ARCATA, Calif. – The Western Washington University men's basketball team put on a shooting display Saturday night to continue its solid start to the 2023-24 season with a 95-69 road victory over Cal Poly Humboldt to complete the West Region Crossover Classic inside Lumberjack Arena.
WWU shot 62.3-percent from the floor connecting on 33-of-53 shots and sinking 14-for-25 from three-point range.
The Vikings improved to 4-1 on the young season, averaging 87.6 points per game while holding opponents to 77.0 points per game.
Junior guard Kai Johnson led five Vikings scoring in double-digits with a career-high 27 points on 10-for-13 shooting, also dishing out seven assists in 36 minutes of action. In two games at the West Region Crossover Johnson scored 49 points with 10 rebounds, nine assists, one block and three steals. Through the first five games of the season he is averaging 20.4 points per game.
Sophomore forward BJ Kolly and junior guard Will Wilson each contributed 16 points, with Wilson going 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. Redshirt freshman guard Tijan Saine added 12 points (4-for-5 3FG) and senior forward Jonathan Ned scored 11 points with five steals. Junior forward Nic Welp led the Vikings with six rebounds and scored nine points.
WWU led from wire-to-wire for the second consecutive games, leading by as many as 19 points in the first half before the Lumberjacks made a late run to cut the halftime deficit to six points at 43-37. Humboldt pulled to within two points at 44-42 early in the second half, before WWU answered with a 14-5 run to grow the lead back to double-digits. The Vikings out-scored the Lumberjacks 52-32 in the second half to register the 26-point victory.
Jordahn Johnson led Cal Poly Humboldt (0-2) with 20 points on 9-for-11 shooting and added seven rebounds.
The Vikings (4-1) make their home debut Tuesday (Nov. 14) hosting Hawai'i Pacific University with tip-off scheduled for 7 pm on WECU Court in Carver Gym. The complete season schedule, complete with links on how to watch the games, can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/MBB.
Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and Cal Poly Humboldt:
|
COMPARISON
|
WWU
|
CPH
|
|
Points
|
95
|
69
|
|
Field Goal Pct.
|
.623 (33-53)
|
.467 (28-60)
|
|
3 Point FG Pct.
|
.560 (14-25)
|
.353 (6-17)
|
|
Free Throw Pct.
|
.750 (15-20)
|
.875 (7-8)
|
|
Rebounds
|
27
|
24
|
|
Offensive Rebounds
|
7
|
9
|
|
Assists
|
17
|
12
|
|
Turnovers
|
18
|
17
|
|
Steals
|
8
|
7
|
|
Blocked Shots
|
3
|
2
|
|
Time Led
|
39:40
|
0:00
|
|
Points off Turnovers
|
24
|
19
|
|
Points in the Paint
|
38
|
34
|
|
Bench Points
|
16
|
31
|
|
Fouls
|
8
|
17
|
|
Biggest Lead
|
30
|
0
|
|
Lead Changes: 0 Times Tied: 0
|
Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2023-24 season:
|
RECORD BREAKDOWN
|
|
Overall
|
4-1
|
|
GNAC
|
0-0
|
|
Non-Conference
|
4-1
|
|
Streak
|
W2
|
|
Home
|
0-0
|
|
Away
|
1-0
|
|
Neutral
|
3-1
|
|
vs. Ranked Teams
|
0-0
|
|
Leading at Half
|
4-0
|
|
Trailing at Half
|
0-1
|
|
Tied at Half
|
0-0
|
|
Overtime
|
0-0
|
|
BY UNIFORM
|
|
White
|
3-0
|
|
Black
|
0-0
|
|
Navy
|
1-1
|
|
Light Blue
|
0-0
|
One of the premier basketball programs in NCAA Division II, WWU has recorded a 20-win season in eight of the last 12 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 five years (and seven of 10) and won the 2020 GNAC Championships Tournament. WWU is amongst the top 15 winningest Division II programs with its 1,547 all-time victories.
