SEATTLE, Wash. – For the second consecutive game the Western Washington University men's basketball team found some late-game magic to secure a key Great northwest Athletic Conference road victory.
Junior guard Lucas Holden hit a deep three-pointer from the corner with 2.3 seconds remaining in regulation and senior forward Luke Lovelady stole the SPU in-bounds pass as time expired to give the Vikings a 79-78 win over Seattle Pacific University Saturday evening in Royal Brougham Pavilion. Holden's late-game dramatics followed Thursday's half court buzzer beater by D'Angelo Minnis for an 83-80 overtime victory at Montana State Billings that was the top play on ESPN SportsCenter.
WWU (14-11, 7-8 GNAC) erased an early double-digit deficit to lead 38-36 at half and led by as many as seven points with 8:31 remaining in the game. SPU chipped away at the lead going on a 14-5 run to grab a two-point lead at 78-76 following a layup and free throw by Divant'e Moffitt.
After Moffitt missed his second free throw attempt with 19 seconds remaining, the Vikings raced down the floor looking for the game-winning shot on the final possession. D'Angelo Minnis grabbed a loose ball off his own miss and fired a pass to Holden in the corner near the end of the WWU bench. The left-hander calmly sank the go-ahead three-pointer with 2.3 seconds remaining on the clock.
SPU tried to pull some trickery on the ensuing inbounds play, but a long pass looking for Moffitt was intercepted by Lovelady near half court to secure the one-point victory. WWU is now 12-1 when leading after the half and 7-4 in 11 games this season that have been decided by three-or-fewer points.
Freshman guard Kai Johnson sparked the Vikings with a team-high 16 points on 7-for-8 shooting in 25 minutes off the bench. Four Vikings reached double-figures in scoring with Daniel Hornbuckle (14 points, 5-for-8 FG), Jalen Green (11 points, 4-for-7 FG) and Holden (11 points, 4-for-8 FG) contributing to the balanced team effort. Sophomore guard D'Angelo Minnis led the Vikings with five assists. WWU shot 58.8-percent for the game (30-for-51), the best mark in a GNAC game by the Vikings this season, and went 10-for-18 (55.6%) from three-point range. Western also out-rebounded the Falcons 28-24.
SPU had its senior night spoiled falling to 14-10 on the season and 7-6 in GNAC play. The Falcons were led by a game-high 20 points from Moffitt on 7-for-18 shooting and 18 points by Shaw Anderson on 8-for-11 shooting. The Falcons shot 49.2-percent for the game (29-for-59), were 8-for-19 from beyond the arc and went 12-for-13 from the free throw line.
The Vikings overcame an early 10-point deficit at 17-7 with 13:29 remaining following a 9-0 SPU run. The Vikings answered with a 6-0 spurt and extended the run to 19-9 to pull even at 26-26. Riding a 12-point first half from reserve Kai Johnson, WWU took a 38-36 halftime lead while shooting 55.6% (15-for-27). SPU shot 48.3% (14-for-29) and were 4-for-10 from three-point range. Divant'e Moffitt led all players with 15 first-half points on 6-for-12 shooting.
The Vikings led for most of the second half, building a six-point lead at 60-54 with 13:17 remaining. SPU climbed back into the game going on an 8-0 run to lead 62-60 at the 11:49 mark. WWU answered with an 11-2 run to lead 71-64 with 8:31 remaining. The Falcons gained momentum late in the second half going on a 14-5 run, with Moffitt's off-balance jumper putting SPU up 77-76 with 46-seconds remaining. Daniel Hornbuckle scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half, going 4-for-5 from the field (3-for-4 3FG).
Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and SPU from Saturday's game:
|
COMPARISON
|
WWU
|
SPU
|
|
Points
|
79
|
78
|
|
Field Goal Pct.
|
.588 (29-59)
|
.492 (29-59)
|
|
3 Point FG Pct.
|
.556 (10-18)
|
.421 (8-19)
|
|
Free Throw Pct.
|
.692 (9-13)
|
.929 (12-13)
|
|
Rebounds
|
28
|
24
|
|
Offensive Rebounds
|
6
|
8
|
|
Defensive Rebounds
|
22
|
16
|
|
Assists
|
10
|
9
|
|
Turnovers
|
13
|
8
|
|
Steals
|
5
|
8
|
|
Blocked Shots
|
4
|
1
|
|
Time Led
|
22:58
|
13:37
|
|
Points off Turnovers
|
6
|
13
|
|
Points in the Paint
|
30
|
40
|
|
Bench Points
|
36
|
9
|
|
Fouls
|
15
|
15
|
While the regular-season conference champion and seeding for the GNAC tournament will be decided on a new points system, here is an updated look at the league standings following Saturday's game. View the conference schedule, scores, stats and updated standings at GNACSports.com.
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MEN'S BASKETBALL
|
CONF
|
PCT
|
OVERALL
|
PCT
|
HOME
|
AWAY
|
NEUTRAL
|
STREAK
|
|
1.
|
Saint Martin's
|
10-5
|
.667
|
17-7
|
.708
|
10-2
|
6-5
|
1-0
|
Won 3
|
|
2.
|
Alaska Anchorage
|
8-5
|
.615
|
13-7
|
.650
|
9-1
|
3-6
|
1-0
|
Won 2
|
|
3.
|
Northwest Nazarene
|
7-5
|
.583
|
9-8
|
.529
|
6-1
|
3-6
|
0-1
|
Won 1
|
|
4.
|
Central Washington
|
8-6
|
.571
|
14-7
|
.667
|
7-2
|
6-4
|
1-1
|
Lost 1
|
|
5.
|
Seattle Pacific
|
7-6
|
.538
|
14-10
|
.583
|
9-3
|
2-5
|
3-2
|
Lost 1
|
|
6.
|
Montana State Billings
|
8-7
|
.533
|
12-13
|
.480
|
5-8
|
5-4
|
2-1
|
Lost 2
|
|
7.
|
Western Washington
|
7-8
|
.467
|
14-11
|
.560
|
10-5
|
3-4
|
1-2
|
Won 2
|
|
8.
|
Simon Fraser
|
6-8
|
.429
|
11-11
|
.500
|
6-3
|
4-7
|
1-1
|
Won 1
|
|
9.
|
Western Oregon
|
4-9
|
.308
|
5-16
|
.238
|
2-5
|
3-8
|
0-3
|
Lost 1
|
|
10.
|
Alaska Fairbanks
|
4-10
|
.286
|
7-13
|
.350
|
4-1
|
1-10
|
2-2
|
Lost 3
|
|
THIS WEEK'S GNAC SCHEDULE & RESULTS
|
|
Monday, February 14
Montana State Billings 91, at Western Washington 64
Alaska Anchorage 75, at Simon Fraser 70
Thursday, February 17
Western Washington 83, at Montana State Billings 80 (OT)
Central Washington at Western Oregon (Canceled)
at Seattle Pacific 87, Simon Fraser 79
at Saint Martin's 78, Northwest Nazarene 75
Saturday, February 19
Western Washington 79, at Seattle Pacific78
Northwest Nazarene 72, at Western Oregon 64
at Saint Martin's 70, Central Washington 66
Simon Fraser 75, at Montana State Billings 64
at Alaska Anchorage 95, Alaska Fairbanks 72
|
The Vikings (14-11, 7-8 GNAC) remain on the road traveling to play at Western Oregon on Monday with tip-off at 3 pm on the WOU campus in Monmouth, Oregon. Links to watch a live webcast and follow statistical updates the game vs. the Falcons are available at wwuvikings.com/Live. WWU will complete the regular season next Saturday at Simon Fraser on Burnaby Mountain (7:30 pm).
The 2021-22 WWU Men's Basketball schedule and game results 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 1,528 all-time victories.
