BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's basketball team completed a 2-0 weekend to open the 2024-25 season defeating Cal Poly Humboldt 78-75 Saturday evening on WECU Court in Carer Gym to wrap up the West Region Crossover.

WWU and Cal Poly Humboldt battled back-and-forth in the second half with eight tie scores and eight lead changes before the Vikings pulled ahead late for the three-point victory. The victory concluded a perfect weekend to open the season following a 91-89 buzzer-beater victory over No. 12 Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday.

The Vikings held a 43-35 halftime lead bolstered by an 18-6 run to end the half. The Lumberjacks battled back to going on a 14-3 run to take the lead at 51-50 starting the back-and-forth trend of the half. WWU trailed 73-71 with 3:30 remaining when a Trevor White dunk jump-started a 6-0 run that would give the Vikings lead for good.

Redshirt freshman guard Grant Kepley led all players with 20 points in 39 minutes of action, shooting 6-for-11 from the field and 6-for-7 from the free throw line. Senior guard Will Wilson added 17 points, five rebounds and a career-high eight assists and White scored 15 points on 7-for-11 shooting.

Western dished out 22 assists, led by the eight from Wilson, six from Kepley and four from junior Garrett Levesque. The Vikings shot 50.9-percent from the field (28-for-55) and were 7-for-19 (.368) from beyond the arc.

The Lumberjacks (1-1) were led by 17 points from Rob Diaz, 16 points by Kyle Frelow and 10 points each from Josiah Sanders and Aidan Fowler. 

The Vikings (2-0) travel to play in the West Region Challenge in Azusa, California next week with games against Cal State San Marcos (Friday, 5:15 pm) and tournament host Azusa Pacific (Saturday, 7:30 pm). The complete season schedule, complete with links on how to watch the games, can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/MBB.

Redshirt freshman Grant Kepley scored 20 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the field and was 6-for-7 from the free throw line to earn the WECU Player of the Game. Kepley played 39 of the 40 minutes in the contest and had six assists, two steals and two rebounds in the 78-75 victory.

Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and Cal Poly Humboldt:

The Vikings have won three consecutive games vs. Cal Poly Humboldt and six of the last seven dating back to the 2006 season. WWU leads the all-time series 14-11. A former conference rival of the Vikings, WWU and Humboldt played every season from 1998-99 through 2004-06.

Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2024-25 season:

Fans wishing to purchase season tickets for the 2024-25 season purchase their season tickets online via WWUVikings.com/Tickets or call the WWU Box Office at (360) 650-6146 to catch all the action during the season in Carver Gym.

One of the premier basketball programs in NCAA Division II, WWU has recorded a 20-win season in eight of the last 13 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 six years (and seven of 11) and won the 2020 GNAC Championships Tournament. WWU is amongst the top 15 winningest Division II programs with its 1,562 all-time victories.