LAS VEGAS – The Western Washington University men's basketball team dropped its opening game of the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic 75-63 against Lubbock Christian Thursday evening in South Point Arena.

WWU and LCU were locked in a tight game late in the first half, but the Chaparrals scored the final six points of the half and the first nine points of the second half to 15-0 to take control of the contest. The Vikings cut the deficit to six points, but the two possession game was short-lived with Lubbock Christian answering with an 8-0 run.

The Vikings slipped to 7-4 overall on the season while dropping three of the last four games. Lubbock Christian won its fifth consecutive game to improve to 8-3 on the season, which includes a pair of wins over top 10 opponents.

Sophomore guard Louis Grante-Halliday led the Vikings with a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double. Redshirt freshman guard Grant Kepley added 14 points and freshman forward Trevor White chipped in nine points in 18 minutes in a reserve role. 

The Vikings entered the game ranked 12th nationally with a 51.3 team field goal percentage, but had an off night shooting in the cavernous South Point Arena going 25-for-71 from the field (35.2%) and 3-for-22 from three-point range (13.6%). WWU had a 42-32 advantage in rebounding and decisive 22-8 advantage in offensive boards.

The Chaparrals shot 51.7-percent from the field (30-for-58) and were led by 20 points from senior forward Sean Murphy (8-for-12 FG) and 18 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds by Las Vegas native Najeeb Muhammad.

Lubbock Christian scored the first nine points of the second half to extend the run to 15-0 and led by as many as 18 points. WWU cut the deficit in half going on a 10-2 run and brought the game to within one possession following an 8-2 run to trail 57-51 with 6:57 remaining. LCU answered with eight consecutive points and held off the Vikings down the stretch for the 12-point victory.

The Vikings trailed at the half 31-24, with the Chaparrals ending the first half on a 6-0 run to take the seven-point lead. WWU came out cold shooting 28.1-percent (9-for-32) in the spacious arena, including 0-for-11 from three-point range. The half was primarily back-and-forth until LCU ended the half with six consecutive points. Louis Grante-Halliday led the Vikings with eight points and nine rebounds, and Grant Halliday added six points. The Chaps were 14-for-28 from the field with Ethan Duncan and Sean Murphy each scoring nine points.

The Vikings (7-4, 0-2 GNAC) close out the  calendar year taking on St. Mary's (TX) on Friday (Dec. 20) with tip-off at 3:45 pm inside 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 Lubbock Christian:

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

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2024-25 season following Thursday's 75-63 loss to Lubbock Christian:

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.