BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's basketball team returned to the win column with a 92-83 victory Thursday evening in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

The Vikings snapped a mini three-game losing streak with the nine-point victory over the Seawolves to improve to 11-6 overall and evened their GNAC record at 3-3 to move into a three-way tie for third place in the standings.

Western surged ahead late in the first half going on a 19-5 run to grab a 42-35 halftime lead. Trailing by seven points at 30-23 with five minutes remaining in the half, the Vikings scored eight consecutive points and went on an extended 16-2 run to take a lead they would never relinquish.

UAA got to within seven points twice in the second half, but the Vikings held off any comeback attempt to record the nine-point victory.

GNAC leading scorer Kai Johnson led all player with 29 points on 9-for-15 shooting from the field and added a 7-for-10 performance from the free throw line to record his conference-leading 11th 20-point performance of the season. Johnson added seven rebounds and four assists. 

Senior forward Jonathan Ned was two points off his season and career high with 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting and redshirt freshman guard Louis Grante-Halliday had a perfect shooting night going 4-for-4 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free throw line while scoring 15 points. Junior guard Will Wilson added 12 points and junior Nic Welp led the team with eight rebounds.

The Vikings had one of its top shooting performances of the season going 31-for-54 from the field (57.4%) and were 10-for-20 from three-point range. WWU also held a 31-27 advantage in rebounding. The game featured the top offense in the GNAC (WWU) against the top defense (UAA), with the Vikings winning the battle. UAA entered the game ranked No. 2 nationally in scoring defense (60.5 ppg) and No. 1 in three-point defense (.259), with the Vikings blowing past those season marks of the Seawolves. WWU passed the 90-point mark for the ninth time this season and is averaging 93.5 points per game (top 5 in NCAA II).

UAA (13-4, 3-3 GNAC) had its four-game winning streak snapped after taking the court for the first time after earning the GNAC Team of the Week honor. Tyson Gilbert led the Seawolves with 25 points on 9-for-18 shooting and Jaron Williams contributed 14 points. UAA shot 47.7-percent from the field (31-for-65), but was limited to 8-for-30 shooting from beyond the arc (26.7%).
 

The Vikings (11-6, 3-3 GNAC) remain at home hosting Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday (Jan. 20) with tip-off on WECU Court in Carver Gym at 7 pm. 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 game-high 29 points on 9-for-15 shooting from the field and added 7-for-10 from the free throw line to earn the WECU Player of the Game. The GNAC's leading scorer recorded his conference-leading 11th game with 20-or-more points this season and extended his streak of scoring in double digits in all 17 games. Johnson added seven rebounds and four assists to complete his great game.

Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and Alaska Anchorage:

WWU improved to 28-19 all-time vs. Alaska Anchorage with a 14-9 record in games played in Bellingham. The Vikings have won seven of the last nine and nine of the last 12 in the series over the Seawolves. Two teams split the season series in 2022-23 with each team winning on the road.
 

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

Here is an updated look at the 2023-24 GNAC Men's Basketball standings following play on Thursday. Updated standings and conference statistics can be viewed online at GNACSports.com.

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2023-24 season following the nine-point win over UAA:

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 1,554 all-time victories.