BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Facing a 15-point deficit with 13 minutes remaining in the second half, the Western Washington University men's basketball team staged a big comeback to record an 96-89 victory over Alaska Fairbanks Saturday evening on WECU Court in Carver Gym.
WWU won its third consecutive game, turning the 15-point deficit into a seven-point victory for the 22-point second-half turnaround. The Vikings evened their season record at 11-11 and moved into at a tie for sixth place in the GNAC standings at 5-6. Western recorded a home sweep of the Alaska schools after defeating Alaska Anchorage on Thursday 84-75, also overcoming a double-digit deficit in the victory.
The Vikings trailed 47-37 at the half and were down 15 points 66-51 with 13:17 remaining in the game before starting the comeback. Freshman Dennis Johnson III hit a three-pointer to open a 9-0 run and the Vikings battled all the way back to take a 76-73 with a 25-7 scoring spurt over six minutes.
UAF pulled even at 82-72 following a pair of free throws by Tyriq Luke, but a Trevor White dunk gave the Vikings the lead at the 3:41 mark and WWU led the remainder of the way. Nehemiah Pollard put the exclamation point on the comeback victory with a windmill dunk to end cap the scoring for the 96-89 victory.
WWU had a 23-to-5 assist-to-turnover ratio in the game while not committing a turnover in the second half. The Vikings were 16-for-23 from the field (69.6%) during the 45-23 run to end the game after trailing by 15 points (18-for-46/39.1% to start the game).
Johnson III led all players with a career-high 28 points on 9-for-15 shooting, scoring 19 points in the second half. Sophomore guard Aidan Rice added 21 points with seven assists, junior guard Nehemiah Pollard contributed 18 points and senior forward Garrett Levesque recorded an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double.
The Nanooks (10-10, 5-6 GNAC) were 20-point performances from Mike Miller (21 points, 9 rebounds) and Jalai O'Keith (20 points, 7 rebounds). Tyriq Luke (16 points, 5 assists) and Davis Crilly (11 points) also scored in double-digits.
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GNAC Basketball
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1st
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2nd
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Final
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Alaska Fairbanks (10-10, 5-6)
|
47
|
42
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89
|
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Western Washington (11-11, 5-6)
|
37
|
59
|
96
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The Vikings (11-11, 5-6 GNAC) returns to the road next week with conference games against Montana State Billings (Thursday, 5:15 pm MT) and Seattle Pacific (Saturday, 4:15 pm). 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.
Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and Alaska Fairbanks:
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COMPARISON
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WWU
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UAF
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|
Points
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96
|
89
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Field Goal Pct.
|
.493 (34-69)
|
.517 (30-58)
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3 Point FG Pct.
|
.286 (8-28)
|
.500 (12-24)
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|
Free Throw Pct.
|
.769 (20-26)
|
.739 (17-23)
|
|
Rebounds
|
34
|
37
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Offensive Rebounds
|
8
|
6
|
|
Assists
|
23
|
18
|
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Turnovers
|
5
|
14
|
|
Steals
|
8
|
3
|
|
Blocked Shots
|
6
|
2
|
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Time Led
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8:20
|
27:38
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Points off Turnovers
|
11
|
3
|
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Points in the Paint
|
48
|
34
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Bench Points
|
17
|
26
|
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Fouls
|
18
|
19
|
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Biggest Lead
|
7
|
15
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Lead Changes: 5 Times Tied: 7
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WWU split the regular-season series vs. the Nanooks after falling 85-76 on January 1 in Fairbanks (where it was -45 degrees at the time). WWU and UAF also split the series last season with each team winning on the road. The Vikings lead the all-time series vs. Fairbanks 41-20 with a 22-7 record in games played in Bellingham.
Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2025-26 season:
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RECORD BREAKDOWN
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Overall
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11-11
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GNAC
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5-6
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Non-Conference
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6-5
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Streak
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W3
|
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Home
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6-3
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Away
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0-6
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Neutral
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5-2
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vs. Ranked Teams
|
1-1
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Leading at Half
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7-3
|
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Trailing at Half
|
4-8
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Tied at Half
|
0-0
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Overtime
|
0-0
|
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BY UNIFORM
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|
White
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7-4
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Black
|
1-2
|
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Navy
|
1-3
|
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Light Blue
|
2-2
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GNAC STANDINGS & SCHEDULE
Here is a look at the GNAC standings and schedule through play on Saturday to close out the opening week of 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.
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MEN'S BASKETBALL
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CONF
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PCT
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OVERALL
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PCT
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HOME
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AWAY
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NEUTRAL
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STREAK
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L10
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1.
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Saint Martin's
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9-2
|
.818
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17-4
|
.810
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9-2
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7-2
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1-0
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L2
|
8-2
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2.
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Montana State Billings
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7-4
|
.636
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18-6
|
.750
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8-2
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6-3
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4-1
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W2
|
6-4
|
|
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Alaska Anchorage
|
7-4
|
.636
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15-7
|
.682
|
12-1
|
3-5
|
0-1
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W1
|
7-3
|
|
4.
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Northwest Nazarene
|
6-4
|
.600
|
12-7
|
.632
|
8-3
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3-3
|
1-1
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L2
|
4-6
|
|
5.
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Central Washington
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5-5
|
.500
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11-10
|
.524
|
6-3
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2-4
|
3-3
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W2
|
6-4
|
|
6.
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Western Washington
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5-6
|
.455
|
11-11
|
.500
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6-3
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0-6
|
5-2
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W3
|
5-5
|
|
|
Seattle Pacific
|
5-6
|
.455
|
10-8
|
.556
|
6-2
|
4-5
|
0-1
|
W1
|
5-5
|
|
|
Alaska Fairbanks
|
5-6
|
.455
|
10-10
|
.500
|
7-2
|
2-5
|
1-3
|
L1
|
4-6
|
|
9.
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Western Oregon
|
3-8
|
.273
|
8-12
|
.400
|
5-4
|
1-6
|
2-2
|
L1
|
3-7
|
|
10.
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Simon Fraser
|
2-9
|
.182
|
5-16
|
.238
|
4-5
|
0-5
|
1-6
|
L6
|
1-9
|
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This Week's GNAC Schedule & Results
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|
Thursday, January 29:
Alaska Fairbanks 69, at Simon Fraser 57
at Western Washington 84, Alaska Anchorage 75
at Western Oregon 50, Seattle Pacific 49
Montana State Billings 77, at Saint Martin's 71
Saturday, January 31:
Central Washington 91, at Northwest Nazarene 76
Montana State Billings 84, at Western Oregon 74
at Western Washington 96, Alaska Fairbanks 89
Seattle Pacific 76, at Saint Martin's 72
Alaska Anchorage 69, at Simon Fraser 54
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