MONMOUTH, Ore. – Behind a career-high 37 points from sophomore guard Tijan Saine, the Western Washington University men's basketball team continues its late-season surge with an 87-78 comeback road victory over Western Oregon.

The Vikings overcame early foul trouble to a pair of starters and a late game-time change due to inclement winter weather in Northwest Oregon for the nine-point victory to improve to 16-8 overall and 8-6 in GNAC play. WWU has won eight of its last nine games in conference play to remain in the postseason hunt sitting in a tie for 5th place with four games remaining.

Saine passed his previous career high of 29 points set earlier this season vs. Alaska Anchorage in his 37-point effort, tied for 13th-best in WWU men's basketball history. Saine went 9-for-16 from the field, 4-for-6 from three-point range and was perfect 15-for-15 from the free throw line to account for his historic performance.

WWU trailed 40-31 at the half and faced a 12-point deficit with at 49-37 with 17:41 remaining. Saine jump-started a 13-2 run with a three-pointer to cut the deficit to one point and a pair of free throws by the sophomore guard at the 6:21 mark gave the Vikings the lead at 66-65 for the only lead change of the game. WWU led the remainder of the way going 15-for-16 at the free throw line down the stretch to record the nine-point victory.

Senior guard Will Wilson scored in double-digits for the 10th consecutive game with 14 points on 5-for-11 shooting, with seven points coming in the second half. Garrett Levesque, Trevor White and Grant Kepley each added nine points as the Vikings out-scored WOU 56-38 in the second half. Levesque grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds to lead WWU's 38-24 advantage in on the boards.

WOU (4-19, 1-12 GNAC) was led by 16 points by Jahville Collins on 5-for-9 shooting and 15 from Jason Gallant on 6-for-11 from the field. 

The 37 points by Tijan Saine are tied for 13th in the WWU record book and the most points by a Viking since Kai Johnson scored 36 in a non-conference game vs. George Fox last season…Saine's 37 points are the second-most by a GNAC player this season trailing 39 by Central Washington's Garrett Anderson vs. Jessup (11/22/24)…two teams combined to shoot 59 free throws in the game, with WWU's 35 attempts the most since 36 on Feb. 21, 2022 vs. Northwest Nazarene…the game was originally scheduled for a 7:30 pm tip-off but was moved up to 4:00 pm due to an ice and snow storm that hit Northwest Oregon...the game did not have a live webcast due to short staffing that was weather related.

The Vikings (16-8, 8-6 GNAC) plays their final regular-season road game Saturday taking on Saint Martin's with tip-off set for 5:15 pm in Marcus Pavilion. 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 Western Oregon:

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

WWU swept the regular-season series over WOU adding a 90-86 home win on January 18 to Thursday's 87-78 victory. The Vikings have won four consecutive games against the Wolves and lead the all-time series 53-25. WWU also extended its winning streak to three straight in Monmouth.

Here is a look at the 2024-25 GNAC Men's Basketball standings and overall records through Thursday'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 nine-point road win at WOU:

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 1,576 all-time victories.