[Box score]
MONMOUTH, Ore. - The Western Oregon women’s basketball team saw their furious second-half rally come up short as they fell, 66-58, to Cal State Monterey Bay in their first game of the WOU/Phoenix Inn & Suites DII Shootout, Friday, Nov. 20.
With the loss the Wolves fall to 1-4 on the season while the Otters of Monterey Bay improve to 1-0.
Western Oregon was paced by senior Katie Torland who scored 16 points while grabbing five rebounds. Her lay-up at the 8:39 mark put her over the 1,000-point mark; she now has scored 1,010 points in her collegiate career. Junior Sara Zahler added 12 of WOU’s 29 bench points.
Cal State Monterey Bay took the lead permanently on a Denelle Baker three-pointer with 12:04 left in the first half and carried a 37-24 lead into the locker room. CSUMB extended their lead to 18 points with 14:31 left in the second half, but Western Oregon would battle back and cut the deficit to seven points with 2:17 remaining. From that point on, the Wolves went 1-of-4 from the field and 5-of-8 at the free throw line as the Otters sealed the win. Western Oregon outscored Monterey Bay by five in the second half (34-29).
“In the second half, our defense led to some easy baskets, and we got our momentum going a little bit,” WOU head coach Greg Bruce said. “Cal State Monterey Bay really came to play today, and my hat goes off to them.”
Statistically, Western Oregon shot 40-percent from the field, 16-percent from beyond the arc, and 72-percent from the charity stripe. They were outrebounded 34-28 but committed 21 turnovers to CSUMB’s 23.
The Wolves will play their second game of the two-day tournament tomorrow when they face Mesa State. Tip-off time is set for 3:00 pm in the New Physical Education Building.