BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Sophomore guard Tijan Saine raced the length of the court and beat the buzzer as the clock expired sending Western Washington University to a 77-75 victory over No. 17 Saint Martin's University Thursday evening on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

 

The Vikings erased a 10-point second-half deficit to lead 75-73 with 12 seconds on the clock. Saint Martin's tied the game on a layup by Diego Trejo-Delgado, setting up the late-game heroics for the Vikings. Saine took the inbounds pass with 5.1 seconds on the clock and went coast-to-coast weaving through the Saint Martin's defense to hit the floating layup just beating the buzzer for the victory.

 

WWU backed up its impressive road victory over Montana State Billings last Saturday with Thursday's homecourt victory in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. The Vikings improved to 10-7 overall and 2-5 in conference games. Saint Martin's, ranked No. 17 in the NABC Coaches Poll and as high as No. 8 in the D2CSC Media Poll, dropped to 16-3 overall and 5-1 in GNAC play snapping an eight-game winning streak.

 

The buzzer beater was the second of the season for the Vikings while defeating a ranked opponent, with freshman guard Aidan Rice draining a three-pointer as time expired in the season opening victory over No. 12 Cal State Dominguez Hills.

 

Saine's heroics capped a back-and-forth game that featured 12 lead changes and eight tie scores. WWU led by as many as eight points in the first half and SMU used a lengthy scoring run to build a 10-point lead in the second half.

 

Trailing 67-57 at the 7:04 mark in the second half, WWU went on a 15-3 run pulling ahead 72-70 on a Trevor White three-pointer with three minutes remaining. Grant Kepley grabbed an offensive rebound and converted the basket while being fouled to put the Vikings ahead 74-73 with 1:06 remaining. Ahead by one, Will Wilson forced a turnover on a jump ball and Garrett Levesque hit one of two free throws to extend the lead to 75-73. After SMU tied the game and called a timeout, Saine went the length of the court for the game-winning shot.

 

Wilson led all players with 22 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field and was perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. He scored 13 of his 22 points in the second half while recording his fifth 20-point game of the season. Kepley finished with 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting, adding four assists, three rebounds and two steals. Saine had 15 points and White finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots.

 

Saint Martin's had five players score in double-digits, led by 18 points and seven rebounds by Trejo-Delgado. Myles Samuels and Dyson Lighthall each had 12 points as the Saints shot 49.2-percent for the game (29-for-59) and held a 38-33 advantage in rebounding over the Vikings.

 

 

Tijan Saine raced the length of the court with 5.1 seconds remaining in the game, weaving through the Saint Martin's defense, to get off a floating layup as time expired for the game-winning shot.

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
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WWU trailed by as many as 10 points at 67-57 with 7:04 remaining, but used a 15-3 run to climb back into the game and take the lead on a Trevor White three-pointer. Will Wilson scored 13 of his game-high 22 points in the second half with nine in the final seven minutes. 

 

The first 20 minutes featured a fast-paced tempo featuring eight lead changes and three tie scores. The Vikings led by as many as eight points midway through the half and took a two-point 45-43 lead into the halftime break. WWU built the lead by going on an 8-2 run capped by a Grant Kepley three-point play. SMU scored seven consecutive points over a two-minute span to close the gap and from there seven lead changes brought the game to the halftime score. Kepley led all players with 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting, followed by nine points from Will Wilson and eight Trevor White (6 rebounds). Diego Trejo-Delgado and Dyson Lighthall paced the Saints offense with 10 points each. SMU shot 54.8-percent in the half (17-for-31) with the Vikings at 48.5-percent (16-for-33).

 

The Vikings (9-8, 2-5 GNAC) remain at home hosting Western Oregon on Saturday at WECU Court in Carver Gym with tip-off at 7 pm. 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.

M🏀 | We've got a @D2BuzzerBeaters special with Tijan Saine of @WWUHoops beating the buzzer to send @WWUHoops to a 77-75 win over No. 17 Saint Martin's in Carver Gym. @NCAABuzzerBters @SportsCenter @GNACSports pic.twitter.com/wUXn2jrzH0
— WWU Athletics (@WWUAthletics) January 17, 2025
  

Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and No. 17 Saint Martin's:

 

 

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

 

 

WWU snapped a six-game losing streak vs. Saint Martin's dating back to the Vikings last victory over the Saints in 2020. The Vikings and Saints meet again February 15 inside Marcus Pavilion in Lacey. WWU leads the all-time series 137-70.

 

Here is a look at the 2024-25 GNAC Men's Basketball standings and overall records through Thursday'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 buzzer-beater victory over Saint Martin'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 1,570 all-time victories.