Feb. 19, 2011
Box Score
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Center Brian Barkdoll had game-highs of 20 points and 14 rebounds as Northwest Nazarene University snapped Western Washington University's six-game winning streak with a 75-69 victory in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball game Saturday at Sam Carver Gymnasium on the WWU campus.
The Vikings fell to 16-8 overall and are tied for second in the GNAC with Alaska Anchorage at 11-5. Guard Zach Henifin (Jr., Bellingham) had 17 points to lead Western, which suffered its first home loss in 12 contests at Carver Gym this season.
NNU improved to 12-11 overall and 8-8 in the GNAC with its fourth consecutive victory. Forward Darious Walker added 17 points for the Crusaders, going 11-of-11 on free throws.
The Vikings held a 58-55 lead after a 3-pointer by Shedrick Nelson (Jr., Tacoma/Wilson) with 6:41 to go, but the Crusaders ran off 10 straight points, the first seven by Walker, to take a 65-58 advantage with 3:03 left.
NNU was still up by seven, 69-62, with just over a minute left, but guard John Allen (So, Brier/Mountlake Terrace) hit a 3-pointer, then a layup, cutting the margin to two, 69-67, with 46 seconds left. But that was as close as the Vikings would get as they didn't score again until the final four seconds.
Western shot 51.9 percent (28-of-54) from the field, but was outrebounded, 41-24, and shot just 37.5 percent (6-of-16) on free throws, going just 1-of-6 in the second half.
Forward Rory Blanche (So., Ashland, OR) had 15 points for Western and Nelson added 13. Jamie Eisinger had 15 points, all in the second half, for NNU.
Western used a run of 14 straight points, seven of them by Henifin, to take a 26-16 lead with 5:50 left in the half, but made just one field goal the rest of the period, and led by just three, 31-28, at halftime.
NNU completed a season series sweep with the win, taking an 88-86 overtime victory at Nampa, Id., on Jan. 22.
Western fell into a tie for second in the GNAC as UAA won at Western Oregon, 88-83. The Vikings do hold the tiebreaker between the schools, having won both meetings this season.
Western entertains Seattle Pacific University in a GNAC counter Tuesday (7 p.m.).
