BURNABY, B.C. – Garrett Levesque hit the game-winning three-pointer with 3.5 seconds remaining to lift the Western Washington University men's basketball team to their fourth consecutive victory with a 79-77 road victory over Simon Fraser University Saturday in GNAC play.

The Vikings ended the first half of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference slate with four consecutive wins to enter the second half aiming for one of the six postseason spots in the conference tournament. WWU improve dot 12-7 overall and remained in a tie for 6th place in the GNAC at 4-5.

WWU trailed for much of the game, but kept close in the second half after trailing by as many as 11 points midway through the first half. A late first-half 7-2 run cut the halftime deficit to four points at 36-32. The Red Leafs held a six-point lead at 70-64 with 4:40 remaining, but the Vikings scored six consecutive points to level the score. 

SFU went ahead 77-74 following a three-pointer by Tobe Ezeokafor at the 2:05 mark, but Western's defense did not allow any points the rest of the way to pave the comeback trail. Levesque scored the Vikings final five points, converting a pair of free throws and hitting the game-winning three-pointer. The Red Leafs had the final possession but could not get off a shot to send the Vikings to the two-point victory.

Freshman Trevor White led the Vikings with 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting, adding seven rebounds and four blocked shots in 28 minutes. Reigning GNAC Player of the Week Will Wilson contributed 14 points and seven rebounds, Levesque finished with 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting and sophomore guard Tijan Saine tallied 11 points and a career-high nine assists. Redshirt freshman guard Grant Kepley made it five Vikings in double-digit scoring with 10 points and a pair of steals. 

The Vikings shot 43.5-percent for the game (27-for-62) and were at 50-percent in the deciding second half (15-for-30). WWU was nearly perfect going 17-for-18 from the free throw line.

SFU (6-13, 2-7 GNAC) was led by 19 points from Irish Coquia (7-for-17 FG), 16 points by Lenz Dupont and 15 points and eight rebounds by Luke Howard.

Game Notes: WWU was without normal starter Louis Grante-Halliday who suffered an ankle injury during the week in practice … WWU extended its winning streak to four consecutive games … the Vikings swept the GNAC Basketball doubleheader at SFU with the WWU women defeating the Red Leafs 78-69 earlier Saturday in West Gym … junior forward Dajon Lott passed the 1,000-point mark for his career with four points vs. SFU, giving him 1,003 points in his collegiate career at Sacramento City College and WWU.

Trailing by one point at 77-76 with 40 seconds remaining, the Vikings defense forced a 30-second shot clock violation setting up one final possession for the game-winner. Point guard Tijan Saine brought the ball up the court and dished the ball to Garrett Levesque in the corner who drained the three-pointer with 3.5 seconds remaining for the game-winning shot. Levesque entered the game shooting a team-best 58.8-percent, but had only made seven three pointers prior to the big shot for the win.

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
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The Vikings (12-7, 4-5 GNAC) remain on the road next week making their annual trip to the 49th state to face Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Fairbanks. 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 Simon Fraser:

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

The Vikings extended their winning streak over Simon Fraser to five consecutive games after sweeping each of the last two season series. WWU and SFU meet again on February 22 on WECU Court in Carver Gym with tip-off scheduled for 3 pm. The Vikings lead the all-time series over the Red Leafs 64-28 with a 22-5 mark in the last 27 meetings.

Here is a look at the 2024-25 GNAC Men's Basketball standings and overall records through Saturday's action. 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 road win over Simon Fraser:

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 1,572 all-time victories.