Box Score: Coyotes 88, Western Washington 56

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Coach Jeff Oliver could list any number of reasons why his Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes were on a roll Thursday night in their nonconference game against Western Washington.
 
But more importantly, when he walked off the court and took one final look at the scoreboard, the nine-year head coach was pleased with what he witnessed.

The Coyotes, behind senior guard Aaron Hill's career-high 21 points and junior Theron Laudermill's first double-double, were in complete control en route to a stunning 88-56 victory over the Vikings in the annual Great Western Shoot-out, held at the Arena at South Pointe.
 
"We had a good all-round effort tonight,'' said Oliver, whose team handed WWU its worst loss in 11 seasons. "We owned the glass, we shot the ball well and I thought we defended very well. We're not there yet, but this is a step forward at where we want to be.''

What was particularly impressive was Hill matched his career high with 19 points in the first 20 minutes of play. His three-pointer just before halftime gave the Coyotes a 41-27 lead and they didn't let up once the second half began.

The Coyotes, now 3-2 overall, got rolling early with a three-pointer from senior All-CCAA guard Corey Caston and a layup from David Jefferson as they pushed the lead to 19 at 46-27 with less than a minute gone in the half.

The Vikings, who had their five-game winning streak snapped, got as close as 16 in the final half and absorbed their worst loss since the 1999-2000 season when it was handed an 86-55 loss to Big West Conference-member UC Irvine. The Coyotes held the Vikings to just 28.1 percent shooting (18-for-64).

WWU entered the contest ranked fourth in the NCAA in scoring at 91.9 points a game.

Laudermill scored 13 points with a game-high 14 rebounds for CSUSB's first double-double of the season. But it wasn't just those two Coyotes who owned the spotlight on this occasion.

Sophomore Kwame Alexander saw playing time for the first time this season and was impressive with 12 points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench.

Junior D#.J. Shumpert# had only four points, but stood out defensively with five blocks and nine rebounds.

Senior Robbie Robinson also reached double-figures in scoring with 11 points in just 10 minutes of play.

The Coyotes conclude the tourney with a 3 p.m. game against No. 7 Central Washington.