BURNABY, BC – The Western Washington University men's basketball has had a flare for the dramatic lately, but another chance at a buzzer-beater victory eluded the Vikings Saturday evening in a 78-76 loss against Simon Fraser University in West Gym.
The Vikings had a chance for the game-winner, but a three-pointer attempt by Lucas Holden was just off the mark as time expired to give SFU the two-point win and the season sweep over the Vikings. WWU has had 12 of 27 games decided by three-or-fewer points, going 7-5 in those games.
Playing without two starters, the Vikings concluded a tough four-game stretch of road games to end the regular season, playing games in Montana, Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. WWU heads into the GNAC Championships with a 14-13 overall record and 7-10 mark in GNAC play. WWU will soon find out its seed and opponent in the conference championships.
SFU evened its season mark at 12-12 overall and 7-9 in GNAC play while finishing the home portion of the schedule at 7-3 on Burnaby Mountain.
The game featured seven lead changes, five tie scores and a halftime tie 36-36. WWU led by five points at 68-63 with 6:52 remaining, but SFU went on a 15-6 run to swing the momentum back their way in the final six minutes.
Sophomore guard D'Angelo Minnis led all players with 28 points on 11-for-20 shooting, going 4-for-8 from beyond the arc and also contributing five rebounds, five assists and two steals. Senior forward Dakota Ayala added 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting and Holden contributed 13 points hitting a trio of three-pointers.
Senior guard Wilfried Balata scored a team-high 18 points on 6-for-16 shooting and was 5-for-10 from three-point range. Balata made three consecutive three-pointers over a one-minute stretch early in the second half. David Penny added 16 points while going 8-for-8 from the free throw line and Josiah Mastandrea had 12 points on 4-for-9 shooting from beyond the arc.
Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and SFU from Saturday's game:
|
STATISTIC
|
WWU
|
SFU
|
|
Points
|
76
|
78
|
|
Field Goal Pct.
|
.443 (27-61)
|
.433 (26-60)
|
|
3 Point FG Pct.
|
.409 (9-22)
|
.433 (13-30)
|
|
Free Throw Pct.
|
.813 (13-16)
|
.650 (13-20)
|
|
Rebounds
|
32
|
37
|
|
Offensive Rebounds
|
9
|
13
|
|
Defensive Rebounds
|
23
|
24
|
|
Assists
|
12
|
15
|
|
Turnovers
|
10
|
10
|
|
Steals
|
7
|
5
|
|
Blocked Shots
|
0
|
5
|
|
Time Led
|
11:34
|
22:07
|
|
Points off Turnovers
|
12
|
10
|
|
Points in the Paint
|
26
|
24
|
|
Bench Points
|
7
|
26
|
|
Fouls
|
16
|
15
|
While the regular-season conference champion and seeding for the GNAC tournament will be decided on a new points system, here are the final traditional standings for the 2021-22 regular season. View the conference schedule, scores, stats and updated standings at GNACSports.com.
|
MEN'S BASKETBALL
|
CONF
|
PCT
|
OVERALL
|
PCT
|
HOME
|
AWAY
|
NEUTRAL
|
STREAK
|
|
1.
|
Northwest Nazarene
|
10-5
|
.667
|
12-8
|
.600
|
9-1
|
3-6
|
0-1
|
Won 1
|
|
2.
|
Saint Martin's
|
11-6
|
.647
|
18-8
|
.692
|
10-2
|
7-6
|
1-0
|
Lost 1
|
|
3.
|
Alaska Anchorage
|
9-6
|
.600
|
14-8
|
.636
|
10-1
|
3-7
|
1-0
|
Won 1
|
|
4.
|
Central Washington
|
9-7
|
.563
|
15-8
|
.652
|
8-3
|
6-4
|
1-1
|
Won 1
|
|
5.
|
Montana State Billings
|
9-8
|
.529
|
13-14
|
.481
|
5-8
|
6-5
|
2-1
|
Lost 1
|
|
6.
|
Seattle Pacific
|
7-8
|
.467
|
14-12
|
.538
|
9-3
|
2-7
|
3-2
|
Lost 3
|
|
7.
|
Simon Fraser
|
7-9
|
.438
|
12-12
|
.500
|
7-3
|
4-8
|
1-1
|
Won 1
|
|
8.
|
Western Washington
|
7-10
|
.412
|
14-13
|
.519
|
10-5
|
3-6
|
1-2
|
Lost 2
|
|
9.
|
Western Oregon
|
6-10
|
.375
|
7-17
|
.292
|
3-5
|
4-9
|
0-3
|
Lost 1
|
|
10.
|
Alaska Fairbanks
|
5-11
|
.313
|
8-14
|
.364
|
5-2
|
1-10
|
2-2
|
Won 1
|
|
THIS WEEK'S GNAC SCHEDULE & RESULTS
|
|
Monday, February 21
at Western Oregon 89, Western Washington 65
Seattle Pacific at Alaska Fairbanks (Canceled)
Tuesday, February 22
at Northwest Nazarene 85, Simon Fraser 64
Thursday, February 24
Western Oregon 85, at Alaska Anchorage 78
Montana State Billings 90, at Central Washington 77
Saint Martin's 74, at Alaska Fairbanks 59
at Northwest Nazarene 90, Seattle Pacific 57
Saturday, February 26
at Simon Fraser 78, Western Washington 76
at Alaska Fairbanks 89, Western Oregon 83
at Central Washington 91, Seattle Pacific 75
at Alaska Anchorage 85, Saint Martin's 76
at Northwest Nazarene 76, Montana State Billings 41
|
The Vikings (14-13, 7-10 GNAC) turns their attention to the postseason with the GNAC Championships being played March 2-5 in Lacey and Seattle. Visit GNACSports.com for the tournament bracket, game times and live coverage of the conference championships.
