CARSON, Calif. – Playing an official game for the first time in over 600 days, the Western Washington University men's basketball team dropped its 2021-22 season opener 70-69 to Humboldt State University.
 
Humboldt State hit a pair of free throws with three seconds remaining to edge the Vikings by one point in the opening game of the CCAA/GNAC Challenge at the Torodome on the campus of Cal State Dominguez Hills.
 
The Vikings built a six-point lead at 69-63 with nearly three minutes remaining in the game, but were out-scored by the Lumberjacks 7-0 over the remainder of the game to fall to 0-1 on the season. WWU missed its final four free throw attempts when looking to expand its lead and HSU took advantage in its comeback effort.
 
After having his layup attempt blocked by Luke Lovelady, Jaden Edwards was awarded a pair of free throws on a late foul call on WWU's Jalen Green. Edwards hit both free throws with 3.0 seconds on the clock and a last-second three-pointer attempt by the Vikings was off the mark to bring the game to the final score of 70-69.
 
Junior guard Lucas Holden returned to his native Southern California to score a team-high 17 points on 5-for-8 shooting, with all his shots coming from beyond the 3-point arc. He was also 2-for-3 from the free throw line.
 
Junior guard Daniel Hornbuckle made his WWU debut with 15 points on 4-for-9 shooting (4-for-5 3FG) and had a pair of assists.
 
Senior forward Luke Lovelady added 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting and tied for the team high with five rebounds.
 
WWU shot 41.5% for the game (22-for-53) and were 12-for-29 from 3-point range (41.4%) and 13-for-21 from the free throw line.
 
AJ Sims led four Humboldt players in double-figures scoring with 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting.
 
The game featured seven tie scores and five lead changes. After trailing 15-5 early, the Vikings battled back to trail by only two points 36-34 at the half. WWU opened the second half on a 9-0 run to grab a 43-36 lead for its biggest lead of the game.
 
WWU returns to action Saturday with a 7:30 pm game against tournament host Cal State Dominguez Hills at 7:30 pm. The game will feature a live webcast and statistical updates with links available at wwuvikings.com/Live.
 
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 in the four-game tournament on WECU Court in Carver Gym.
 
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.