BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's basketball team entered Sunday's game as one of the highest scoring teams in the nation and added to that total with a fast-paced 119-105 victory over George Fox University in non-conference action on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

The Vikings crossed the 100-point mark for the fourth time this season and increased their season scoring output to 96.0 points per game with the 14-point win over the Bruins. WWU won its fifth consecutive game to improve to 9-3 overall, closing out the non-conference portion of the schedule with an 8-3 mark. WWU takes is 1-0 record in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play into its next game on January 4 hosting Western Oregon University at 7 pm in Carver Gym.

Western was led by a career-high 36 points from junior guard Kai Johnson, who went 10-for-16 from the field and 15-for-17 from the free throw line to tie for the 17th-best single-game scoring performance in program history.

Junior guard Will Wilson added a 28-point, 10-rebound double-double and senior forward Jonathan Ned scored a career-high 25 points. Junior forward Nic Welp contributed his second consecutive double-double with 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds and senior forward Isaac Morrow had 10 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots. 

WWU received all but five of its 119 points from the starting five. The Vikings held a 49-27 advantage in rebounding and had eight blocked shots. Overall Western shot 56.5-percent from the field (39-for-69) and was 9-for-22 from beyond the arc. 

George Fox played the game as an exhibition contest with the result not affecting its overall 7-2 record. The Bruins were coming off a tight contest against Portland State losing by just six points on December 9. GFU had five players score in double figures led by 27 points and eight rebounds by Aiden Price and 25 points from Momo Stokes.

Western went on a 10-3 run to take an 81-68 lead with 13:18 remaining in the game and had a 14-4 run to expand the lead to 21 points at 97-76 with 7:36 remaining. A three-point play by Aiden Price capped an 11-4 run to cut the George Fox deficit to single digits trailing by nine points at 105-96 with 3:12 left in the game. Western responded with a 7-2 spurt with five points from Jonathan Ned to put the game out of reach en route to the 14-point victory. Will Wilson scored 19 of his season-high 28 points in the second half on 6-for-9 shooting and Kai Johnson capped his career-high 36-point effort with 15 points going 9-for-11 from the free throw line.

The Vikings had a six-point lead at the half at 58-52, with the two teams combining to score 110 points in the opening 20 minutes. WWU led 52-32 with 4:15 remaining in the half, but the Bruins closed the half on a 20-6 run to pull to within six points. Kai Johnson scored 21 of his game-high 36 points in the opening half on 7-for-9 shooting. Each team shot over 55-percent in the first half.

The Vikings (9-3, 1-0 GNAC) will take a break for the holidays and returns to the court in 2024 with the final 17 games of GNAC play. WWU opens the new year hosting Western Oregon (Jan. 4) and Saint Martin's (Jan. 6) in 7 pm contests 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.

Junior guard Kai Johnson scored a single-game career-high 36 points on 10-for-16 shooting from the field and was 15-for-17 from the free throw line. The scoring performance is tied for 17th-best in WWU history and the most points by a player from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference this season. Johnson also filled out the stat sheet with six rebounds, six assists, one steal and one blocked shot. 

Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and George Fox:

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

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2023-24 season following Sunday's 119-105 victory over George Fox:

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 1,552 all-time victories.