LAS VEGAS – Sophomore guard Tijan Saine hit a pair of free throws with 4.6 seconds remaining to break a 68-68 tie sending the Western Washington University men's basketball team to a come-from-behind 70-68 victory over St. Mary's (TX) Saturday afternoon at the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic.

WWU trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half, but had a strong second-half showing out-scoring the Rattlers 41-33 to record the two-point victory.

The Vikings improved to 8-4 overall, closing out the non-conference portion of their schedule with the win to conclude a 1-1 trip to Las Vegas. St. Mary's dropped to 6-4 on the season and went 1-1 in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic.

Redshirt freshman guard Grant Kepley led the Vikings with 17 points - all coming in the second half - on 5-for-11 shooting and was perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Saine added 14 points and five assists. Junior forward Garrett Levesque and senior guard Will Wilson both poured in 11 points to help fuel the comeback victory.

The second half featured five lead changes and six tie scores before the Vikings put the game away at the free throw line. With the game tied 66-66, sophomore guard Louis Grante-Halliday hit a long two-point field goal to put the Vikings up 68-66 with under a minute remaining.

St. Mary's guard Malcolm Steadman hit a pair of free throws to tie the game at 68-68 setting up the final possession for the Vikings. With the clock winding down, Saine drove the lane and drew a foul going for a layup with 4.6 seconds remaining. The sophomore guard hit both free throws and the Rattlers last-chance shot fell short to secure the Western victory.

Steadman tied Damani Claxton for the team high with 13 points on 3-for-7 shooting and was 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Lachlan Bofinger narrowly missed a triple-double recording 11 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists

The second half featured five lead changes and six tie scores, with the Vikings prevailing down the stretch to earn the two-point victory. WWU gained its first second-half lead at the 9:24 mark completing a 14-5 run to pull ahead 55-54. The comeback victory was fueled by a strong second-half shooting performance going 14-for-26 (.538) from the field.

The Vikings erased a 12-point deficit early in the first half using a 13-3 run to take a 28-27 lead with 3:45 remaining. St. Mary's finished the half on an 8-1 scoring run to take a 35-29 lead into halftime. Six of the Vikings eight made field goals were three-pointers, going 6-for-16 from beyond the arc in the opening half. After scoring just seven points in the first eight minutes, the Vikings offense clicked in out-scoring the Rattlers 20-17 over the final 10 minutes. Tijan Saine led the Vikings with seven points, followed by six points by Garrett Levesque and Aidan Rice.

The Vikings used their third starting lineup this season with Garrett Levesque and Trevor White making their first starts of the season…the Vikings shot 53.8-percent from the field in the second half (14-for-26) compared to 29.6-percent (8-for-27) in the first half…St. Mary's held a 41-34 advantage in rebounds with a 19-10 edge in offensive boards…the Rattlers outscored the Vikings 46-14 in the paint…St. Mary's led for 28:29 of the game, while the Vikings were in the lead for 7:30…over the last eight minutes of the game the Vikings were 8-for-9 from the free throw line.

The Vikings (8-4, 0-2 GNAC) will take a break for the holidays and 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 St. Mary's:

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 70-68 win against St. Mary's:

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 1,568 all-time victories.