LA JOLLA, Calif. – The No. 14 nationally-ranked Western Washington University men's basketball team fell just short in a West Region clash on the road with No. 24 UC San Diego in a 97-92 defeat Saturday evening in the final game of the CCAA/GNAC Challenge in RIMAC Arena on the UCSD campus.

WWU (1-1) held a 6-point halftime lead at 50-44, but the Tritons (2-0) used a 23-4 run in the second half  to go from 8 points down (60-52 at 16:18) to 11-points ahead (75-64 at 10:27) fuel the win. The Vikings cut the deficit to two points at 84-82 with 1:54 remaining in the game, going on a 18-9 run, but UCSD held on pulling away late at the free throw line for the five-point victory.

Junior forward Trevor Jasinsky (Camas, WA) led the Vikings with 23 points and had a career-high 8 assists. He was named to the CCAA/GNAC Challenge All-Tournament team scoring 55 points in the two games (27.5 points/game), shooting 51.7% from the field (15-for-29), was 8-for-17 from 3-point range (5-for-10 vs. UCSD) and was 17-for-18 from the free throw line.

Jasinsky was one of five Vikings in double-figure scoring vs. the Tritons, with redshirt junior guard Micah Winn (Los Angeles, CA/Cerritos College) pouring in 17 points and junior forward Cameron Retherford (Portland, OR/Portland CC) with a 14-point, 6-rebound effort. Senior guard Siaan Rojas (Concord, CA/Santa Rosa JC) added 12 points and 8 rebounds and sophomore forward Luke Lovelady (Tacoma, WA/Life Christian Academy/Point Loma) had 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting.

UCSD was led by a game-high 26 points form Chris Hansen (11-for-14 FG) and 20 points and 7 rebounds from Christian Oshita. Christian Bayne neared a double-double with 12 points and 9 rebounds. 

Overall the Vikings shot 52.4% from the field (33-for-63) and were 10-for-15 (66.7%) from 3-point range. UCSD matched the Vikings hot shooting at 55.7% from the field (34-for-61) and were 13-for-24 (54.2%) from 3-point range. 

The Vikings return to action next weekend with two more road contests, traveling over the border for the Madness on the Mountain hosted by Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC. WWU will play Minnesota State Moorhead on Friday (Nov. 16) and Humboldt State on Saturday (Nov. 17) with both games tipping off at 5 pm in West Gym on the SFU campus.

Christian Bayne, Sr., G, UC San Diego

Michael Chavers, Sr., F, Cal State Dominguez Hills

Chris Hansen, Jr., C, UC San Diego

Trevor Jasinsky, Jr., F, Western Washington

Othniel Spence, Jr., G, Simon Fraser

WWU will serve as the host for the 2019 GNAC Championships, with the top six teams in both the men's and women's conference standings at the end of the season qualifying for the tournament that will be held March 7-9 on WECU Court in Carver Gym. 

Fans can follow the men's basketball team online at WWUVikings.com/MBB, and via social media on Twitter (@WWUHoops)and Facebook (@WWUmensbball).

One of the premier basketball programs in NCAA Division II, WWU has recorded a 20-win season in eight of the last 10 seasons. WWU is a six-time Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion and has appeared in the NCAA II Elite 8 three times. The Vikings won the 2011-12 NCAA Division II National Championship and advanced the following season to the NCAA II Final Four. Western has posted back-to-back 20-win seasons, including a 25-6 record in 2016-17 where it won the GNAC regular season and conference championships title, and advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships as the No. 3 seed in the West Region. The program recently completed its 116^th season posting a 21-8 record in 2017-18, and have combined for 1,479 victories and a .591 winning percentage in program history.

-- @WWUHoops --