BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's basketball team opens the new year with a pair of key Great Northwest Athletic Conference games on WECU Court in Carver Gym this week.

 

WWU (9-4, 2-1 GNAC) will be playing only its third and fourth home games of the season hosting Montana State Billings on Thursday and Seattle Pacific on Saturday, with both conference games tipping off at 7 pm.

 

The Vikings are 9-4 overall and off to a 2-1 start in GNAC play after splitting road games last week at Western Oregon (W, 95-93) and Saint Martin's (L, 89-84).

 

Western enters the week as one of the highest scoring teams in the nation, averaging 91.1 points per game to rank sixth in NCAA Division II. The Vikings are also one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country ranking ninth while averaging 11.0 three-pointers per game and in the top 50 in three-point field goal percentage (44th, 38.5%).

 

The Vikings feature a balanced offense with four players averaging double-digits in scoring and seven players scoring at least seven points per game. Senior guard Daniel Hornbuckle leads the team averaging 14.4 points per game, followed closely by junior guard D'Angelo Minnis (14.2), sophomore guard Kai Johnson (12.8) and junior forward Jonathan Ned (12.0). Sophomore forward Nic Welp leads the team averaging 5.8 rebounds per game and redshirt freshman BJ Kolly leads the GNAC and ranks 26th in the nation averaging 1.85 blocked shots per game.

 

After opening the season with 11 of the first 13 games on the road, the Vikings will now play six of their next eight games in Carver Gym. 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 series history between WWU and its opponents this week:

 

• MSU Billings: Split the season series with MSUB last year with each team winning on the road…Vikings pulled off a stunning 83-80 overtime victory in Billings capped by a three-pointer at the buzzer by D'Angelo Minnis that was the top play on SportsCenter that night…MSUB defeated WWU 91-64 in Bellingham…Vikings lead the all-time series 25-10 with a 14-3 record in home games.
• Seattle Pacific: Split the season series in 2021-22 with each team earning a road victory…WWU defeated SPU 79-78 on a late three-pointer by Lucas Holden in Seattle...Falcons defeated the Vikings 78-59 in Carver Gym...SPU leads the all-time series 88-57 with the Falcons winning five of the last seven head-to-head meetings.

 

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

 

 

Here is a look at the national top 10 in NCAA Division II for team scoring leaders for points per game. WWU is No. 6 in the nation averaging 91.1 points per game, passing the 100-point mark in a game three times:

 

 

The Vikings checked in at No. 7 in this week's D2SIDA West Region Media Poll:

 

 

Junior guard D'Angelo Minnis is averaging 14.2 points and 3.4 assists per game this season, while shooting 54.5-percent from the field (66-for-121). He is ranked 4th in the GNAC in three-point field goal percentage at .519, connecting on 28-of-54 long-distance shots. He is also 8th in the conference in scoring and tied for 7th in assists. In 68 career games as a Vikings, Minnis ranks 10th averaging 3.7 assists per game, 5th with a .844 free throw percentage and has made 121 three-pointers (15th-most in program history). Minnis is 135 points short of the 1,000-point mark for his career (865 points/12.7 points/game).

 

Senior guard Daniel Hornbuckle has passed the 1,000-point milestone for his collegiate career, which includes one season at Alaska Fairbanks, one season at Portland Community College and two seasons with the Vikings. Hornbuckle has scored 1066 total points during his collegiate career, with 549 in 39 games in a WWU uniform (14.1 points per game).

 

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2022-23 season heading into this week's games vs. MSUB and SPU:

 

 

Head coach Tony Dominguez is in his 11th season at the helm of the program, and 28th overall at WWU. Dominguez has led the Vikings to a 191-94 record (.670) and was the 2016-17 GNAC Coach of the Year. He is assisted by David Dunham (7th season), Bob Hofstetter (10th season), Atiavo Jude (10th season) and Director of Basketball Operations/Assistant Coach AJ Albritton(2nd 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 1,537 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 .670 winning percentage (191-94).