NW Briefs | Western Washington men cruise in season opener

BELLINGHAM — Guard Ira Graham scored a game-high 20 points to lead six Western Washington players in double-figure scoring, and the Vikings opened their season with a 109-69 victory over Cascade College in men's basketball action Monday at Sam Carver Gymnasium.

Guard Morris Anderson was just short of a triple-double for Western with 12 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. He also had five steals. Center David Brittinen added 16 points off the bench, hitting all seven of his shots from the field.

Cascade, an NAIA school, held a 9-5 lead a little over three minutes into the game, but Western ran off the next 10 points to go in front 15-9 and led the rest of the way. Western's biggest lead was 49 points, 107-58, with 4:34 to play.

Western next competes in the Seattle Pacific Tip-Off Classic, meeting Cal State San Bernardino at 5 p.m. Friday at Brougham Pavilion.

Women's soccer

Fourth-ranked Seattle Pacific (18-1-2) will face No. 12 Western Washington (17-2-2) in an NCAA third-round match at 9 a.m. in Kirksville, Mo.

Cross country

Eastern Washington's Paul Limpf will compete in the NCAA Division I championships, Monday in Terre Haute, Ind. He received an at-large bid after placing 11th at Saturday's West Regionals.

Conference honors

• Western Washington middle blocker Angie Alvord has been named Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball player of the year. Seattle Pacific's Anna Herold was named GNAC freshman of the year.

First-team honorees included: Megan Amundson, Allison Gotz and Tiana Roma of Western; and Rachael Schurman and Brandie Vea of Central Washington.

• Western Washington's Jessica Summers has been named GNAC women's basketball player of the week.

• Gonzaga's Courtney Vandersloot has been named West Coast Conference women's basketball player of the week.

• Saint Martin's Blake Poole has been named GNAC men's basketball player of the week.

• Eastern Washington's Lance Witherspoon has been named Big Sky Conference football defensive player of the week.

Notes

• The Seattle Storm re-signed assistant coach Shelley Patterson, a 19-year coaching veteran at the professional and collegiate levels who joined the team in 2007.

• Central Washington quarterback Mike Reilly has been named one of eight finalists for the 2008 Harlon Hill Trophy, awarded to the best player in Division II.

• Nine athletes have signed letters of intent with Washington baseball: OF/C Chase Anselment (Edmonds), RHP Adam Cimber (Edgewood), IF Jake Lamb (Seattle), RHP Collin Monagle (Port Orchard), RHP Nick Palewicz (Seattle), IF Eric Peterson (Renton), OF Andy Smith (Poulsbo), RHP Tyler Sullivan (Kingston) and OF Brian Wolfe (Snohomish).

• Eleven athletes have signed letters of intent with Washington State baseball: RHP A.J. Carman (Salt Lake City), C Paul Clingan (Mountlake Terrace), RHP Travis Cook (Duvall), LHP Bret DeRooy (Woodinville), SS Brett Jacobs (Richland), C Josh Leyland (San Dimas, Calif.), RHP Nico Lytle (Boise, Idaho), RHP Kendall Mayer (Salt Lake City), LHP Richie Ochoa (Friday Harbor), LHP-1B James Robbins (Shoreline) and INF Brady Steiger (Port Orchard).

Compiled from sports-information reports and other sources.