Daniel Sokolov

WWR- Wolves Basketball Teams Ready to Open Cascade Conference Play

12/7/2016 11:05:00 PM

Paul Starkebaum, Sports Information Director

College Place, Wash. –

Wolves Cascade Conference opener is this weekend
Women's basketball face #18 Eastern Oregon University and College of Idaho
Men's basketball takes on Eastern Oregon University and #8 College of Idaho
NAIA Soccer and Volleyball National Champions have been crowned

Women's Basketball

The Wolves have spent the last two and half months preparing themselves to compete in the Cascade Conference. Coach Jessup feels as though their pre-conference games this season have help prepare them for what they will see this weekend. "Eastern Oregon is highly ranked once more due to talented three point shooters and size." Coach see their match-up a couple of weeks ago with Willamette University as being similar to EOU, and they plan to take lessons learned from that game and apply them to this weekend. "College of Idaho has increased their talent level from last year." Coach thinks that the Wolves will be better prepared of the Yotes intense defense this year. "As always, we are preparing in a way that focuses on transition defense, team defense and handling pressure on offense."
After six games, the Wolves rotation is looking quite balanced, they get contributions from all those involved in their rotation. Alyssa Blankenship is leading the Wolves in scoring with 16.2 ppg and she is third on the team in rebound with 6.8 rpg. At a clip of 7.7 rpg, Emily Downs leads all Wolves in rebounding. Sierra Briggs leads the Wolves in assists with 2.7 apg. Compared to last year, right now the Wolves are averaging over 12 more rebounds per game and 20 more points per game. This weekend will be the real test for Walla Walla, for most of the team this will be their first taste the Cascade Conference play. And they open the season with the #18 team in the country who is projected to finish in second place in the CCC in the preseason polls.

Saturday - #18 Eastern Oregon University 6:00 p.m. (7-2, 1-0) – 6:00 p.m.

Eastern Oregon University is ranked 18^th in the country right now and they have the stats to back up that ranking. The Mountaineers are averaging just under 70 points per game and are leading the Cascade Conference in field goal percentage at 42.7% overall and they are shooting 33.7% from the three point line. EOU is also sharing the ball well, averaging just over 15 assists per game. Maya Ah You and Darian Gasseling are both averaging over 10 ppg and Gasseling has 3.2 apg to go along with those points. But the real strength for the Mountaineers is their depth, they have seven players averaging at least 5 ppg and nine players who play more than nine minutes per game. The Mountaineers have launched 196 threes so far this season, which leads all teams in the CCC. To go along with those threes, Eastern Oregon grabs 13.1 offensive rebounds per game, something the Wolves will need to be aware of.

Sunday- 1:00 p.m. College of Idaho (0-7, 0-1)

The Yotes record is extremely deceiving, as they spent their pre-league season competing against NAIA Division 1 schools in Montana and Idaho, and a narrow lose to NCAA division II opponent Northwest Nazarene early in the season. This past weekend, the Yotes lost on the road to Eastern Oregon, 72-64, and look ready to compete toe-to-toe with the CCC now that conference play has started. Senior guard Petra Lumpert is leading COI in scoring with 14.4 ppg, and is averaging more the 4 apg and 5.9 rpg. She is one of 4 seniors that the Yotes are relying heavily on for scoring. The Yotes are not afraid to shoot threes and if you send them to the free-throw line, they have a 72.6% chance scoring, good enough for second in the CCC right now. The Wolves can anticipate a fast pace game and a mature group of Yotes who will be looking to make some noise in the conference this season.

