BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's basketball program closed out the decade with a dominating 126-72 non-conference victory over Capilano on Sunday afternoon on WECU Court in Carver Gym.
WWU improved to 6-4 on the season and reached the 1,500-win milestone in program history. In 118 years of varsity basketball, the program is now 1500-1043 for a .590 winning percentage and finished the decade with a 215-91 (.703) mark that included winning the 2012 NCAA Division II National Championship.
All 10 players that dressed for the game scored, and eight of the 10 players scored in double-digits. Sophomore guard/forward Jalen Green leading the way with 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting, and also added 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocked shots.
Senior center Logan Schilder recorded a 14-point, 14-rebound double-double, recording a single-game career-high in rebounds, and also led all players with 3 blocked shots. The double-double performance was the sixth of his career.
Seniors Trevor Jasinsky and Siaan Rojas each tallied 15 points in the 54-point victory as the Vikings scored a season-high 126 points. WWU shot 54.9% from the field (45-for-82) and were 13-for-30 from 3-point range (43.3%). WWU scored 73 points in the first half while shooting 69.2% (27-for-39) in the opening 20 minutes of the game.
"I felt like since Thanksgiving our team has started to get into a good flow, which has been triggered by our intensity on defense," said WWU head coach Tony Dominguez on the postgame show on VikingsTV. "The defense has been a focus of ours all year, but for whatever reason there were a couple of games where we didn't rise to that level, so we've changed a little bit in how we are playing…we are a little more aggressive and I think that is showing in the results."
WWU held Capilano to 43.5% shooting (30-for-69) and forced 23 turnovers. CJ Campbell lead the Blues with 16 points on 5-for-12 shooting and was 6-for-6 from the free throw line.
Here are some facts and figures from the 126-72 victory over Capilano:
- 126 points were the most scored in a game this season and most since 129 points last season vs. Langara College (11/24/18, 129-55).
- Logan Schilder set a career-high with 14 rebounds, besting his previous single-game high of 13 rebounds set twice in 2017.
- Logan Schilder recorded the sixth double-double of his career.
- Trevor Jasinsky equaled is single-game career high with 8 assists (3rd time, last: 11/29 vs. Colorado Christian).
- Junior Bryce Knox (13 points) and freshman Ivan Bullock (9 points) recorded career-highs in points.
- Since returning to the court from an early-season injury, Siaan Rojas is averaging 8.3 points, 4.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game.
- WWU recorded 33 assists, tied for the 2nd-most in a game by the Vikings during the GNAC era (since 2001-02).
WWU (6-4) has 18 games remaining in the 2019-20 regular season, all Great Northwest Athletic Conference contests. The Vikings are next in action Thursday, January 2, 2020 vs. in-state rival Central Washington with tip-off at 7 pm on WECU Court in Carver Gym. The game can be followed via live webcast at GNAC.tv.
WWU reached the 1,500 wins mark in the 118th season of men's basketball history, recording an all-time .590 winning percentage with a 1500-1043 record. According to the NCAA record book, WWU is the 12th program currently at the NCAA Division II level that has recorded at least 1,500 wins.
The Vikings put the game away with a dominating first half, building a 73-33 lead at the break. The 73 points fell just short of the program record of 77 points in a half vs. Northwest in 1989. The Vikings shot 69.2% from the field (27-for-39) and were 8-for-14 from 3-point range (57.1%). Siaan Rojas led the way with 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting and Jalen Green had 14 points (5-7 FG), 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals. Trevor Jasinsky also reached double-digits in scoring with 10 first-half points (3-4 FG) and Leif Anderson was 3-for-3 from 3-point range for 9 points.
Fans can follow the men's basketball team online at WWUVikings.com/MBB, and via social media on Twitter (@WWUHoops) and Facebook (@WWUmensbball). You can also get game updates by following the @WWUAthletics Twitter.
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 1,500 victories.
