BELLINGHAM, Wash. – There were fans in the stands, cheerleaders cheering and officials calling fouls…and all that added up to the return to the court for the Western Washington University men's basketball program.
 
Playing on WECU Court in Carver Gym in a game setting for the first time since February 25, 2020, WWU held its annual Blue-White Scrimmage Sunday in front of 217 masked fans. WWU did not play a game during the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, last seeing game action with a 81-78 win over Alaska Anchorage to claim the 2020 GNAC Championships title 579 days ago.
 
The 18-player roster was divided into two even nine-player squads via draft, with the Blue team recording a narrow 99-95 win over the White squad.
 
Senior forward Luke Lovelady led all players with 27 points on 11-for-14 shooting for the white squad, adding eight rebounds. Second-year freshman Kai Johnson paced the winning blue team with 23 points on 11-for-18 shooting. Junior forward/guard Jalen Green recorded a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double.
 
Six total players tallied 20-or-more points in the game, including freshman forward Nic Welp (21 points, 9-for-10 FG, 8 Reb), junior guard Lucas Holden (20 points, 8-for-14 FG, 7 Reb, 5 Ast) for the Blue team and junior guard Daniel Hornbuckle (20 points, 6-for-11 FG, 6 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl) for the White squad.
 
"It was so great to see the players competing and out on that court after all they have been through," said WWU 10th-year head coach Tony Dominguez. "Through all the ups-and-downs, this group has grown strong together and worked extremely hard on and off the court. I am very proud of how they have handled themselves and thought they did a really nice job today. A few things we can clean up, but it was a good first step as we get closer to the start of the season."
 
The Vikings will host one more exhibition game on Wednesday, October 27 when Gary Payton-led Lincoln University plays in Carver Gym (7 pm tip-off).
 
WWU will officially open the 2021-22 season with a trip to Southern California November 12-13 for two games in the CCAA/GNAC Challenge facing Humboldt State and tournament host Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. The home schedule opens with the Chuck Randall Classic November 19-20 with the Vikings hosting Azusa Pacific, Concordia University Irvine and Seattle Pacific University.
 
The complete 2021-22 WWU Men's Basketball Schedule can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/21-22_MBB, complete with links to purchase tickets and live coverage links for webcast and live stats.

Fans wishing to purchase season tickets for the 2021-22 season can call the WWU Box Office at (360) 650-6103 to reserve their seats for the upcoming season.
  All fans are required to wear a face covering/mask inside Carver Gym for the Blue-White Scrimmage. Starting Monday, October 18, an updated fan policy for indoor events will go into place that includes attendees providing proof of vaccination to enter ticketed events or showing proof of a negative COVID test within 72 hours of the event.