Men's Basketball

Wolves are coming off an extended break as they prepare for conference play. The last time the Wolves saw action was at Central Washington University. Coach Hill is well aware of the challenges Walla Walla will be facing this weekend. "Eastern Oregon is one of the most offensively talented teams in the country. They push the ball very well so transition defense will be a huge key to this game." The challenge of course for conference play is that every week you have to prepare for two games, and College of Idaho presents their own unique challenges. Coach Hill commented on the Yotes that, "(COI) always plays with a lot of tempo. They move the ball quickly and really look to penetrate, draw help and find the open man." Coach Hill feels very strong that their team defense is going to be the main factor in how much success the Wolves have this weekend. "Our individual defense will have to be very strong and we'll have to work hard to rotate to shooters."
The Wolves have had success on offense this season, averaging just under 80 points per game. Alex Calloway leads the Wolves in scoring and Browning brothers, Dylan and Zayne are both averaging around 10 ppg. From there, the Wolves have 8+ guys that have all made offensive contributions depending on the night. The Wolves felt strongly that their depth would be one of the biggest positives coming into this season, and so far they have found help from a wide variety of players. Isaiah Taylor has had several scoring burst, including 22 points against New Hope Christian College. The Wolves will need help from that depth this weekend, were they will play two of the top teams in the conference this weekend.

Saturday – 8:00 p.m. Eastern Oregon University (9-2, 1-0)

After being picked to finish 4^th in the conference this season, the Mountaineers are off to a good start having beaten #8 College of Idaho last Saturday night. Five EOU players are averaging double figures in points currently. Forward Bryan McGriff is averaging 20.3 ppg and just over 8 rebounds. Not only is McGriff a force inside, but he has also already hit 18 3s on the season and is shooting almost 50% from the field. The high scoring Mountaineers are putting up over 87 points per game, and are currently averaging a scoring margin of +8.9 points. The Wolves will also need to slow down the hot shooting freshman guard Max McCullough, who's averaging 18.7 ppg and is shooting just shy of 60% from the 3-point line. The Wolves will need to defend the 3-point line well and crash the boards hard against Eastern Oregon.

Sunday – 3:00 p.m. #8 College of Idaho (7-4, 0-1)

The #8 Yotes are on a 3-game slide but do not let that fool you. This is a very talent team who was projected to take the Cascade Conference league title in the preseason poll this year. An injury to post Joey Nebeker has hurt some of the depth at post for College of Idaho, but they still have plenty of weapons behind him. The Yotes also start an extreme dangerous back court in Dominique Jordan and Emanuel Morgan. Both guards are averaging right around 8.5 ppg, they are fast in transition and aggressive on defense. Emanuel already has 26 steals on the year, which is the most by any player in the CCC. Opposite of Nebeker in the post is Aziz Leeks, who is averaging 12.6 ppg and leading the team in rebounding at 6.8 rpg. Look for the Yotes to attempt to control the game on defense, get out in transition when possible, and play inside out in the half-court, making sure they get their post a touch before taking an outside shot.

NAIA Men's Soccer Championships

The top seeded Hastings University Broncos are NAIA National Champions this year. The Broncos had to win three straight one-goal games to take the title. This is the second soccer title in school history. They beat unranked Rio Grande (Ohio) in the title game, winning 1-0 in a defensive battle. The Broncos finished the season undefeated, the first team to do this feat since 2011. Corban University represented the CCC well, finishing the season as #12 in the final poll of the season. Corban made it to the second round of the tournament before being eliminated by the eventual runners up Rio Grande.

NAIA Volleyball Championships

It seems that Hastings University (33-3) was not done winning titles, as their volleyball team took this year's NAIA Volleyball National Championship. After dropping the first two sets of the match, the Broncos had to fight back and take three straight sets to win the title over Dordt University. It was the first ever title for Hastings volleyball program, and the first five set match in the championship game since 2008. Along the way on their title run, the Broncos defeated Eastern Oregon University, who after pushing Hastings to a 28-26 loss in the opening set, was not able to get back in the match and lost in three straight sets. Corban University was also among those to make it to the final bracket, but lost in the opening round to eventual runner-up Dordt University.

Do not forget to check out the Wolves this weekend. Games start at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday night and 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.

For the Men's Basketball Schedule CLICK HERE

For the Women's Basketball Schedule CLICK HERE

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