BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's basketball team found a little redemption in Thursday's 84-75 home victory over Alaska Anchorage, opening the second half of the GNAC schedule with a key victory on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

Just 26 days after enduring a 90-56 loss in Anchorage, the Vikings responded with a nine-point home victory over the Seawolves to split the regular-season series. WWU used an 11-2 run to close out the game after the game was tied 73-73 with 2:49 remaining in the game.

Western shot a season-best 54.7-percent connecting on 29-of-53 shots from the field and was 10-for-26 from three-point range to fuel the win over the second-place Seawolves, who were selected as the GNAC Team of the Week following games last weekend.

WWU improved to 10-11 overall and moved closer to a playoff position at 4-6 in GNAC games, tied for 7th in the standings. UAA slipped to 14-7 overall and 6-4 in conference games.

Trailing by as many as 10 points midway through the first half, the Vikings used an 18-6 run to grab a 37-35 halftime lead. WWU and UAA fought through 10 lead changes and five tie scores in the back-and-forth affair in front of 623 fans on Thursday.

Junior guard Nehemiah Pollard led all players with 26 points on 8-for-10 shooting, including 4-for-6 three-pointers, while crossing the 1,000-point mark for his collegiate career. Sophomore guard Aidan Rice scored 19 points (13 in the second half) on 8-for-16 shooting and freshman guard Dennis Johnson III sparked the offense with 14 second-half points in his 19-point performance. Senior forward Garrett Levesque led Western with nine rebounds.

UAA featured three players with 18 points – Sylas Williams, Hasaan Herrington, Bishop Tosi – with Williams falling a rebound short of a double-double.

The Vikings (10-11, 4-6 GNAC) close out their three-game homestand hosting Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday (1/31) 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, updated statistics and game information.

Nehemiah Pollard scored a game-high 26 points, giving him 354 points in 21 games as a Viking (16.9 points/game) … Pollard crossed the 1,000-point milestone for his career with 1,013 points including 659 in 60 games over two seasons with South Puget Sound Community College … Aidan Rice scored in double-digits for the sixth consecutive game and 16th time in 21 starts this season … Dennis Johnson III scored in double-digits for the seventh time in the last 10 games.

Leading 76-75 with 1:44 remaining in the game, freshman Dennis Johnson III converted a three-point play with a driving layup while being fouled and hit his free throw to give the Vikings a four-point lead at 79-75. Johnson hit three more free throws down the stretch to help secure the nine-point victory.

The Vikings trailed by 10 points 29-19 with 7:38 remaining in the first half before going on a 15-4 run to erase the double-digit deficit and pull ahead 34-33. Nehemiah Pollard hit a three-pointer near the end of the half to give the Vikings the 37-35 lead. 

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

WWU split the regular-season series vs. UAA with each team winning on their home court. The Seawolves won 90-56 on January 3 in Anchorage and the Vikings won 84-75 Thursday evenings. WWU leads the all-time series 30-22 with an 9-5 record in the last 14 meetings.

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 play on Thursday to open the second half 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.