BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's basketball team celebrated Senior Night with a 69-60 victory over Simon Fraser University in front of 1,075 fans on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

The Vikings closed out the game on a 16-4 run, overcoming a 56-53 deficit at the seven-minute mark in the second half. Redshirt freshman guard D'Angelo Minnis sparked the late-game run with 9 of his game-high 20 points to send the Vikings to the nine-point victory over SFU.

WWU extended its winning streak to four consecutive games and gained sole possession of 2^nd place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings at 18-9 overall and 13-6 in conference play. The Vikings ended its home slate with a 13-3 record in Carver Gym, including a 9-1 mark in GNAC play. 

Minnis led all players with 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting, with 13 of his points coming in the second half. Seniors Siaan Rojas, Trevor Jasinsky and Logan Schilder each scored 10 points in their final home game. Rojas contributed a team-high 8 rebounds and also had 3 steals, 2 assists and one blocked shot.

WWU honored its six-player senior class prior to the game, which was delayed by over 30 minutes after Simon Fraser left their jerseys in Canada. In addition to Rojas, Jasinsky and Schilder, senior forward Cameron Retherford scored 7 points, grabbed 3 rebounds and had 3 steals and senior guardLeif Anderson scored 5 points and was 1-for-1 from 3-point range. Senior guard Tucker Eenigenburg remains out and did not play due to a knee injury. 

Overall WWU shot 46.6% from the field, going 27-for-58, and was 10-for-16 from the free throw line. For the second straight game the Vikings had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio, turning the ball over only 8 times while dishing out 11 assists. WWU's pressure defense also recorded 10 steals, the fifth time to record double-digit steals in a game this season.

SFU dropped to 15-13 overall and 8-11 in GNAC play while recording the series split with the Vikings in 2019-20. Jasdeep Singh led the Clan with 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting (3-for-7 3FG) and neared a double-double with 9 rebounds and 4 steals. Senior guard Michael Provenzano added 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting and sophomore guard Wilfried Balata grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

"Tonight was a great way to celebrate our seniors, but I think the emotions will hit after the season. This is a special group that has battled through a lot of things and I love them to death. But we have a lot of basketball to play and we have a bigger prize to play for than just senior night, and that is exciting. We have a quick turnaround fighting to finish for that 2^nd place spot and try to go for a spot in regionals. We have a lot to play for and I was proud of the entire team tonight for the way they finished the game." – WWU head coach Tony Dominguez

SFU gained its biggest lead of the game at 56-53 with 7:03 remaining following a Wilfried Balata layup. WWU went on an immediate 7-0 run, sparked by a 3-pointer by D'Angelo Minnis at the 5:31 mark that would give the Vikings the lead for good. Senior forward Cameron Retherford got a steal and went coast-to-coast with a layup to cap the 7-0 run to put the Vikings ahead 60-56 with 5:10 remaining.

The Vikings led by as many as 14 points in the first half, using a 12-2 run to build a 24-10 lead at the 10:34 mark in the half. SFU countered with a 15-4 run over 7 minutes to climb back to within three points at 30-27 with 1:22 remaining. Senior Leif Anderson stopped the run with a 3-pointer and the Vikings held a 5-point 33-28 lead at the half.

WWU featured a balanced first half of offense, with seven players scoring points, led by 7 points on 3-for-5 shooting from D'Angelo Minnis and 6 points by Siaan Rojas.

WWU (18-9, 13-6 GNAC) travels to play Montana State Billings on Thursday in the regular-season finale, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 pm MT/6:30 pm PT in Alterowitz Gym. The game will stream live via GNAC.tv.

The Vikings joined Seattle Pacific and Northwest Nazarene as three of the six teams that have clinched a spot in the 2020 GNAC Men's Basketball Championships that will be played March 5-7 at Brougham Pavilion on the campus of SPU. WWU has now advanced to play in the GNAC Championships in eight of the nine tournaments since it debuted in 2010-11, recording a 7-5 record.

The Vikings won their 13^th consecutive home game vs. SFU, a streak that dates back to the 1998 season. WWU and SFU split the season series with each team winning on its home court after the Clan recorded a 77-74 victory on Dec. 3 in Burnaby in the GNAC opener for both teams. The Vikings lead the all-time series 59-26 and are 9-2 over the last 11 meetings dating back to the 2015 season. Tuesday's win snapped a 2-game losing streak for WWU to SFU, with both loses coming on the road in Burnaby.

Here is an updated look at the GNAC standings through the games played on Tuesday, with the Vikings gaining sole possession of 2^nd place in the conference standings with a 13-6 record. WWU has already clinched a spot in the GNAC Championships that will be played March 5-7 at Seattle Pacific's Royal Brougham Pavilion.

Senior Trevor Jasinsky continues to climb the WWU all-time scoring list, moving into the program top-10 list for scoring with 1,466 points. Jasinsky is now 9^th in WWU history, scoring his 1,466 points in 117 career games (12.5 points per game). He is now one of just five players in program history to rank in the top 10 in both total points and total rebounds, also listed 7^th in program history with 579 career boards. He joins Jeffrey Parker (1867 pts, 545 reb), Mike Palm (1649 pts, 874 reb), Grant Dykstra (1844 pts, 576 reb) and Harold Doyal (1571 pts, 657 reb) as the players that rank in the top 10 in both points and rebounds in WWU history.

Sixty years ago, the 1959-60 WWU men's basketball team became the school's first squad to reach nationals. On March 2, 1960, WWU defeated Pacific Lutheran 82-76 to win the NAIA Regional Playoff and advance to nationals in Kansas City, Missouri, A member of that memorable Western squad was in attendance at Tuesday's game, Terry Clayton, who was a three-year letterwinner for the Vikings. Clayton taught at high schools and colleges after his playing career and has traveled to more than 140 countries. 

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 1,512 victories.