[Box score]
MONMOUTH, Ore. - The Western Oregon University women's basketball team has been setting new standards for the team at the Division II level all season, but this time it set a new school record for three-pointers in a single-game with 14. However, even its advantage from behind the arc was not enough to lift the Wolves over Saint Martin's on senior night, as they fell 72-69, Saturday, Mar. 6.
WOU started strong out of the gates scoring the first eight points of the game and building a 14-point lead (22-8) midway through the first half, before taking a 34-28 into halftime.
Saint Martin's then battled back to take its first lead of the game (47-46) at the 13-minute mark in the second half. The Wolves, however, answered with a 7-1 spurt to grab a six-point advantage with 7:40 remaining and were still up two (69-67) with just under a minute left on layup by Lindsey Shearer. The Saints then responded with the final five points of the game to earn the win.
Both the Saints (12-15) and the Wolves (11-19) finished the season with an identical 6-10 record in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference to tie for fifth place. This is the highest finish in the league standings for Western Oregon since placing fourth in 2001-02, its first year in the conference.
Katie Torland and Sara Zahler each had a game-high 19 points, including five treys apiece. Shayla Corder and Danielle Bellando both chipped in with nine points and three assists.
Jamey Gelhar led four Saint Martin's student-athletes in double-figures with 18 points. The Saints were able to get to the free throw line 30 times in the game (23 makes), as they outscored the Wolves by 12 points at the charity stripe. They also stepped up their offense in the second half, scoring 44 points on 14-of-24 shooting (58-percent).
"You can't put Saint Martin's, who is fourth in the country in free throw percentage, on the line 30 times," said Western Oregon head coach Greg Bruce.
The 14 three-pointers surpassed the Wolves' previous record of 12, which they had accomplished on three different occasions.
After the game, however, coach Bruce spoke in glowing fashion about the three seniors, AJ Hawk, Shayla Corder and Katie Torland, which have helped change the fortunes of the WOU women's basketball program. "All year long they have showed up everyday to work," he explained. "All three are extremely coachable and without them we wouldn't have made these strides as a program.
"All three seniors are GNAC All-Academic and when you have student-athletes that show up and work hard good things happen," Bruce concluded.