BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University redshirt freshman point guard D'Angelo Minnis scored a game-high 22 points leading the Vikings to a season-opening 92-88 victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday night in the GNAC/CCAA Conference Challenge in Carver Gym.
 
WWU led by as many as 17 points midway through the second half, but had to hold off a late Dominguez Hills rally to record the season-opening win on WECU Court. No. 5 nationally-ranked UC San Diego opened the tournament with a 95-70 win over Simon Fraser. 
 
In the first official action at Carver Gym of the 2019-20 basketball season, it was a team effort that proved the difference for the Vikings. Four different WWU players finished with double-digit points, including a 20-point, 8-rebound performance by sophomore forward/guard Jalen Green and 17 points each from seniors Trevor Jasinsky and Logan Schilder. Schilder was 7-for-12 from the field, including 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
 
Senior Wonder Smith led the late surge for the Toros, hitting a pair of free-throws and a three-pointer down the stretch to pull his team within two point. But clutch free throw shooting from Jasinsky and Green shut down the comeback bid.
 
Minnis, in his official collegiate debut, headlined a huge Vikings first half that saw them score 51 points, shooting 18-of-32 (56.3%) from the field. Minnis contributed 17 of his 22 points in the first half on 7-of-8 shooting, including a trio of 3-point field goals. 
 
"D'Angelo was fantastic it was fun to watch him play," said WWU head coach Tony Dominguez in the post-game interview on VikingsTV. "He played with a lot of fire, I felt like he was a catalyst tonight and it was a good start for him, for sure"
 
Smith and Andrew Whitsett were the difference makers for the Toros, putting up a combined 39 points. Whiteset neared a double-double with 19 points and a game-high 9 rebounds. Smith saw most of his action come from the free-throw line where he was 13-of-15 (86.7%). 
 
WWU shot 52.4% from the field for the game (33-for-63) and were 13-for-28 from 3-point range (46.4%).
 
The Vikings will be back in action again Saturday night at 7:30 when they take on No. 5 nationally-ranked UC San Diego on WECU court in Carver Gym.
 
"UC San Diego is really good, they're fifth in the country they got weapons everywhere," Dominguez said. "We're tough as well and we think we've got a good shot."
  The Vikings shot 33-of-63 (52.4%) from the field, including 13-of-28 (46.4%) from beyond the arc…D'Angelo Minnis shot 7-8 (87.5%) from the field in the first half…the Vikings had 16 assists to 13 turnovers…the Vikings had 5 blocked shots and 4 steals.
  WWU closes out the season-opening GNAC/CCAA Conference Challenge Saturday night hosting No. 5 nationally-ranked UC San Diego with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 pm in Carver Gym. Simon Fraser (0-1) will play Cal State Dominguez Hills (0-1) in the 5 pm game on Sunday. 
  UC San Diego defeated Simon Fraser 95-70 in the opening game of the tournament. The Tritons shot 50.7% from the field (35-for-69) and were 16-for-36 from 3-point range (44.4%). UCSD played all 14 of their players on the travel roster, with senior center Chris Hansen scoring a game-high 21 points on 8-for-17 shooting. Simon Fraser was led by 20 points by Wilfried Balata.
  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.