNAC play Thursday at Simon Fraser. WOU also looks to stay hot from behind the 3-point arc, having set a new season-best 3-point percentage in two of its last three games.
• The Wolves are paced in scoring by Jason Gallant with 16.3 point per game, good for fifth in the GNAC. Carson Frincke leads the Wolves in 3-point percentage at 41.1.
• The Nighthawks are looking to build on their so far successful campaign, having won 9 of their last 10 games. NNU is led in scoring by Kye Dickson, who also leads the GNAC with 18.3 points per game.
• The Wildcats are hoping to build on their GNAC lead in 3-point percentage. They currently hold a 39.0 team 3-point percentage and are 13th in NCAA Division-II. Calvin Holden paces CWU and the conference in 3-point percentage at 43.0.

LAST TIME OUT

• The Wolves are coming off a split of their road games last week, defeating Simon Fraser,  78-76, before being edged by Western Washington, 90-86. Jahville Collins had a career-high 34 points in the win over SFU while O'shen Cazimero had 19 in the loss to WWU.
• Northwest Nazarene won both of its home games last week, defeating Montana State Billings, 76-70, and Seattle Pacific, 67-55. Kye Dickson had a double-double in the win over MSUB, with 25 points and 11 rebounds while Yaru Harvey added 8 steals on the weekend (5 vs MSUB, 3 vs SPU).
• Central Washington won both of its home games last week, taking down Seattle Pacific, 82-61, and Montana State Billings, 82-69.  Cavin Holden had 23 points in the win over SPU while Maverick Sanders had 19 points and three blocks in the defeat of MSUB.

WOU SEASON NOTES

Wolves with top 3-point accuracy since 2021 against WWU (Jan. 18)
The Wolves had a season-high shooting percentage from both the field and 3-point range, but were edged in final seconds by Western Washington. WOU shot 53.2 percent from the field - going 32-for-56 as a team, the best since shooting 57 percent in a win over Linfield on Nov. 21, 2023. From behind the arc WOU went 8-for-14, shooting 57.1 percent for the best 3-point percentage since shooting 58.8 in a win over Alaska Anchorage Dec. 4, 2021.

Jahville Collins paced the Wolves in the loss, going 10-for-16 from the field - including 4-for-6 from 3-point range - for 27 points. O'shen Cazimero went 8-for-11 from the field, adding 19 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 19.8 points, three rebounds and just below two steals 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 1,271 points - 52nd 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 42nd in assists (298) and 18th in free throws made (337).

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.