SEATTLE, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's basketball team nearly erased a 16-point deficit, but fell just short in a 92-86 loss to Concordia University Irvine Friday evening in the opening game of the GNAC/PacWest Challenge in Royal Brougham Pavilion.

After opening the early season schedule 4-1, the Vikings dropped their second consecutive game to fall to 4-3, with all three losses coming to PacWest member programs. WWU trailed by as many as 16 points in the contest and were behind 39-28 at halftime.

Western cut into the deficit in the second half going on a 7-2 run to trail by five points 78-73 with 3:22 remaining. CUI would hold off the Viking comeback attempt down the stretch for the six-point victory.

Junior guard Kai Johnson scored a team-high 23 points on 9-for-14 shooting, despite being limited to 27 minutes due to early foul trouble. Johnson has led the Vikings in scoring in five of seven games and is averaging 21.1 points per game. 

Senior forward Jonathan Ned (17 points), junior guard Will Wilson (13 points) and sophomores BJ Kolly (11 points) and Tijan Saine (11 points) also reached double figures in scoring for the Vikings. Ned and Kolly tied for the team lead with five rebounds each. Redshirt freshman Jordan Tate scored his first collegiate points going 3-for-4 from the field for six points in 19 minutes.

CUI (2-1) was led by a game-high-tying 23 points by Connor Gleason (8-for-9 FG, 3-for-3 3FG) and 19 points by Jackson Tucker (5-for-9 FG, 2-for-4 3FG, 7-for-11 FT). The Golden Eagles shot 56.6-percent from the field (30-for-53), were 8-for-14 from beyond the arc (.571) and 24-for-28 (.857) from the free throw line.

The Vikings (4-3) complete play in the GNAC/PacWest Challenge Saturday facing Azusa Pacific with tip-off scheduled for 5 pm in Royal Brougham Pavilion. 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 CUI:

Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2023-24 season:

WWU dropped its first game vs. CUI in four all-time meetings. The Vikings defeated the Golden Eagles 92-78 last season in Azusa, California.

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2023-24 season following Friday's game vs. CUI at the GNAC/PacWest Challenge with games played on the Seattle Pacific University campus inside Royal Brougham Pavilion:

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.