Ronnie Anderson

WWR- Wolves Head to Oregon to Face Corban and Northwest Christian

1/26/2017 12:35:00 AM

Paul Starkebaum, Sports Information Director

College Place, Wash. – The Wolves face one of their toughest road trips of the season as they take on Corban University and Northwest Christian University this weekend.

Women's Basketball

The Lady Wolves are coming off a four-point loss to Multnomah University. The Wolves have played confidently over their last four games at home and they will be looking to take that confidence out on the road this weekend. Alyssa Blankenship has continued to be a steady scorer and creator for the Wolves and has had at least one block in each of the last four games. Emily Downs and Lexi Ehlers have stepped up; both were in double figures for scoring against Multnomah and had 8 rebounds apiece. The Wolves struggled in their first games with Corban and Northwest Christian, but the Lady Wolves have looked better in rematches this year and will look to continue that trend this weekend.

Friday, January 27, 12:30 p.m. Wolves @ Corban University (12-8, 6-6)

The Leaders

Scoring: Maddy Pflaumer, 15.9 ppg
Rebounding: Maddy Pflaumer, 6.7 rpg
Assists: Maci Benedict, 4.1 apg
Steals: Maci Benedict, 1.7 spg
Blocks: Maddy Pflaumer, 1.5 bpg

Keys to the Game

The Warrior women run a very efficient offense, with the ability to score in a variety of ways. Forward, Maddy Pflaumer, is a weapon from deep and in the post. She can score from a variety of spots on the floor and Corban's motion offense makes her difficult to cover because she is always moving to the next spot. The Warriors surround her with shooters Maci Benedict and Sadie Pilgeram, who both shoot over 33% from the three-point line and have combine for over 225 attempts from deep this season. The last time the Wolves played Corban, the Warriors were red hot, shooting 62% from the field and draining 12 three-pointers, five of which came from reserve guard Jordan Smith. Walla Walla will be looking to cool off the Warriors this time around and keep them the offensive glass.

Saturday, January 28, 6:30 p.m. Wolves @ Northwest Christian University (12-7, 9-3)

The Leaders

Scoring: Monique Thompson, 16.1 ppg
Rebounding: Katerina Brejchova, 5.6 rpg
Assists: Monique Thompson, 3.1 apg
Steals: Monique Thompson, 2.1 spg
Blocks: Hanna Mach, 1.7 bpg

Keys to the Game

Earlier this season, when the Wolves faced the Beacons, a big third quarter broke the game open for Northwest Christian on the way to an 87-63 victory over Walla Walla. The Beacons leading scorer, 5'8" guard, Monique Thompson has been carving up defenses this season with her ability to get to the hoop. She has a strong handle and is a creative finisher. Monique has three shooters around her that all shooting over 35%, which helps spread out the defense and creates a lot of driving lanes for the Beacons. NCU also have two strong options to go inside in 6'1" post, Conner Borigo and 6'4" post Hanna Mack. The ability to shoot, drive and attack with their back to the basket makes NCU one of the toughest teams to defend in the conference. The Beacons have won seven of their last eight games. The Wolves shot well in their last match-up, shooting 45% from the field and over 50% from beyond the three-point line. The Wolves will look to stop big runs from the Beacons and keep them below their average of 13 offensive rebounds.

Men's Basketball

Friday, January 27, 2:30 p.m. Wolves @ Corban University (13-9, 6-6)

Walla Walla won two of their last three games, and against Warner Pacific the Wolves put together a solid first half before cold shooting took them out of the game against the Knights. The main difference over the last three games has been an increase in team scoring. The Wolves had at least five players in double figures in both of their wins, and combined to out rebound both teams by 24 boards. Alec Calloway and Dillion Browning are still putting up consistent point and rebound numbers, and when the Wolves get production out of their other starters and reserved they become a very hard to guard team.

The Leaders

Scoring: Chris Martin, 14 ppg
Rebounds: Joel Johnson, 6.9 rpg
Assists: AJ Monterossi, 3.8 apg
Steals: Chris Martin, 1.2 spg
Blocks: Joel Johnson 1.5 bpg

Keys to the Game

The Warriors like to play fast, they get the ball up the court in a hurry and look for easy transition points. In the half court, the Warriors often work off ball screens and penetration. When the Wolves faced off with the Warriors last game, Corban made 17 three-point field goals and shot 63% from the field. The Warriors offense runs through 5'10" guard, AJ Monterossi. He is excels at getting to the basket and when he draws in the defense he can kick it out to fellow guard Chris Martin, who shoots 39% from deep on the season. The Warriors like to spread the ball around; they have seven players who average at least 7 points per game and as a team have 350 assists this season. The Wolves will need to stop the Warriors running ways and cover the three-point line effectively on Friday.

Saturday, January 28, 8:30 p.m. Wolves @ Northwest Christian University (16-3, 10-2)

The Leaders

Scoring: Jay Mayernik, 15.4 ppg
Rebounds: Jay Mayernik, 12.5 rpg
Assists: Kenny Blackwell, 5.6 apg
Steals: Jack Hackman, 1.4 spg
Blocks: Jay Mayernik, 1.2 bpg

Keys to the Game

Northwest Christian is one of the most well balanced and experienced teams in the conference. The Beacons shoot 48% from the field and over 40% from the three-point line. Guard Kenny Blackwell is a perceptive playmaker and setups up teammates for open shots and easy buckets around the hoop. Jay Mayernick is a savvy big man, who finds gaps in the defense and is an extremely smart player with his back to the basket. Forward Jack Hackman has been lighting teams up from deep, averaging 51% from the three-point line and just over 14 points per game. When Northwest Christian traveled to Walla Walla earlier this season, they caught fire in the first half and never looked back. The Wolves were successful at getting to the free throw line in that game and that could be a key factor in the match-up this weekend, as the Wolves will look to slow down the Beacons from deep and cover their big men inside.

For the Men's Basketball Schedule CLICK HERE

For the Women's Basketball Schedule CLICK HERE

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