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BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- Western Washington University senior forward Jeffrey Parker led five Vikings in double figures with 32 points in a 102-74 victory over Northwest Nazarene Thursday night in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action at Whatcom Pavilion.

The 17th-ranked Vikings won their fifth consecutive game to remain in first place in the GNAC improving to 14-3 overall and 8-1 in conference play. The dominating victory sets up Saturday's rivalry game vs. second-place Central Washington (12-3, 7-2 GNAC) at Whatcom Pavilion (7 pm). The Crusaders dropped to 7-8 overall and 4-5 in GNAC play.

WWU shot a blistering 56.1% (37-for-66) from the field while breaking 100 points for the fifth time this season. The Vikings were 15-for-27 (55.6%) from 3-point range and 13-for-17 from the free throw line. Western also dominated the glass with a 42-27 edge in rebounding.

"It was a fun to see as we were moving the ball well, crashed the boards and followed our defensive roles well," said head coach Tony Dominguez. "Overall, a really nice performance for us tonight."

Parker (Richmond, CA/Salesian) was 11-for-18 from the field and 6-for-7 from 3-point range to record his seventh career 30-point game. Parker's 32-point performance moved him into fourth place in the WWU record books with 1,664 career points.

Senior guard Taylor Stafford (Chicago, IL/Evansville) added 19 points and a career-high 9 assists and junior guard Blake Fernandez (Mountlake Terrace, WA/Edmonds CC) had 10 points and 6 assists in his first career start.

Also reaching double-digits in scoring was redshirt freshman Daulton Hommes (Lynden, WA/Lynden Christian) with 13 points on 4-for-7 shooting and junior forward Deandre Dickson (Easton, CA/Bakersfield College) with 11 points and 5 rebounds in 22 minutes.

The Crusaders were led by 31 points from Bouna N'Diaye, who went 12-for-21 from the field and 6-for-8 from 3-point range. NNU was 12-for-21 from 3-point range and overall shot 45.9% from the field (28-for-61).

The Vikings took control of a high-scoring first half going into halftime with a 16-point lead at 54-38. Fueled by 8 consecutive points by Parker, the Vikings turned a 4-point deficit (trailed 13-9) into a 30-17 lead going on a 21-4 run. WWU shot 57.6% from the field, going 19-for-33 overall and 8-for-14 (57.1%) from 3-point range. Parker led Western with 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting, with Stafford (11 points), Hommes (8 points) and Fernandez (8 points) leading the offensive attack. NNU shot 50.0% from the field (13-for-26), led by 14 points from N'Diaye and 12 points from Maurice Jones.

WWU didn't relent in the second half, extending its lead to as many 31 points. Parker scored 15 of his 32 points shooting 5-for-8 from the field (3-for-3 3-pointers). Stafford and junior guard Brad Wallace (Lacey, WA/River Ridge/North Idaho College) each had 8 points in the second half.

Western returns to action Saturday against rival Central Washington (12-3, 7-2 GNAC) in what will be a battle of the top two teams in the GNAC standings. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 pm at Whatcom Pavilion on the Whatcom Community College campus. The game will air on KBAI (930 AM & 98.9 FM) and will feature a webcast and live stats via WWUVikings.com/Live.

"Western and Central is always a great game, and it should be a battle," added Dominguez. "They are a good team and well-coached. We look forward to these games and excited for the match-up."

Game Notes: Jeffrey Parker moved into 4th place in WWU history and 14th place in GNAC history with 1,664 points, passing former Viking Mike Palm (1,649 points, 1999-2003)...Parker recorded his 7th career game with 30 or more points, tied with John Allen (2010-13) for second-most in school history and trails only nine 30-point games by Mike Franza (1969-73)...junior guard Blake Fernandez made his first career start in place of sophomore Trey Drechsel (injury)...WWU had used the same starting lineup in each of the first 17 games this season...Taylor Stafford recorded a career-high 9 assists...WWU led for 34:59 of the 40 minutes of the game.