BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Led by double-doubles from seniors RJ Secrest and Dakota Ayala, the Western Washington University men's basketball team recorded a 70-64 win over the University of Texas Permian Basin Saturday night on WECU Court in Carver Gym.
 
The Vikings recorded their fourth consecutive victory to improve to 4-2 on the season and a perfect 4-0 in Carver Gym. WWU's lone losses were consecutive one-point defeats on the road to open the season. UTPB dropped to 3-2 on the season in the first meeting between the two schools.
 
Secrest, a senior from Bremerton, recorded his second career double-double with the best scoring performance of his WWU career notching 18 points on 9-for-11 shooting. The senior guard tied his career-best with 10 rebounds and also had an assist and a steal.
 
Ayala, a senior who also played at Concordia-Portland before the school shut down, scored 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting, grabbed 12 rebounds and also had six assists and a pair of blocked shots. He was a last-minute addition to the starting lineup after normal starter and leading scorer Jalen Green was unable to play.
 
Senior forward Luke Lovelady nearly became the third player with a double-double scoring 15 points on 7-for-12 shooting and had nine rebounds and a pair of blocked shots.
 
WWU held a decisive 38-23 advantage in rebounding and out-scored the Falcons 36-28 in the paint. The Vikings shot 54.5% overall from the field (30-for-55) and were 7-for-18 from 3-point range. For the season Western is shooting 51.5% (168-for-326).
 
The Vikings also received 12 points on four 3-poiners by junior guard Daniel Hornbuckle and eight points and four steals by sophomore guard D'Angelo Minnis. Hornbuckle has scored in double-digits in all six games this season, averaging 14.2 points per game.
 
UTPB guard Miles Daniels led all players with 26 points, connecting on 9-of-20 shots with eight 3-pointers. Jordan Horn added 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting and DaJuan Jones recorded a 10-point, 12-assist double-double.
  WWU led by as many as 12 points four minutes into the second half, but UTPB chipped away at the deficit and pulled to within two points at 62-60 with 3:40 remaining. A dunk by Luke Lovelady with 3:11 left jump-started a 7-0 run that was capped by a 3-pointer by Daniel Hornbuckle for the 69-60 lead. The Falcons scored a pair of baskets in the final minute, but WWU held off the comeback attempt for the six-point victory.
  The Vikings (4-2) continue their seven-game homestand with a pair of games next week, hosting Northwest Indian College on Tuesday (7 pm) and then opening GNAC play on Saturday vs. Simon Fraser University (3 pm). Both games will stream live on Vikings TV and feature live statistical updates with direct links at wwuvikings.com/Live.
  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. Single-game advance tickets are also available to purchase online at wwuvikings.com/MBB_Tickets.
  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 three of the last four years (and seven of nine) and won the 2020 GNAC Championships Tournament. WWU is the 12th winningest Division II program with its 1,518 all-time victories.