Western Washington University Athletics

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's basketball team improved to 6-3 with a 121-63 victory over Northwest Indian College on Sunday afternoon on WECU Court in Carver Gym.
 
The non-conference game featured a community event for the Native American Heritage Game with pregame and halftime performances by the Lhaq'temish Singers from Lummi Nation.
 
The Vikings were led by a near triple-double from freshman guard Kai Johnson with 10 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists, a 32-point outburst from Erwin Weary Jr. and 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting by Daniel Hornbuckle.
 
WWU received points from all nine players that suited up, with normal starters D'Angelo Minnis, Luke Lovelady and Jalen Green not suiting up for the game to prepare for the upcoming Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic.
 
Johnson, a second-year freshman out of Olympia High School, filled up the stat sheet with 10 points on 3-for-6 shooting (3-for-4 FG), recorded a game-high 12 rebounds and dished out eight assists.
 
Weary Jr. recorded his second 30-point effort against the Eagles (had 36 points vs. NWIC on Nov. 30) going 11-for-19 from the field and was 10-for-11 from the free throw line.
 
Hornbuckle continued his scoring prowess during his first year at WWU connecting on 8-for-13 from the field, which included 5-for-10 from 3-point range.
 
Junior guard Lucas Holden recorded a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double on 4-for-8 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers. In nine games this season Holden is one of the top 3-point shooters in the nation making 17-of-30 attempts (56.7%).
 
WWU had seven total players reach double figures in scoring, with senior forward Dakota Ayala (13 points, 9 rebounds) and senior guard RJ Secrest (14 points, 8 rebounds) inching closing to a double-double. Forward Jaivion Garrett scored a career-high 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting.
 
The Eagles were led by 23 points from guard Kobe Johns, who connected on 9-of-22 shots with three 3-pointers.
  The Vikings (6-3) close out the non-conference portion of the schedule traveling to play a pair of games in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic December 17-18 against Lindenwood and No. 1 Lubbock Christian. The Vikings return to GNAC play with road games at Central Washington (Dec. 30) and Northwest Nazarene (Jan. 1) around the New Year Holiday. All home games will stream live on Vikings TV and feature live statistical updates, with road games also featuring live coverage 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 1,520 all-time victories.