BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's basketball team went on a game-defining 16-1 run midway through the second half propelling the Vikings to a 97-95 victory over rival Central Washington University Saturday evening in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.

The Vikings shot a season-best 54.1-percent from the field and were 10-for-21 from three-point range improving to 1-1 in conference play and 4-6 overall. WWU and CWU played the 270th edition of the rivalry game in front of an energetic crowd of 856 fans on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

WWU's guard trio of sophomore Aidan Rice (32 points) and juniors Malachi Miller (27 points) and Nehemiah Pollard (23 points) combined for 82 of the Vikings 97 points. Rice backed up his career-high 37-point performance in Thursday's loss to Northwest Nazarene with his third 30-point game of the season. He is the first Viking with consecutive 30-point games since All-American Taylor Stafford had 31 and 33 in GNAC Tournament games March 3-4, 2017. 

The Vikings led by as many 12 points with under a minute remaining in the game and held off a late fleury of points by the Wildcats to record the two-point victory. The final minute of play featured 24 combined points, including a buzzer-beater three-pointer by Garrett Marrs to bring the game to the final score of 97-95.

The game featured 15 lead changes and nine tie scores.

"I am really proud of the team effort and the way they battled to get this victory," said WWU head coach Tony Dominguez. "They have faced some adversity early in the season, and like I have said before, this is a special group. They responded with a lot of energy tonight and put together a good performance against a tough team. This was an important win for our group to regain some momentum heading into a few more non-conference games."

CWU (5-6, 0-2 GNAC) was led by 23 points from guard Bradley Swillie and an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double by Chae Haynes.

The Vikings (4-6, 1-1 GNAC) take next week off for final exams and return to non-conference play hosting Langara College on Sunday, December 14 with a 3 pm game 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.

The Vikings trailed by eight points at 66-58 at the 13:14 mark in the second half, following a CWU 9-0 run. WWU answered scoring nine consecutive points of its own to take a 67-66 lead and continued the run to 16-1 to lead 74-67 with eight minutes remaining in the contest.

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Aidan Rice recorded his third 30-point game of the season (in 10 games) and is averaging 20.6 points per game … WWU is averaging 83.8 points per game with three games with 90+ points … Nehemiah Pollard led the Vikings with nine rebounds and is averaging 6.2 boards per game … Rice (20.6), Pollard (16.7) and Malachi Miller (12.3) are averaging double-digits in points per game … the Vikings shot a season-best 54.1-percent from the field (33-for-61) and had their best three-point shooting performance (.476/10-for-21) … the rivalry game featured 15 lead changes and nine tie scores … WWU held a 41-31 advantage in rebounding … Rice led all players with six assists, his second-most in a game this season (7 vs. SFSU).

WWU and CWU met on the hardwood for the 270th time on Saturday. The Vikings have won the last two games after beating the Wildcats at home 90-73 on February 27 and are 5-4 over the last nine games vs. Central. The Wildcats lead the all-time series 161-109, with WWU holding a 36-20 advantage in the series since both teams joined the NCAA level in 1998-99.

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

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

Here is a look at the GNAC standings and schedule through the first week of the conference 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.