The Cougars finished their home nonconference schedule this afternoon as they hosted the Western Oregon Wolves at Beasley Coliseum. There were no lead changes in the game as DaVonte' Lacy made a three-pointer to put the Cougs up 3-0 at the start of the game. The Wolves only managed to tie the game up on two occasions before the Cougs could pull away again. The first half was fairly even, with short runs by both teams, and at the end of the half the Cougars held a slight advantage, 28-25. The second half was a different story. WSU took control starting with a two-handed jam by Marcus Capers 20 seconds into the half. The Cougars continued to maintain a consistent lead until the 10:28 mark when Abe Lodwick hit a deep three from the top of the arc spurring an 11-0 run that put the Cougs up by 22 with 5:33 left in the game. WSU continued to pile on the points while burning the clock and finished the game up by 24 with a final score of 66-42.

Player of the Game:
Marcus Capers. Marcus Capers earns his first Player of the Game Award of the year after leading the Cougs in scoring for the first time in his career. Capers was defensively sound throughout the game, pressuring players, diving for loose balls, and forcing turnovers. He finished with nine points (a season high) and pulled in five boards. In addition, Capers went 4-for-4 from the floor and 1-of-2 from the line.

Play of the Game:
Shelton's block, steal, and finish. D.J. Shelton definitely earns today's Play of the Game in one of the most acrobatic plays of the season. Shelton blocked Western Oregon's Brandon Troxel's three-point attempt, hurried after the ball to prevent it from going out of bounds, and pushed the ball up the floor. It appeared that the Western Oregon players had prevented a fast break, but Shelton spun around a player and put up a circus shot that fell home, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Turning Point:
Lodwick's three midway through the second. This game was close for the majority of the game, with the Cougars holding a slight lead, but the Wolves were able to keep WSU on a 10-point leash. Then, with 10:28 left in the game, Abe Lodwick hit a deep three from the top of the arc that sent the Cougars on an 11-0 run that put Western Oregon away for good. The Cougars went 3-of-5 from the field, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc in the 4:55 span and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. At the end of the run the Cougs held a 22-point lead, 57-35.

Stat of the Game:
Point distribution. WSU did a great job of sharing the ball and the scoring load against the Wolves. Eleven Cougars scored points in the game (13 played) led by Capers's nine points. However, this game does mark the first time this season that Brock Motum didn't scored in double figures and ends Faisal Aden's (7) Reggie Moore's (3) and Charlie Enquist's (1) consecutive double-figure scoring streaks as well. Today marked the first time this season no Cougar scored in double figures and the first since the last game of last season against Wichita State in the NIT Semifinals.

The Cougars are now 7-4 overall and have completed nonconference play at home. WSU will travel to Seattle to face Pepperdine in their annual Cougar Hardwood Classic at KeyArena Saturday, Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. Following the Cougar Hardwood Classic, the Cougs will begin conference play against the Oregon schools in Spokane, Wash., at Spokane Arena Dec. 29 and 31.

Waving the flag for Wazzu,

Jim Crawford