BILLINGS, Mont. – The Western Washington University men's basketball team lost a hard-fought game 80-75 Saturday against GNAC leaders Montana State University Billings.

 

WWU erased a 16-point second-half deficit to tie the game 70-70, but fell short of completing the comeback to drop to 12-11 on the season and 5-8 in GNAC play, finishing the short road trip 1-1 after picking up a win in Seattle against SPU on Thursday. Each of the Vikings last five losses have been by five-or-fewer points.

 

MSUB improved to 17-5 on the season and remained in first place in the conference standings at 11-1 in GNAC play.

 

The Vikings trailed 40-29 at the break, but got hot in the second half, at one point going on a 12-for-13 shooting run including 6-of-7 from three-point range. A Daniel Hornbuckle 3-pointer brought the deficit to just three with 6:10 remaining, and D'Angelo Minnis drilled his fourth 3-pointer of the half to tie it up at 70-70 with just under four minutes remaining.

 

It was a hard-fought battle from there, but a Bilal Shabazz layup and a pair of free throws from Abdul Bah gave the Yellowjackets a small lead in the final minute that they would not relinquish, going on to claim the five-point victory.

 

The Yellowjackets were led by a couple of season highs from seniors Carrington Wiggins and Abdul Bah. Wiggins scored 29 on 11-for-17 shooting, including 5-for-8 from beyond the arc. Bah put up 24 on 7-for-15 shooting and 4-for-7 from three-point range

 

Minnis led the Vikings offense for the second consecutive game, finishing with a team-leading 20 points after putting up 21 against SPU on Thursday. Minnis shot 8-for-15 from the field and 4-for-8 from three-point range. Senior Daniel Hornbuckle put up 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting and 4-for-8 from long distance. Minnis is now at 998 career points as a Viking and will look to become the 27th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone on Thursday in Carver Gym when the Vikings host Alaska Fairbanks.

 

WWU went 45.8% (27-for-59) from the field and 37.5% (12-for-32) from three-point range. MSUB shot similarly from the field, but was fueled by a 46.2% clip (12-for-26) on the night on three-point attempts. WWU also recorded five blocked shots and won the rebounding battle 37-35. 

 

The Vikings return home next week to take on the Alaska schools, with the game against Alaska Fairbanks scheduled to tip-off Thursday (Feb. 9) at 7:00 pm in Carver Gym.

 

The Vikings (12-11, 5-8 GNAC) return home next week hosting the Alaska schools on WECU Court in Carver Gym, with UAF coming to Bellingham Thursday and UAA on Saturday (both 7 pm tip-off). The complete 2022-23 WWU men's basketball schedule – complete with links on how to purchase tickets for home games and links to follow the team on the road – can be viewed online at WWUVikings.com/22-23_MBB.

 

Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and MSU Billings:

 

 

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

 

 

MSUB swept the regular-season series over WWU, also winning by a four-point margin 80-76 on January 5 in Carver Gym. The Vikings lead the all-time series 25-12 with an updated 10-7 record in Alterowitz Gym.

 

Here is an updated look at the GNAC standings, complete with Saturday's results:

 

 

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2022-23 season following the five-point loss at MSUB:

 

 

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 1,540 all-time victories. Head coach Tony Dominguez is in his 10th season and 11th year as the Vikings head coach (28th overall at WWU).

 

Read Full Article