NAMPA, Idaho – The Western Washington University men's basketball team got off to a slow start and couldn't recover in a 87-64 loss to Northwest Nazarene University Thursday night in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action at the Johnson Sports Center.
NNU scored the first 15 points of the game, returning the favor for the Vikings jumping out to an 18-2 lead in the 84-59 home victory over the Nighthawks in Bellingham on January 4.
The Nighthawks led wire-to-wire to win their sixth consecutive game, improving to 10-6 overall and 7-4 in GNAC play. WWU entered the game having won 9 of its last 11, but have dropped two of its last three games to fall to 13-6 overall and remain in 2nd place with an 8-3 record in conference play.
NNU shot 51.4% for the game, connecting on 36-of-70 shots from the field and were an efficient 8-for-18 (44.4%) from 3-point range. Senior Jayden Bezzant scored a game-high 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting and was 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. Forward Loamilekan Adetunji recorded a 18-point, 14-rebound double-double to lead the Nighthawks inside presence that resulted in a 44-26 advantage in points in the paint. NNU also out-rebounded WWU 38-34.
Sophomore guard/forward Jalen Green led the Vikings with 13 points on 4-for-7 shooting and senior forward Trevor Jasinsky added 11 points and 3 rebounds. WWU shot 37.7% (20-for-53) and were 4-for-16 from 3-point range. The Vikings were 20-for-25 from the free throw line, with Jasinsky going 5-for-6 from the charity stripe.
Senior center Logan Schilder returned to the starting lineup after missing three games with an injury to contribute 7 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.
WWU was hurt by 17 turnovers that resulted in 28 points for NNU.
The Nighthawks came out of the gates on fire going 6-for-9 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free throw line to score the first 15 points of the game. After going scoreless in the first five minutes of the game, a three-point play by Jalen Green sparked an 8-0 run to get the Vikings back in the game to trail 15-8. The Nighthawks went on another extended 17-4 run which included a 12-0 spurt to grow the lead to 20 points at 32-12 with just over six minutes remaining in the half.
The Vikings trailed at halftime 46-23, with the Nighthawks shooting 52.8% (19-for-36) from the field and were 5-for-6 from 3-point range. WWU was held to 7-for-28 shooting (25.0%) and were 1-for-10 from 3-point range. The Vikings were hurt by 9 turnovers leading to 16 NNU points. Cameron Retherford and Jalen Green each scored 5 points for the Vikings, while NNU senior guard Jayden Bezzant scored 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting (3-for-4 3FG).
WWU (13-6, 8-3 GNAC) remains on the road closing out a season-high four-game road trip on Saturday vs. in-state rival Central Washington in Ellensburg. The game vs. the Wildcats is scheduled to tip-off at 7:15 pm in Nicholson Pavilion with live coverage at GNAC.tv.
SERIES HISTORY VS. NORTHWEST NAZARENE
The Vikings defeated NNU 84-59 on Jan. 4 in Carver Gym to extend WWU's lead in the all-time series to 33-11. Western has won 14 of the last 17 in the series and is 5-2 in the last seven trips to the Johnson Center.
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. WWU is the 12th winningest Division II program with its 1,507 victories.
