Ronnie Anderson

Wolves Hot Start Not Enough to Stop the Deacons

11/20/2016 11:53:00 PM

Box Score Paul Starkebaum, Sports Information Director

College Place, Wash. – For the first five minutes of the game, the Wolves could not be contained. But as the game wore on the Deacons fought their way back into it and eventually won the game. New Hope Christian College's (3-9) balanced attack and ability to create extra possessions proved too much for Walla Walla (1-4), who suffered their third straight defeat 87 to 94.

Walla Walla came out hot, jumping on the Deacons right away. For the second straight game Isaiah Taylor opened the game with a three. A balanced attack, which saw several Wolves score, pushed them ahead 13-0 to open the game. The Deacons would counter with a 21-8 run of their own as the teams tied at 21-21 midway through the period. The Deacons established early that they wanted to get to the rim which resulted in a number of lay-ups and trips to the free throw line to chip away at the lead.

After back and forth play through the middle of the first half, the Wolves would build a lead in the closing minutes of the first half. Trent Torkelsen hit a three to make the score 33-31 and that would provide a spark on offense for the Wolves. Ethan Oasis hit a three late in the half to put the Wolves up 7 heading into halftime.

The opening minutes of the second half looked promising for the Wolves as they maintained a six to nine-point lead. However, a series of turnovers would quickly eliminate an eight-point lead for the Wolves and tie the score at 58-58. From this point on, the most the Wolves would lead by would be two points and the score would be tied seven times before the end of the game. Both teams shot around 50% for the game, but the big difference was the turnovers, a battle the Wolves lost 29-10 on the night. Impressive free throw shooting helped keep the game close, as the Wolves shot 12-13 overall, and out-rebounded the Deacons by seven.

Along with winning the turnover battle, the Deacons also shot an impressive 22-26 from the free throw line, which really made the difference late in the game. A pair of free throws by Isiah Large pushed the lead to 92-85 in favor of New Hope. A lead the Wolves never challenged in the final moments of the game. Isiah finished the game with 20 points, one of six Deacons in double figures. Phillip Cook finished with a double-double, 18 points and 10 rebounds. As a team the Deacons' 15 steals would be a key stat in the undoing of the Wolves.

Alex Calloway led the Wolves in scoring with 23 points and six rebounds. Dylan Browning had 17 points on the night to go along with four rebounds. The Wolves have the week off, and their next game will be Saturday night, when they head to Ellensburg, Washington to take on Central Washington University.

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