BILLINGS, Mont. – The Western Washington University men's basketball team turned in one of its best performances of the season to earn an 84-70 road victory over Montana State Billings Saturday afternoon inside Alterowitz Gym.

WWU led by as many as 22 points in the game, turning a nine-point half-time lead into a 14-point victory with a dominating second half. The Vikings entered the win column in GNAC play snapping a five-game conference losing streak improving to 9-7 overall. MSUB, the defending conference champions, dropped its third consecutive game to fall to 11-7 overall and 2-3 in league play.

The Vikings win was highlighted by a complete team effort with six play players scoring at least eight points, led by 18 points each by redshirt freshman guard Grant Kepley (7-13 FG, 3-4 3FG, 6 Reb, 5 Ast) and freshman forward Trevor White (7-15 FG, 6 Reb, 2 Stl, 2 Blk). Junior forward Garrett Levesque recorded a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double on perfect 7-for-7 shooting and senior guard Will Wilson added 15 points and seven rebounds.

WWU shot 49.2-percent for the game (32-for-65) and was 11-for-24 from beyond the arc (45.8%). The Vikings also held a dominating 46-35 edge in rebounding.

MSUB was led by a game-high 27 points by GNAC Preseason Player of the Year Jalen Tot, who also contributed four rebounds, two assists, three steals and one block. Brendon Johnson added 16 points and seven rebounds and Kael Robinson contributed 13 points and seven rebounds. MSUB shot 34.8-percent for the game (24-for-69) for the second-lowest shooting performance this season.

The Vikings took a double-digit lead at 50-39 with 16:55 remaining and never saw their lead drop below 12 points the remainder of the game. MSUB cut the deficit to 12 points at 70-58 with 7:09 remaining, but WWU answered with a 12-2 run to quicky grow the lead to 22 points. 

The Vikings used a late 13-0 run to build a nine-point halftime lead at 42-33, fueled by a team shooting percentage of 51.6-percent (16-for-31) and going 6-for-11 from three-point range. WWU trailed early by five points at 17-12, but went on a 10-2 run to take the lead at 22-19 at the 12:30 mark in the half. Down 26-25, Western scored 13 consecutive points with Grant Kepley scoring eight points and Trevor White five points during the scoring spurt. WWU held a 21-18 advantage in rebounding in the half, led by five from Garrett Levesque.

The Vikings (9-7, 1-5 GNAC) return home next week hosting first-place Saint Martin's on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday, with both games featuring a 7pm tip-off on WECU Court in Carver Gym. Tickets are available for purchase in advance at wwuvikings.com/Tickets. 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 Montana State Billings:

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

The Vikings snapped a four-game losing streak against the Yellowjackets, earning its first win over MSUB since an 83-80 overtime victory on a half-court buzzer beater by D'Angelo Minnis in 2022. WWU leads the all-time series 26-14 with an 11-8 record in road games in Alterowitz Gym.

Here is a look at the 2024-25 GNAC Men's Basketball standings and overall records through Saturday's action (with one game later Saturday – UAA vs. CWU). 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:

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2024-25 season following the 14-point victory at Montana State Billings:

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 1,569 all-time victories.