BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Led by a pair of double-doubles from guards Grant Kepley and Will Wilson, the Western Washington University men's basketball team recorded a 92-56 victory over Langara College Sunday afternoon in non-conference play on WECU Court in Carver Gym.
Kepley turned in a 15-point, 12-assist double-double while Wilson tallied a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double to fuel the Vikings 36-point victory to improve to 7-3 overall and 5-1 in Carver Gym.
The Vikings combined to shoot 55.9-percent for the game, connecting on 38-for-68 from the field. WWU had five total players reaching double-figures in scoring including 13 points from Dajon Lott, 12 points by Trevor White and 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting from Jordan Tate.
Kepley's 12-assist performance marks the most by a Viking since Ricardo Maxwell also had 12 against Thompson Rivers in 2014. Wilson was 5-for-11 shooting and dished out three assists while continuing to lead the Vikings in scoring on the season averaging 16.9 points per game.
Wilson, a senior that spent one season at Mt. Hood Community College, matched up against a pair of former teammates Cameron Vaughn (10 points) and Patrick Robinson (9 points) who were the Falcons leading scorers.
Sophomore guard Louis Grante-Halliday added nine points, five rebounds and three steals for the Vikings, who held a decisive 47-24 edge in rebounding over Langara.
Gallery: (12-15-2024) MBB | WWU 92, Langara 56
The Vikings (7-3, 0-2 GNAC) close out the 2024 calendar year with a pair of games in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic. WWU will take on Lubbock Christian on Thursday (Dec. 19) at 6 pm and St. Mary's (TX) on Friday (Dec. 20), with both games at the South Point Arena in Las Vegas. The Vikings return to GNAC play January 2-4 hosting the Alaska schools 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.
Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and Langara:
COMPARISON
|
WWU
|
LAN
|
Points
|
92
|
56
|
Field Goal Pct.
|
.559 (38-68)
|
.339 (19-56)
|
3 Point FG Pct.
|
.364 (8-22)
|
.417 (10-24)
|
Free Throw Pct.
|
.727 (8-11)
|
.571 (8-14)
|
Rebounds
|
47
|
24
|
Offensive Rebounds
|
12
|
5
|
Assists
|
20
|
13
|
Turnovers
|
16
|
19
|
Steals
|
12
|
12
|
Blocked Shots
|
3
|
3
|
Time Led
|
37:08
|
00:56
|
Points off Turnovers
|
24
|
10
|
Points in the Paint
|
58
|
16
|
Bench Points
|
34
|
22
|
Fouls
|
11
|
12
|
Biggest Lead
|
38
|
3
|
Lead Changes: 5 Times Tied: 3
|
Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2024-25 season:
RECORD BREAKDOWN
|
Overall
|
7-3
|
GNAC
|
0-2
|
Non-Conference
|
7-1
|
Streak
|
W1
|
Home
|
5-1
|
Away
|
1-2
|
Neutral
|
1-0
|
vs. Ranked Teams
|
1-0
|
Leading at Half
|
6-3
|
Trailing at Half
|
0-0
|
Tied at Half
|
1-0
|
Overtime
|
0-0
|
BY UNIFORM
|
White
|
5-1
|
Black
|
0-0
|
Navy
|
2-2
|
Light Blue
|
0-0
|
Here is a look at the 2024-25 GNAC Men's Basketball standings and overall records following this weekend's GNAC contests. Updated standings and conference statistics can be viewed online at GNACSports.com. The top six teams in the conference standings at the end of the regular season will qualify for the GNAC Championships held March 6-8 in Lacey:
MEN'S BASKETBALL
|
CONF
|
PCT
|
OVERALL
|
PCT
|
HOME
|
AWAY
|
NEUTRAL
|
STREAK
|
L10
|
Northwest Nazarene
|
2-0
|
1.000
|
7-1
|
.875
|
7-1
|
0-0
|
0-0
|
W4
|
7-1
|
Saint Martin's
|
2-0
|
1.000
|
11-2
|
.846
|
