CARSON, Calif. – For the second consecutive night, the Western Washington University men's basketball team put themselves in great position to record a tough road victory against a West Region opponent.
 
And for the second consecutive night, the Vikings let a late lead slip away, dropping a one-point 61-60 contest to Cal State Dominguez Hills to wrap up the season-opening CCAA/GNAC Challenge at The Torodome.
 
WWU (0-2) held a 16-point 58-42 lead over CSUDH with 6:08 remaining in the game, but were limited to two points and did not convert a field goal the rest of the way. The Toros used a 15-0 run to climb back into the game and scored the game-winning point on a free throw by D'Mauria Jones with three seconds left.
 
In an all-too-similar script, the Vikings suffered a one-point 70-69 loss to Humboldt State Friday night on a pair of free throws also with three seconds remaining on the clock.
 
The Vikings seemed to be clicking on all cylinders against the Toros, growing an 11-point 37-26 halftime lead into a 16-point advantage with just over five minutes left in the game at 58-42. A pair of Isaiah Morris free throws at the 5:49 mark fueled what would become a 15-0 run over a 3:42 span to cut WWU's lead to one point at 58-57. A dunk-and-one by Hunter Seymour put the Toros up 60-59 with 37-seconds remaining, but WWU tied the game at 60-60 when Jalen Green connected on one-of-two free throws.
 
In a bit of misfortune, WWU guard D'Angelo Minnis was called for a foul scrambling for a loose ball on the floor, resulting in the pair of made free throws by Jones that proved to be the game-winners.
 
Green led the Vikings with 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting and added seven rebounds, three assists and a pair of blocked shots. Junior guard Daniel Hornbuckle concluded a solid first weekend as a Viking with 14 points and neared a double-double with nine rebounds.
 
The Toros (1-1) were led by a game-high 19 points from Jordan Hilstock (6-for-10 FG) and 10 points and five assists by Jones.
 
WWU shot 39.6% from the field (21-for-53) and were 5-for-20 from 3-point range. The Vikings were 13-for-24 from the free throw line.
  The home schedule opens next weekend 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. WWU plays CUI Friday night at 7:30 pm, with SPU and APU opening the tournament at 5 pm.
 
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.