BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University junior forward Trevor Jasinsky scored a career-high 33 points to lead five Vikings in double-figure scoring in a 91-86 victory over in-state rival Central Washington Thursday night in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

The Vikings snapped a three-game losing streak, defeating the Wildcats in the five-point victory in front of a season-high Carver Gym crowd of 1,322 fans. WWU improved to 12-11 overall and inched up the GNAC standings now in a tie for 6^th place in the conference with a 6-7 mark. Central Washington dropped to 9-12 overall and 3-10 in GNAC play.

"I thought we came out and moved the ball well in the second half, got some good looks and hit the shots," said head coach Tony Dominguez. "We needed a confidence boost and I think the guys came out and really worked hard, had a good night on the offensive boards and stepped up with some starters out due to injury. It's always great to beat Central."

Jasinsky (Camas, WA) was 9-for-17 from the field and connected on 7-of-13 3-point field goal attempts to set his career-scoring high. The junior out of Camas High School bested his previous high of 32 points set in the season opener vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills, and now has a league-best 14 games with 20-or-more points.

"Trevor had a great performance tonight and really stepped up in key moments," added Dominguez.

Jasinsky fueled WWU's 51-point second half scoring 18 of his 33 points on 5-for-8 shooting over the final 20 minutes of the game.

Junior forward Cameron Retherford stepped back into a starting role and notched his first career double-double, totaling 14 points and 11 rebounds. He also had a team-high 4 steals and one blocked shot.

"Cam really stepped up tonight and we needed that," said Dominguez. "Very proud of his effort and contributions tonight."
 

A solid defensive night for Cameron Retherford in tonight's @WWUAthletics win leads tonight's #GNACMBB Top Performers. pic.twitter.com/FI6rHfX92Y
— GNAC Sports (@GNACsports) February 8, 2019

Also reaching double-digits in scoring for the Vikings was junior guard Leif Anderson (13 points, 4-for-5 FG, 3-for-4 3FG, 8 assists), and 11 points each from senior point guard Tyler Payne (5 assists) and junior shooting guard Tucker Eenigenburg (3-for-7 FG). Junior forward KJ Bosco made his first career start, contributing 7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks in 21 minutes.

Overall the Vikings shot 47.5% for the game (29-for-61) and were 14-for-33 from 3-point range (42.4%). The rebounding battle was tied 30-30, but WWU held a 10-6 advantage in offensive rebounds.

The Vikings held a one-point halftime lead at 40-39, battling through a close first half that featured 10 lead changes and six tie scores.

Western built its lead to 11 points with 12 minutes remaining in the game at 63-52 following a barrage of 3-point shots. CWU cut the deficit going on a 12-5 run down the stretch to trail by one point at 87-86 with 23-seconds remaining. Anderson sunk a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 3 points and Jasinsky clinched the game at the free throw line with his 32^nd and 33^rd points of the game.

The Wildcats had three players reach double-figures in scoring, led by 20 points from Jeryn Lucas (8-for-13 FG) and 19 points from Zellie Hudson (8-for-14 FG).

WWU was playing without two starters in sophomore forward Luke Lovelady and freshman guard/forward Jalen Green, as both did not appear in uniform due to injuries…junior forwards KJ Bosco and Cameron Retherford started in their spots.

The Vikings return to action on Saturday hosting No. 24 nationally-ranked Northwest Nazarene (15-4, 10-3) with tip-off at 7 pm in Carver Gym. NNU was defeated 78-77 by Simon Fraser Thursday night in Burnaby, BC. Free shuttle service from the C and 12A lots on campus will begin running at 6 pm with front-door service to Carver Gym. Advanced tickets can be purchased via WWUVikings.com/Tickets with the Carver Gym Box Office opening one hour prior to tip-off. 

The Vikings swept the season series vs. the Wildcats, also winning 73-65 on Jan. 12 in Ellensburg…WWU is now 18-5 over the last 23 games in the series dating back to the 2009-10 season.

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 1,491 victories and a .591 winning percentage in program history. 

-- @WWUHoops --