BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's basketball team had its six-game winning streak snapped in a high-scoring 112-105 defeat against No. 5 nationally-ranked Saint Martin's University Saturday evening on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

 

WWU had a 49-48 halftime lead, but for the first time this season dropped a game after leading at the break with the Saints out-scoring the Vikings 64-56 in the second half. 

 

The Vikings six-game winning streak was snapped to fall to 10-4 on the season and 2-1 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. Saint Martin's won its fifth consecutive meeting against WWU to improve to 13-1 on the season and 3-1 in conference play.

 

Junior guard Kai Johnson led the Vikings with 31 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field and was nearly perfect from the free throw line going 14-for-15. The GNAC's leading scorer added seven assists and one steal.

 

Senior forward Jonathan Ned contributed 16 points (5-for-11 FG), junior forward Nic Welp had 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting and sophomore forward BJ Kolly was 6-for-9 from the field for 13 points and also had six rebounds.

 

Western shot 55.2-percent from the field (37-for-67) was out-rebounded 45-26, including a 22-6 advantage for Saint Martin's in offensive boards.

 

The Saints also received 31 points from Kyle Greeley on 9-for-14 shooting and 10-for-12 from the free throw line. Kaden Hansen added 22 points on 6-for-12 shooting and was 4-for-9 from long distance. Saint Martin's connected on 12-of-27 three-point attempts (.444) and was 28-for-38 from the free throw line.

 

Saint Martin's used a 10-2 run over a two-minute stretch early in the second half to gain a 61-56 lead over the Vikings at the 16:27 mark and led the remainder of the game for the 112-105 victory. The Vikings had a 9-2 run to pull to within one point at 73-72 with 12:23 remaining, but could not close the gap in the seven-point loss to the nationally-ranked Saints. Kyle Greeley scored 26 of his team-high 31 points in the second half as the Saints out-scored the Vikings 64-56 over the final 20 minutes. 

 

A back-and-forth, high-scoring first half featured nine lead changes and five tie scores, with the Vikings taking a 49-48 lead into the break. WWU had a slow start missing its first six shots, but battled the Saints to remain close and pulled ahead with a six-point lead at 31-25 at the 7:29 mark going on an 11-0 run. SMU answered with a 17-5 run to grow its lead to six points at 42-36 with 3:21 remaining. Western finished the half on a 13-6 run to grab the one-point halftime lead with Louis Grante-Halliday scoring the Vikings final five points on a three-pointer and driving layup. Kai Johnson led the Vikings with 14 points on 4-for-6 shooting and 6-for-6 from the free throw line and BJ Kolly had 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting. Kaden Hansen led the Saints with 14 points on 3-for-6 shooting with a pair of three-pointers. 

 

WWU reached the 100-point mark for the fifth time this season and remains one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation averaging 95.6 points per game.

 

With the six-game homestand wrapped up, the Vikings (10-4, 2-1 GNAC) return to the road next week in conference play traveling to face Montana State Billings on Thursday (5:15 pm MT) and Seattle Pacific on Saturday (4:15 pm). The complete season schedule, complete with links on how to watch the games, can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/MBB.

 

Saint Martin's won its fifth consecutive game over Western Washington…WWU leads the all-time series 136-69.

 

Junior guard Kai Johnson recorded his second 30-point game of the season with a game-high-tying 31 points on 8-for-13 shooting. Johnson was also 14-for-15 from the free throw line and dished out seven assists. He continues to lead the GNAC in scoring averaging 21.7 points per game and has nine games with 20 or more points to rank second in the conference.

Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and Saint Martin's:

 

 

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 Saturday's games:

 

 

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2023-24 season following the 112-105 loss to No. 5 Saint Martin's:

 

 

Parking for all WWU home events in Carver Gym is free and now located in the 19G Lot by the Student Recreation Center. Season ticket parking will be in the 9G lot. A parking map is available at wwuvikings.com.

 

All home games during the 2023-24 season will feature a live (and free) webcast on YouTube via Vikings TV and live statistical updates at wwuvikings.com/MBB_Stats. 

 

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 1,553 all-time victories.