LAS VEGAS – Junior Jalen Green drove the lane and converted the game-winning layup with 11 seconds remaining in regulation to send the Western Washington University men's basketball team to a 60-58 victory over Lindenwood Friday evening to conclude the first day of the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic.
 
The Vikings held the lead for nearly the entire game, but Lindenwood erased a 17-point deficit to tie the game and take a two-point lead with 3:26 remaining. WWU answered with back-to-back baskets by senior forward Luke Lovelady and Green, but the Lions tied the game on a pair of free throws with 1:23 remaining.
 
WWU's defense held Lindenwood as they looked to take the late lead, and then called a timeout with 19 seconds remaining. Sophomore guard D'Angelo Minnis found Green near the top of the key on the inbounds play, and the 6-8 guard/forward did the rest from there making a strong drive through the key and converting a tough right-handed layup.
 
Lindenwood (St. Charles, MO) raced down the court looking for a chance to tie or for the win, but a strong defensive stop by Minnis on a 2-pointer attempt by Kevin Caldwell Jr. rimmed out for the WWU two-point victory.
 
Lovelady led the Vikings with a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double, going 7-for-14 from the field. Junior guard Daniel Hornbuckle added 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting and senior guard RJ Secrest had 11 points on 5-for-12 shooting. Secrest converted a key 3-point play with just under five minutes remaining in regulation to keep momentum in the Vikings favor.
 
Returning to the floor after missing four games, Green scored nine points on 4-for-9 shooting, adding four rebounds and four assists.
 
WWU's defensive effort limited Lindenwood to 17-for-49 shooting, which included an 0-for-11 start from the field. The Vikings built a 17-point lead at 33-16 with 1:48 remaining in the first half, but the Lions scored the final eight points of the half to trim the deficit to 33-24.
 
WWU improved to 7-3 with its seventh win the last eight games. The Vikings out-scored the Lions 30-18 in the paint and held a 38-31 edge in rebounding.
 
Lindenwood (5-5) were led by a game-high 19 points from Caldwell Jr. and 15 points from Romelo Burrell. The Lions were 20-for-26 from the free throw line, while WWU was only sent to the charity stripe eight times (4-for-8).

M🏀 | Check out the game-winning layup by Jalen Green to send @wwuhoops to a 60-58 victory over Lindenwood!

📽 Video clip courtesy of FloHoops pic.twitter.com/YTWrQLxM7H
— WWU Athletics (@WWUAthletics) December 18, 2021

  The Vikings (7-3) closes out the non-conference portion of the schedule tomorrow against No. 1 nationally-ranked Lubbock Christian(11-0) with tip-off scheduled for 6 pm. 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.
  Here is a look at the scores from the first day of the 2021 Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic:
 

• #4 West Texas A&M 59, Montana State Billings 57
• #1 Lubbock Christian 77, Rollins 60
• WWU 60, Lindenwood 58

  Just 10 games into the 2021-22 season, Friday's 60-58 win over Lindenwood marked the Vikings fourth game this season decided by two-or-fewer points. WWU dropped a pair of one-point games on the road to open the season vs. Humboldt State (70-69) and Cal State Dominguez Hills (61-60), and were coming off an 82-80 overtime loss to Simon Fraser.
  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 1,521 all-time victories.