SEATTLE, Wash. – Western Washington University senior forward Trevor Jasinsky scored a team-high 19 points, connecting on five 3-pointers, but a slow start was too much to overcome for the Vikings in an 87-63 preseason exhibition loss Thursday night to the University of Washington in Alaska Airlines Arena.

WWU, the preseason favorite to win the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, hung tough with the defending Pac-12 champion Huskies in the second half with a one-point margin (41-40) over the final 20 minutes.

The game was a non-counting preseason contest for both teams.

The Vikings faced a 46-23 halftime deficit after opening the contest shooting 24.0% from the floor in the first half (6-for-25), while going 4-for-16 from beyond the arc. UW was 19-for-32 from the field in the opening half (59.4%) and forced 14 WWU turnovers. 

WWU was 12-for-34 (35.3%) in the second half, with Jasinsky scoring 13 of his 19 points.

Senior guard Leif Anderson added 9 points on 3-for-4 shooting (all 3-pointers) and senior forward Cameron Retherford scored 9 points in 31 minutes of action. Senior guard Tucker Eenigenburg led the Vikings with 6 rebounds and also scored 7 points.

The Huskies had four players reach double-digits in scoring, with Jamel Beya coming off the bench to score a game-high 20 points on 5-for-7 shooting. Forward Isaiah Stewart added a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double.

The Vikings shot 30.5% (18-for-59) and were 12-for-32 from 3-point range (37.5%)…UW out-rebounded the Vikings 44-34 and out-scored the Vikings with 44 points inside the paint to Western's 10…WWU scored 12 of their 18 field goals from beyond the 3-point line…WWU was 15-for-20 (75%) from the free-throw line.

With the preseason now complete, the Vikings turn their attention to the 2019-20 regular season which opens next Friday with the GNAC/CCAA Challenge hosted by WWU in Carver Gym. The four-team tournament features Western, Simon Fraser, Cal State Dominguez Hills and No. 5 UC San Diego. The Vikings play Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday at 7:30 pm and UCSD at 7:30 pm on Saturday, with games at 5 pm each day in non-WWU contests.

Thursday's game vs. the University of Washington marked WWU's fifth exhibition game between the two schools, and first since November 3, 2016. WWU is 0-5 vs. UW in exhibition games, including a 109-103 loss in 2016. Additional games were Oct. 24, 2012 (UW 88, WWU 78), Nov. 7, 2008 (UW 105, WWU 85) and Nov. 9, 2001 (UW 81, WWU 76). The Vikings are also 0-17 in regular-season meetings vs. the Huskies, with the last counting game coming early in the 1982-83 season.

The official start of the 2019-20 WWU men's basketball season is quickly approaching with the GNAC/CCAA Conference Challenge November 8-9 in Carver Gym. The Vikings will host UC San Diego, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Simon Fraser University in the two-day, four-game tournament. The full schedule for the Vikings is posted on WWUVikings.com/MBB.

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 11 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 20-win seasons in two of the last three years, 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. WWU is the 12th winningest Division II program with its 1,494 victories (six short of 1,500) and is a top 20 team over the last 10 seasons with a 221-88 (.715) record.