BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Sophomore guard Aidan Rice scored a career-high 37 points in a high-scoring GNAC opener for the Western Washington University men's basketball team with Vikings falling to Northwest Nazarene 101-92 Thursday evening on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

Rice registered his second 30-point performance of the season on 12-for-17 shooting with 6-for-10 accuracy from three-point range. NNU guard Easton Reagan scored 34 points in a battle of two of the top scorers in the conference.

WWU led by as many as eight points at 20-12 midway through the first half, but NNU had a strong finish to the half going on a 10-3 run to grab an eight-point lead at 44-36. Rice led the Viking with 13 points in the opening 20 minutes of action.

NNU increased its lead to as many as 12 points five minutes into the second half (57-45), but the Vikings fought back with a strong second half performance. A dunk by junior guard Nehemiah Pollard at the 7:16 mark pulled the Vikings ahead 73-71, erasing the double-digit deficit by going on a 28-14 scoring run.

The Vikings led 77-75 with just under six minutes remaining, but the Nighthawks responded with a free-throw fueled 9-2 run to grow the lead back to five points and remained in the lead the rest of the way. NNU finished the game on a 13-6 run to pull away with the nine-point victory.

Pollard added 18 points and a team-high seven rebounds, with freshman Dennis Johnson III (9 points), junior forward Louis Grante-Halliday (8 points) and junior guard Malachi Miller (8 points) contributing solid offensive performances.

Reagan led the Nighthawks 58.2-percent shooting performance (32-for-55) going 11-for-16 from the field and perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line. Jaden Byers added 23 points on 8-for-10 shooting. NNU was 33-for-37 from the free throw line (89.2%), the third-most free throw attempts by a GNAC team this season.

The Vikings dropped their fourth consecutive game falling to 3-6 overall and 0-1 in GNAC play.

The Vikings (3-6) remain at home hosting rival Central Washington on Saturday (Dec. 6) with tip-off at 5 pm on WECU Court in Carver Gym. The complete 2025-26 WWU men's basketball schedule is available online at WWUVikings.com, complete with links to follow the team on the road, updated statistics and team information.

Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and NNU:

Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2025-26 season:

Here is a look at the GNAC standings and schedule for the opening week of the GNAC slate. Updated conference statistics and postseason information 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 5-7 in Carver Gym in Bellingham.