Backup’s big second half leads Western Oregon to GNAC tournament title
Alex Roth played two minutes in the first half, but who noticed? He didn’t score. He didn’t even shoot.
In the second half, he made everything he threw at the hoop.
His four 3-pointers and 14 points on 5-for-5 shooting were critical as the Western Oregon Wolves broke open a squeaky-close game in a 78-71 victory against Alaska on Saturday in the championship game of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference tournament at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey.
Roth, a 6-foot-4 sophomore from Salem, Oregon, came into the game for Western Oregon with 13 minutes to play, and his first shot – a three-pointer – gave the Wolves a 54-52 lead, one of 14 second-half lead changes.
The victory clinched a berth in the NCAA Division II national tournament for Western Oregon (27-3). Other GNAC teams – including Alaska and Seattle Pacific – will learn Sunday night if they’ve secured at-large berths.
Western Oregon coach Jim Shaw said he told Roth to be ready in the second 20 minutes.
“Making baskets is not a complicated thing for him,” Shaw said of Roth. “I knew if he locked in mentally he was good enough physically to make a difference on the offensive end.”
Devon Alexander scored 16 points for Western Oregon, including consecutive dagger triples in the final two minutes to twice give the Wolves seven-point leads. The 6-1 senior from Fontana, California, added 10 rebounds and five assists in the final and, after scoring 19 points in the Wolves’ one-point win against Seattle Pacific on Friday, was named the tournament’s most valuable player.
“Devon’s just a very clutch player,” Shaw said.
In the first half, Western Oregon’s Andy Avgi, the two-time GNAC player of the year, was held in check. Avgi, a 20-point a game scorer in the regular season, had one bucket in just three attempts against frequent double-teams.
“I talked specifically (at halftime) to Alex and Andy,” Shaw said. “Andy was deferring too much. He’s an All-American for a reason.”
After intermission, Avgi – 6-6 from Woodburn., Oregon – scored 10 points on 5 of 7 shooting. He bulled his way through contact for a layup with 4:20 left that gave the Wolves a 64-62 lead, and they never trailed again.
Jordan Wiley, 6-6 from McKenzie, Oregon, had eight points in each half and added five assists for the Wolves.
Travante Williams, 6-4 from Anchorage, played through foul trouble to lead Alaska with 23 points. Bangaly Kaba scored 19 points and Joe Slocum had 13 for the Nanooks (22-7).
This story was originally published March 5, 2016 at 9:36 PM with the headline "Backup’s big second half leads Western Oregon to GNAC tournament title."