FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Western Washington University men's basketball team fell just short of an Alaskan sweep, dropping a 75-73 conference game against Alaska Fairbanks Saturday night in the Patty Center.

WWU dropped to 10-7 overall and is in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with a 3-4 record.

The Vikings held a one-point 36-35 lead at the half after overcoming an 11-2 deficit to open the game. UAF pulled away from a one-point game (50-49) going on a 15-5 run to take an 11-point lead at 65-54 with 7:19 remaining. WWU answered with a 12-3 run to cut the deficit to two points at 68-66 with just under three minutes left in the game, but couldn't hold off the Nanooks down the stretch in the two-point defeat.

WWU sophomore guard Kai Johnson led all players with 18 points on 6-for-13 shooting, also recording five steals four rebounds and three steals. Redshirt freshman forward BJ Kolly neared his first career double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds, and recorded a game-high five blocked shots. Junior point guard D'Angelo Minnis added 14 points and three assists. Junior forward/guard Darius Gary capped a solid trip to Alaska with 10 points on 3-for-4 shooting from three-point range.

UAF featured five players scoring in double digits, led by 13 points from Tyler Mrus and 12 each by Abdullahi Mohamed and Jordan Kanoe. The Nanooks out-rebounded the Vikings 47-30 and had a higher shooting percentage (.484 - .385) than WWU.

The Vikings (10-7, 3-4 GNAC) return home for a season-high four-game homestand beginning with a Thursday, January 19 game vs. rival Central Washington (7 pm). The complete 2022-23 WWU men's basketball schedule with links to live coverage can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/MBB.

The Vikings put aside a slow start after trailing 11-2 early, using a 15-4 run to grab a 17-15 lead midway through the half. The two teams fought through four ties before D'Angelo Minnis scored five consecutive points on a three-pointer and breakaway layup to help give the Vikings 36-35 lead at the break. Minnis led all players with 10 points (4-for-9 FG, 2-for-3 3FG) and BJ Kolly added six points, four rebounds and four blocked shots.

Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and Alaska Fairbanks:

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

WWU continues to lead the all-time series 37-17 and is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings. The Vikings have won three of the last five games in Fairbanks and are 15-11 all-time in the Patty Center following Saturday's two-point loss.

Senior Daniel Hornbuckle returned to his hometown of Fairbanks for Saturday's game in Alaska Airlines Gym against UAF. Hornbuckle scored five points on 2-for-10 shooting in 21 minutes of action. Hornbuckle was a standout at West Valley High School scoring over 2,000 points during his prep career and was Alaska's 4A top scoring player his junior and senior seasons. He began his collegiate career at UAF appearing in 12 games in 2016-17, but transferred to Portland Community College before landing at WWU.

Fans will get the chance to celebrate the 2012 National Championship season on Saturday, January 28 when the Vikings host Western Oregon. Several members of the national championship team will be back in Carver Gym. Mark your calendars to be part of this special event on January 28 and sign up at the link on Alumni.wwu.edu!

Here is an updated look at the GNAC standings, complete with Saturday's results from around the conference:

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2022-23 season following the two-point loss at UAF:

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 1,538 all-time victories. Head coach Tony Dominguez is in 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 .664 winning percentage (192-97).