BURNABY, B.C. – The Western Washington University men's basketball team completed a perfect trip North of the border opening the 2022-23 season with a 2-0 record at the GNAC/CCAA Challenge following Saturday's 94-69 victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills.

A night after racing past Cal Poly Humboldt with a 104-95 win in the season opener, the Vikings powered past the Toros leading nearly wire-to-wire for the convincing 25-point victory in West Gym on the Simon Fraser University campus.

The Vikings were led by 21 points on 6-for-12 shooting from senior guard Daniel Hornbuckle (3-for-7 3FG, 6-for-6 FT) and sophomore guard Kai Johnson filled up the stat sheet with 16 points (6-for-11 FG), five assists, five rebounds, one steal and one blocked shot. Junior forward Jonathan Ned added 16 points and six rebounds and forwards Nic Welp (8 rebounds) and BJ Kolly each contributed 12 points. WWU had five players reach double-figures in scoring and nine players that saw action scored points.

Western was 29-for-61 shooting in the non-conference matchup (47.5%) and went 9-for-20 (45.0%) from 3-point range. The Vikings also had a strong night from the charity stripe going 27-for-32 (84.4%). 

Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-1) was led by 16 points from Cameron Berry (7-for-11 FG) and 13 points each by David Cheatom and Andre Ball. The Toros opened the season with a 66-63 win over tournament host Simon Fraser Friday night.

WWU is back on the road next weekend at the PacWest/GNAC Challenge in Azusa, California, taking on Concordia Irvine on Friday (5 pm) and host Azusa Pacific on Saturday (7:30 pm). The complete 2022-23 WWU men's basketball schedule, results, stats and links to follow the team can be found online at wwuvikings.com/MBB.

Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and Cal State Dominguez Hills:

Senior guard Daniel Hornbuckle lit up the scoreboard in the first two games of the season, averaging 21.5 points per game by scoring 22 points in the season opener vs. Cal Poly Humboldt and 21 points in the win over Cal State Dominguez Hills. Hornbuckle combined to shoot 13-for-27 (.481) from the field and went 9-for-16 (.563) from 3-point range. He also added seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals to help lift the Vikings to the 2-0 start to the season.

The Vikings remain on the road next week playing in the PacWest/GNAC Challenge with games against Concordia and host Azusa Pacific in Azusa, California. The complete 2022-23 WWU men's basketball schedule can be viewed online at WWUVikings.com/22-23_MBB.

Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2022-23 season:

WWU improved to 4-2 all-time vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills, rebounding from a 61-60 one-point loss on the Toros home floor in the second game last season.

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2022-23 season following Saturday's 94-69 25-point victory against Cal State Dominguez Hills to wrap up the opening week of the season:

Here is a look at scores from around the GNAC on Saturday and the records of all 10 conference member schools following the opening weekend of the 2022-23 season:

Fans wishing to purchase season tickets for the 2022-23 season can call the WWU Box Office at (360) 650-6103 to reserve their seats for the upcoming season.

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 2012 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 1,528 all-time victories. Head coach Tony Dominguez enters his 10th season and 11th year as the Vikings head coach (28th overall at WWU) and is listed in the top 20 amongst active NCAA Division II head coaches with a .672 winning percentage (184-90).