BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University redshirt freshman BJ Kolly scored a career-high 24 points but a strong shooting by Seattle Pacific University was too much to overcome in a 90-73 loss Saturday evening in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.

The Vikings and Falcons were tangled in an early battle in front of 1,345 fans on WECU Court in Carver Gym, with five lead changes in the first half before SPU went on a lengthy scoring run. The Falcons used a 25-9 run over the final seven minutes of the first half to help pull away in the 17-point victory.

WWU dropped its third straight game and fifth in the last seven contests to fall to 9-6 on the season and 2-3 in GNAC play. SPU won its fourth consecutive game to improve to 10-5 overall and 5-1 in conference play.

BJ Kolly finished with a career-high 24 points before fouling out with just over six minutes remaining in the game. After playing only three minutes in the first half after drawing two quick personal fouls, Kolly erupted for 22 points in the second half on 10-for-13 shooting. Kolly's previous career-high was 21 points in the season opener vs. Cal Poly Humboldt.

Sophomore forward Nic Welp added 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting and guards D'Angelo Minnis and Daniel Hornbuckle each contributed 10 points. The Vikings were held to 42.9-percent shooting in the game (30-for-70) and were just 5-for-25 from three-point range.

After trailing as many as 22 points in the second half, the Vikings went on a 13-2 run to pull to within 11 points at 75-64 with 4:20 remaining. But the Falcons had an answer going on 9-0 run to clinch the victory.

SPU junior forward Shaw Anderson led all players with 28 points on 12-for-14 shooting and Kelton Samore added 19 points and five rebounds for the Falcons. Trace Evans (13 points), Casson Rouse (12 points) and Maui Sze (10 points) also scored in double-digits. The Falcons shot 59.7-percent in the game (37-for-62) for their second-best team shooting performance of the season and hit 7-of-16 shots from beyond the arc. The Falcons also held a 41-28 advantage in rebounding.

The Vikings (9-6, 2-3 GNAC) return to the road next week with a pair of GNAC games in Alaska, traveling to play Alaska Anchorage on Thursday (1/12) and Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday (1/14). Both games will tip-off at 5:15 pm Alaska time, which is 6:15 pm in Bellingham. The complete 2022-23 WWU men's basketball schedule with links to live coverage can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/MBB.

WWU controlled the first 10 minutes of the half, leading by as many as six points, but SPU went on a 25-9 run over the final seven minutes of the half to take a 45-30 lead at the break. The Vikings were limited to shooting 37.5-percent (12-for-32), while the Falcons were at 58.1-percent (18-for-31). Nic Welp led the Vikings with eight points on 3-for-9 shooting, and Kai Johnson and Daniel Hornbuckle each contributed five points. Shaw Anderson led SPU with 18 points on 8-for-9 shooting in the first 20 minutes of action.

Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and Seattle Pacific:

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

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 90-73 loss to Seattle Pacific:

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 .666 winning percentage (191-96).