Dec. 15, 2011
Box Score
LAS VEGAS, Nevada - Forward Zach Henifin (Sr., Bellingham) had 18 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals, leading Western Washington University to an 80-61 victory over nationally ranked and previously unbeaten Rollins College in first-day men's basketball action Thursday at the sixth annual Great Western Shootout being held at The Arena at South Point.
Guard John Allen (Jr., Brier/Mountlake Terrace) had game-highs of 20 points and five assists for WWU, which won its ninth straight game and improved to 11-1.
Rollins, ranked No.10 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches/NCAA Division II Top 25, fell to 7-1. The Tars, based in Winter Park, Fla., were led by the 14 points of forward Dave Diakite.
The Vikings, who never led in an 80-70 loss to Rollins at the GWS last season, broke away from a 5-5 tie with a 17-2 charge in a five-minute span that gave them a 22-7 advantage with 12:22 left in the first half. Henifin and Allen each had six points in the run, Henifin igniting it with a driving dunk and Allen capping it with back-to-back three-pointers.
WWU, which hit seven of its first 13 three-point attempts, held a 38-28 lead at halftime.
The Vikings then broke the game completely open early in the second half, running off 10 straight points for a 62-38 lead with 12:26 to play. The margin was never less than 15 points after that.
Forward Rory Blanche (Sr., Ashland, OR) had 12 points for WWU, which had a 39-30 advantage in rebounds and shot 50.0 percent (14-of-28) from three-point range.
The triumph was the third for the Vikings over a nationally ranked opponent this season, having already notched victories over No.3 BYU-Hawaii and No.19 Seattle Pacific.
The 80 WWU points were the most allowed by Rollins this season and the 61 points scored by the Tars were just one better than their previous low.
WWU meets No.18 Alabama Huntsville on Saturday at 3 p.m. and Rollins plays Central Washington at 5 p.m.