4-1
|
4-1
|
3-0
|
W3
|
8-2
|
Central Washington
|
2-0
|
1.000
|
7-3
|
.700
|
4-2
|
1-0
|
2-1
|
W4
|
7-3
|
Montana State Billings
|
1-0
|
1.000
|
9-3
|
.750
|
5-2
|
4-1
|
0-0
|
L1
|
8-2
|
Alaska Fairbanks
|
1-1
|
.500
|
5-4
|
.556
|
5-1
|
0-3
|
0-0
|
L1
|
5-4
|
Alaska Anchorage
|
1-1
|
.500
|
6-7
|
.462
|
6-2
|
0-2
|
0-3
|
W1
|
4-6
|
Western Washington
|
0-2
|
.000
|
7-3
|
.700
|
5-1
|
1-2
|
1-0
|
W1
|
7-3
|
Simon Fraser
|
0-2
|
.000
|
4-8
|
.333
|
3-3
|
1-3
|
0-2
|
L3
|
4-6
|
Seattle Pacific
|
0-1
|
.000
|
2-8
|
.200
|
1-5
|
0-2
|
1-1
|
L4
|
2-8
|
Western Oregon
|
0-2
|
.000
|
2-9
|
.182
|
1-0
|
0-4
|
1-5
|
L2
|
2-8
|
This Week's GNAC Schedule & Results
|
Saturday, December 14:
at Minot State 92, Montana State Billings 66
at Central Washington 111, Evergreen State College 79
Cal State East Bay 71, at Seattle Pacific 65
at Northwest Nazarene 64, NW Missouri State 58
Sunday, December 15:
at Western Washington 92, Langara College 56
Monday, December 16:
Northwest Missouri State at Central Washington, 7 pm
Cal State East Bay at Saint Martin's, 7 pm
Tuesday, December 17:
Lincoln at Saint Martin's, 7 pm
Linfield at Western Oregon, 7 pm
Northwest Nazarene at Cal State LA, 7 pm
|
Here is a game-by-game look at the 2024-25 season following Sunday's 92-56 victory over Langara:
Record: 7-3 GNAC: 0-2 Home: 5-1 Away: 1-2 Neutral: 1-0 Non-Conference: 7-1
|
Date
|
Opponent
|
|
Score
|
Top Scorer
|
Top Rebounder
|
West Region Crossover (Bellingham, WA
|
11/8
|
Cal State Dominguez Hills (#12)
|
W
|
91-89 OT
|
Wilson (23)
|
Kepley/Wilson (6)
|
11/9
|
Cal Poly Humboldt
|
W
|
78-75
|
Kepley (20)
|
Levesque/Grante-Halliday (7)
|
West Region Challenge (Azusa, CA)
|
11/15
|
vs. Cal State San Marcos
|
W
|
76-61
|
Grante-Halliday (17)
|
Levesque/Lott (8)
|
11/16
|
@Azusa Pacific
|
W
|
88-82
|
Grante-Halliday (23)
|
Kepley (9)
|
Non-Conference Games
|
11/21
|
Westminster
|
L
|
63-66
|
Kepley (15)
|
Grante-Halliday (6)
|
11/23
|
Northwest
|
W
|
96-65
|
Grante-Halliday (23)
|
White (7)
|
11/26
|
Douglas College
|
W
|
119-65
|
Wilson (24)
|
Lott (9)
|
Great Northwest Athletic Conference
|
12/5
|
@Northwest Nazarene GNAC
|
L
|
74-75
|
Lott (25)
|
Levesque (6)
|
12/7
|
@Central Washington GNAC
|
L
|
76-79
|
Kepley (19)
|
Kepley/Grante-Halliday (8)
|
Non-Conference Game
|
12/15
|
Langara
|
W
|
92-56
|
Wilson/Kepley (15)
|
Wilson (10)
|
Las Vegas Hoops Holiday Classic (Las Vegas, NV)
|
12/19
|
vs. Lubbock Christian
|
|
|
6:00 PM MT
|
|
12/20
|
vs. St. Mary's (TX)
|
|
|
3:45 PM MT
|
|
Great Northwest Athletic Conference
|
1/2
|
Alaska Fairbanks GNAC
|
|
|
7:00 PM
|
|
1/4
|
Alaska Anchorage GNAC
|
|
|
7:00 PM
|
|
1/9
|
@Seattle Pacific GNAC
|
|
|
7:30 PM
|
|
1/11
|
@MSU Billings GNAC
|
|
|
4:15 PM MT
|
|
1/16
|
Saint Martin's GNAC
|
|
|
7:00 PM
|
|
1/18
|
Western Oregon GNAC
|
|
|
7:00 PM
|
|
1/25
|
@Simon Fraser GNAC
|
|
|
7:30 PM
|
|
1/30
|
@Alaska Anchorage GNAC
|
|
|
7:30 PM AKT
|
|
2/1
|
@Alaska Fairbanks GNAC
|
|
|
3:15 PM AKT
|
|
2/6
|
MSU Billings GNAC
|
|
|
7:00 PM
|
|
2/8
|
Seattle Pacific GNAC
|
|
|
7:00 PM
|
|
2/13
|
@Western Oregon GNAC
|
|
|
7:30 PM
|
|
2/15
|
@Saint Martin's GNAC
|
|
|
5:15 PM
|
|
2/22
|
Simon Fraser GNAC
|
|
|
3:00 PM
|
|
2/27
|
Central Washington GNAC
|
|
|
7:00 PM
|
|
3/1
|
Northwest Nazarene GNAC
|
|
|
7:00 PM
|
|
GNAC Basketball Championships – March 6-8 in Lacey, WA (Marcus Pavilion)
|
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 20 winningest Division II programs with its 1,567 all-time victories.