Western Courier

Issue date: 3/17/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Adam Sacasa Freshman forward Delvon Johnson consoles senior Chris Gonzalez after Western's first-round loss to Oakland.

TULSA, Okla. - Erik Kangas single-handedly closed the door on Western Illinois' season in the first round of the Summit League Tournament, scoring 26 points for Oakland that led to the 80-66 loss.

Kangas hit five 3-point shots in the second half and stuck a dagger into the hearts of the Leathernecks every time they attempted to get back in the game. Those shots gave his team momentum and confidence.

"That was huge because it is always nice to have a little cushion, especially when we weren't making free throws," Kangas said. "When I hit that one in the corner, that got my confidence up, and I knew I would keep hitting shots."

Western had no answer for the scoring onslaught and could not find a way to contain the hot shooter. He made shots that were contested and proved to be vitally important.

"We try not to let it affect us; (Kangas) is a great shooter," said redshirt freshman guard James Washington. "But when he is shooting fade-aways contested like that, there is really nothing you can do about that. We tried to go on the other end and get a quick basket, but those were big 3s he hit."

The 'Necks struggled on the offensive end in the first half, shooting 22 percent from the field. Western did not get into a rhythm on offense and only made one shot attempt from outside the lane.

Combined with the poor shooting performance, the 'Necks also had several players in foul trouble. All five Western starters committed early fouls and sent Oakland to the line 22 times in the opening period. This caused the 'Necks to make many adjustments on the bench.

"It is difficult because you like to keep a good rotation," said coach Derek Thomas. "I thought we had a good group in there early that did a good job defensively. It makes it tough when you have to keep mismatching guys, and they are able to keep the same seven to eight players in the game."

The high frequency of referee whistles remained consistent throughout the game. Oakland set the tournament record for most free throw attempts in a game with 55. However, the Golden Grizzlies only converted on 63 percent of their shots from the charity stripe.

At one point in the second half, Oakland missed nine straight attempts, but the 'Necks did not capitalize on the Grizzlies' miscues.

Continued...

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