Monday, March 14, 2016

March 15 Update: Western Oregon is seeded No. 3 in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight and will face sixth-seeded Saginaw Valley State of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Wednesday, March 23 at 6:30 p.m. PT in Frisco, Texas. Click here for an updated bracket.

MONMOUTH, Ore. – Western Oregon gave its fans a nail-biter for 38 minutes before securing the first NCAA Division II West Region championship in program history Monday, beating UC San Diego 60-55 in the tournament final at the New P.E. Building.

After watching an early nine-point lead fade away, the Wolves played and nip-and-tuck battle the rest of the way before a three-pointer by Julian Nichols and a three-point play by Andy Avgi with under two minutes left sealed the win.

Avgi, who earlier in the day was named the West Region Player of the Year by the Division II Collegiate Commissioners Association, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after leading all scorers with 25 points. After scoring just five in the first half, Avgi finished the night making 9 of 19 from the field. Nichols finished with a double-double of 11 points and 10 assists. The Wolves finished the night shooting 36.5 percent from the floor (19-52).

The win gives Western Oregon (30-3) its first regional title as a NCAA Division II program and the Wolves' first trip beyond the round of 16 since the 1982 NAIA Division I National Tournament and matched the most wins in program history. The Wolves will travel to the Division II Elite Eight in Frisco, Texas, which begins next Wednesday.

UC San Diego closes their season at 24-8 overall. Drew Dyer led the Tritons with 22 points, shooting 7 of 14 from the field and 5 of 5 from the free throw line. Adam Klie finished with 14 points and Chris Hansen added 11 points. The Tritons finished the night shooting 41.3 percent from the floor (19-46) and out-rebounded the Wolves 37-24.

In the process, the teams set a pair of a records. Western Oregon set a GNAC record with no turnovers, bettering the mark of two set by Central Washington vs. Quest in 2013 and equaled by Western Washington against Quest in 2014. The two teams combined to make 97.1 percent of their free throws (33 of 34), which surpasses the record of free throw percentage by both teams (.970, 32 of 33) set by Hartford and Bentley on Feb. 22, 1983. UC San Diego was a perfect 14 of 14 while Western Oregon finished 19 of 20. Avgi and Nichols both went 6 for 6 for the Wolves.

With the home crowd out in force, the Wolves bolted out to a 9-2 lead on Devon Alexander’s jumper at the 13:23 mark, and took a nin-point lead on Tanner Omlid’s lay-in with 11:24 to go for a 13-4 advantage. The Tritons, slowly but surely, climbed back to it as they outscored WOU 20-11 through the rest of the half. Hansen’s lay-in with 3:05 left tied the contest at 22-22, but UCSD would never take the lead. Two Nichols’ free throws put Western Oregon back up two before Hansen hit a short jumper to tie it at 24-24 at halftime.

The Tritons kept the game close the entire second half and tied it up six times, but could never take the lead from the Wolves. Western Oregon built a 42-37 lead on Avgi’s dunk with 10:55 left, but the Tritons tied it right back up on five straight points by Dyer. The Wolves built and lost three and four-points twice more before taking the lead for good when an Avgi three-point play and a three-pointer by Nichols put the home team up 58-52 with 1:12 left. Wiley sealed the game with a pair of free throws with 3.5 seconds left.

NOTES: Western Oregon is third GNAC school to win the West Region title, joining Alaska Anchorage (2008) and Western Washington (2012 & 2013)…The last time Western Oregon advanced beyond the round of 16, in the 1982 NAIA Division I Championship, Jim Shaw played for the Wolves…The GNAC is 7-4 all-time in games in the Elite Eight…Western Oregon will be the fifth GNAC school to advance to the Elite Eight, joining Humboldt State (2004), Seattle Pacific (2006), Alaska Anchorage (2008) and Western Washington (2012 & 2013).