BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Led by a late 10-2 run and all five starters scoring in double-digits, the Western Washington University men's basketball team registered a 94-92 home-court victory over Alaska Fairbanks Saturday evening in Carver Gym.
 
WWU improved to 8-4 overall and 1-1 in GNAC play with the two-point victory over UAF (3-6, 0-3 GNAC).
 
The Vikings led by as many as 12 points late in the first half, but saw its double-digit lead vanish late in the second half after Alaska went on a 17-4 run. WWU battled back with a clutch 3-pointer by Jalen Green tying the contest at 89-89 with 2:15 remaining, and went 5-for-6 at the free throw line down the stretch to secure the win.
 
Overall the Vikings shot 58.7% for the game (37-for-63), were 8-for-16 from 3-point range and 12-for-15 from the free throw line (13-for-13 in the second half).
 
Junior guard and Fairbanks native Daniel Hornbuckle led the Vikings with 22 points on 6-for-11 shooting, connecting on 6-of-11 shots and hitting four 3-pointers. He also converted a pair of three-point plays and was 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the second half.
 
Sophomore point guard D'Angelo Minnis scored a season-high 19 points, with 14 coming in the first half. Minnis added six assists and a pair of steals.
 
Senior forward Luke Lovelady added 14 points (7-for-11 FG) and five rebounds, junior guard/forward Jalen Green tallied 13 points (5-for-7 FG), seven rebounds and two blocked shots and senior guard RJ Secrest had 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting.
 
The Vikings defensive effort featured six blocked shots, with junior guard Lucas Holden contributing three of those blocks in 10 minutes off the bench.
 
The Nanooks were led by a game-high 30 points from Shadeed Shabazz, extending his GNAC record with his 16th career 30-point game. Senior guard Quin Barnard added 19 points and senior forward Coleman Sparling contributed 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
The Vikings led by as many as 12 points late in the first half and 11 points early in the second half, but Alaska Fairbanks went on a 17-4 run to take a five-point 83-78 lead with 6:44 remaining in the game. WWU answered with an 11-6 run and tied the game at 89-89 on a 3-pointer by Jalen Green with 2:15 remaining. The Vikings clinched the game at the free throw line going 5-for-6 at the charity stripe over the final 1:14 of the contest. A last-second off-balance 3-point attempt by Shadeed Shabazz missed the mark to send the Vikings to the victory.
  The Vikings and Nanooks battled through five early tie scores, but the Vikings used a late 22-11 run to take a 56-46 lead into the halftime break. The late scoring spurt included 12 points from Daniel Hornbuckle, all on 3-pointers, and six points by Luke Lovelady. WWU shot 66.7% from the field in the half (24-for-36) with 7-for-13 accuracy from beyond the arc. UAF was 16-for-34 from the field (47.1%) while hitting 7-of-12 3-pointers (77.8%). D'Angelo Minnis led the Vikings with 14 points on 6-for-12 shooting, with the sophomore guard scoring 12 of the Vikings 16 points in the first seven minutes of the half. Hornbuckle added 12 points and Lovelady had 10 points (5-for-7 FG) and three rebounds. Shadeed Shabazz led all player with 15 points on 5-for-10 shooting.
  WWU improved to 37-15 all-time vs. Alaska Fairbanks and have won seven of the last eight meetings. The Vikings went 2-1 vs. UAF the last time the two teams met during the 2019-20 season, including a 76-64 victory in the GNAC Championships Semifinals in Seattle.
  The Great Northwest Athletic Conference game was played with no fans in the stands due to WWU campus health and safety precautions. WWU was playing for the first time since December 18 and UAF returned to the court for its first game since December 4.
Here is an updated look at the GNAC standings following play on Saturday:
 

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
Central Washington	2-1	.667	8-2	.800	3-0	4-1	1-1	Won 4
Saint Martin's	2-1	.667	9-3	.750	5-1	3-2	1-0	Won 5
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
Western Washington	1-1	.500	8-4	.667	7-1	0-1	1-2	Won 1
Montana State Billings	2-2	.500	6-8	.429	3-5	1-2	2-1	Lost 1
Seattle Pacific	1-2	.333	8-6	.571	4-1	1-3	3-2	Lost 1
Northwest Nazarene	1-2	.333	3-5	.375	2-1	1-3	0-1	Lost 1
Alaska Fairbanks	0-3	.000	3-6	.333	0-0	1-4	2-2	Lost 4
SATURDAY'S GNAC RESULTS
at Western Washington 94, Alaska Fairbanks 92 Saint Martin's 70, at Montana State Billings 68

  The Vikings (8-4) head back out on the road next week with GNAC games at Saint Martin's (Thursday, Jan. 13, 7:30 pm) and Western Oregon (Saturday, Jan. 15, 4:15 pm). Both road games will feature a live webcast and 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.
  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.