BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's basketball team led by as many as 16 points in the second half, but couldn't hold off a strong comeback by Montana State Billings in an 81-72 loss in overtime Thursday night in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

WWU finished a tough four-game stretch over an eight-day period by going 2-2, and are now 10-8 overall and 4-4 in GNAC play. WWU is now 0-2 in overtime games this season, both in GNAC play, also falling to Western Oregon 96-88 in double overtime on December 1. MSUB improved to 9-6 overall and 4-3 in conference play.

Junior forward Trevor Jasinsky (Camas, WA) led all players with 24 points, and tallied his fourth double-double of the season with a game-high 13 rebounds. The junior was 9-for-18 shooting from the field, and scored 15 of his 24 points in the first half.

Sophomore forward Luke Lovelady (Tacoma, WA/Life Christian Academy/Point Loma) added at 14-point, 5-rebound, 4-block performance and redshirt junior guard Leif Anderson (Bellingham, WA/Sehome/Whatcom CC) had 15 points on 5-for-10 shooting (4-for-6 3FG).

The Yellowjackets had four players reach double-figures in scoring, led by 19 points from guard Tyler Green (7-for-16 FG, 5-for-10 3FG) and a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double off the bench from Brendan Howard.

The Vikings held a 16-point lead at the 15:46 mark in the game and led by 14 points 59-45 following a 3-pointer by Leif Anderson with just under 10 minutes remaining in regulation. The Yellowjackets answered with a 17-2 run over nearly a five-minute stretch to take a one-point lead at 62-61 with 4:03 remaining.

Trevor Jasinsky scored the next five points on a 3-pointer and two free throws to pull WWU back ahead 66-62. MSUB got a pair of buckets down the stretch, and held the Vikings scoreless over the final two minutes to tie the game 66-66 to force overtime. Zharon Richmond hit a short-range jump shot to tie the game with 14 seconds remaining. Tyler Payne had his potential game-winner rim out and Trevor Jasinsky's follow up shot was good, but just after the buzzer sounded. 

MSUB came out in the overtime period on a 9-4 run to start the overtime period to build a 75-70 lead at the 2:29 mark. The Vikings pulled to within three points at 75-72 following a Tyler Payne jump shot, but the Yellowjackets ended the game on a 6-0 run to record the 9-point victory. Brendan Howard and Zharon Richmond both had 6 points, as MSUB out-scored WWU 15-6 in the five-minute overtime period.

WWU shot 41.3% from the field for the game (26-for-63), but were held to 11-for-33 (33.3%) in the second half and overtime. MSUB bounced back from a 30.6% shooting performance in the first half, shooting 47.5% in the second half and overtime (19-for-40). The Yellowjackets finished at 39.5% for the game (30-for-76), but were 4-for-5 in the deciding overtime period.

The Vikings held a 39-28 lead at the half, building the 11-point lead with a pair of 7-2 runs in the first 20 minutes of the game. Trevor Jasinsky led the way with a first-half high 15 points, connecting on 6-of-8 shots and going 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. Luke Lovelady added 7 points on 2-for-2 shooting (3-for-3 FT), as the Vikings shot 50.0% (15-for-30) from the field and were 6-for-16 from 3-point range (37.5%). MSUB was led by 8 points from Zack Rollins and Tyler Green. The Yellowjackets shot 30.6% from the field (11-for-36) and were 4-for-15 from 3-point range.

Trevor Jasinsky recorded his 10^th 20-point game of the season, leading all GNAC players…Jasinsky has now scored in double-digits in 12 consecutive games and 17 of 18 contests in 2018-19…most 20-point games by a Viking since Jeffrey Parker (10) and Taylor Stafford (20) in 2016-17…Jasinsky is averaging 19.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game...tied for the league lead with four double-doubles.

WWU leads the all-time series vs. the Yellowjackets 23-7…Vikings are now 13-2 all-time vs. MSUB in Bellingham, 10-4 in Billings and 0-1 at a neutral site…WWU had its 3-game win streak vs. MSUB snapped, but have still won 6 of 9 in the series.

The Vikings will take this weekend off after completing a stretch of four games in eight days, and return to the court next Thursday hosting Alaska Fairbanks at 7:30 pm. WWU then entertains Alaska Anchorage on Saturday (Jan. 26) at 3 pm in Carver Gym.

Here is a look at the updated GNAC standings through Thursday's games:

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 1,489 victories and a .591 winning percentage in program history.

-- @WWUHoops --