LACEY, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's basketball team was defeated 82-71 on the road Thursday at Saint Martin's University in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action.
 
WWU (8-5, 1-2 GNAC) battled back from a double-digit halftime deficit to take a one-point lead midway through the second half, but SMU (10-3, 3-1 GNAC) held on down the stretch for the 11-point victory over the Vikings.
 
Western had all five players score in double-digits for the second consecutive game, led by a team-high 17 points on 5-for-12 shooting by sophomore guard D'Angelo Minnis. The Kent native was 5-for-8 from 3-point range and also contributed five assists.
 
The remaining four starters – Luke Lovelady, RJ Secrest, Daniel Hornbuckle, Jalen Green – each had 11 points. Secrest tied Lucas Holden for the team lead with seven rebounds.
 
WWU entered the game with the No. 5 shooting percentage in the nation, but were held to a 41.3 mark (26-for-63) for the second-lowest percentage in a game this season. WWU was dangerous from beyond the arc connecting on 8-of-17 3-point attempts.
 
The Saints won their sixth consecutive game by shooting over 50-percent from the field (50.8/32-for-63) and were 9-for-24 from 3-point range. Kyle Greely led four SMU players in double-figure scoring with a game-high 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Jaden Nielsen-Skinner had a 14-point, 10-assist double-double while nearing a triple-double with seven rebounds (also had four steals).
  After trailing by 11 points at the half (44-33), the Vikings opened the second half going on a 21-9 run to take a 54-53 lead with 12:40 remaining. Saint Martin's responded with an 11-4 scoring spurt to retake a six-point lead and led the remainder of the way.
 
The Vikings had a 7-3 run to pull to within two points at 69-67 with 2:46 remaining, but SMU finished on a 13-4 run to push the final score to 82-71 for the 11-point victory.
  Here is an updated look at the GNAC standings following play on Thursday:
 

MEN'S BASKETBALL	CONF	PCT	OVERALL	PCT	HOME	AWAY	NEUTRAL	STREAK
Simon Fraser	1-0	1.000	6-3	.667	3-0	2-2	1-1	Won 2
Saint Martin's	3-1	.750	10-3	.769	6-1	3-2	1-0	Won 6
Central Washington	2-1	.667	8-2	.800	3-0	4-1	1-1	Won 4
Alaska Anchorage	2-1	.667	7-3	.700	5-0	1-3	1-0	Won 1
Western Oregon	2-1	.667	3-8	.272	2-1	1-4	0-3	Lost 2
Northwest Nazarene	2-2	.500	4-5	.444	2-1	2-3	0-1	Won 1
Montana State Billings	2-2	.500	6-8	.429	3-5	1-2	2-1	Lost 1
Western Washington	1-2	.333	8-5	.615	7-1	0-2	1-2	Lost 2
Seattle Pacific	1-2	.333	8-6	.571	4-1	1-3	3-2	Lost 1
Alaska Fairbanks	0-4	.000	3-7	.300	0-1	1-4	2-2	Lost 5
THURSDAY'S GNAC RESULTS
at Saint Martin's 82, Western Washington 71 Northwest Nazarene 77, at Alaska Fairbanks 69

  The Vikings (8-5, 1-2 GNAC) return home to face Seattle Pacific (Thursday, Jan. 20, 7 pm) and Montana State Billings (Saturday, Jan. 22, 7 pm) in Carver Gym. Both games will be closed to fans following WWU health and safety guidelines. Saturday's scheduled road game at Western Oregon has been postponed due to health and safety protocols within the WOU program.
  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.
  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 1,522 all-time victories.