BURNABY, B.C. – The road remained unkind to the Western Washington University men's basketball team with the Vikings dropping a 77-74 contest at Simon Fraser Saturday night on a last-second three-pointer.

Facing a must-win scenario down the stretch to earn a spot in the GNAC Championships, the Vikings were unable to capitalize on last Saturday's 90-81 win over No. 18 Saint Martin's, dropping the road game at SFU in the final seconds.

WWU faces a must-win two-game scenario next week with road games at Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene completing the regular season in order to have a chance to qualify for the GNAC Tournament that will feature the top six teams in the standings March 5-7 in Bellingham.

The Vikings dropped to 0-9 in road games this season (5-11 away from Bellingham including neutral-site games) and have yet to earn a victory in seven road GNAC games in 2025-26 (12-15 overall). WWU is in eighth place in the conference standings with one week remaining in the regular season, with SFU improving to 7-19 overall and moving into a ninth-place tie at 4-12 in GNAC play.

The game between the border rivals featured nine lead changes and 12 tie scores prior the buzzer beater heroics by Ajani Jamison, with the three-pointer breaking a 74-74 tie in the final seconds in West Gym.

SFU led by as many as 11 points in the first half at 36-25 prior to taking a 41-36 lead into the halftime break. The Vikings broke out of halftime on a 12-2 run to take a 48-43 lead and led 59-51 with 11:18 remaining in the game. The tightly-contested second half featured four lead changes and nine scores, prior to the SFU game-winning shot. Western led 68-66 following a layup by Dennis Johnson III with 3:48 remaining in the game and the Red Leafs retook the lead with four consecutive free throws.

A pair of baskets by sophomore Trevor White kept the Vikings in the game and Aidan Rice hit a pair of free throws to tie the game 74-74 with 16-seconds on the clock. After SFU called a timeout, Ajani Jamison hit an open three pointer to seal the victory for the Red Leafs.

The Vikings were led by 18 points each by sophomore forward Trevor White (4 rebounds, 1 steal) and sophomore guard Aidan Rice (5 assists, 3 steals). Freshman guard Dennis Johnson III added 14 points and five rebounds and sophomore forward Bennett Olujic added 10 points and eight rebounds.

SFU was led by a game-high 21 points from 7-foot forward Zach Stone on 6-for-11 shooting (8-for-10 free throws) and grabbed eight rebounds (also credited with 8 blocked shots). Jamison scored 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting, with his game-winning three-pointer part of his 5-for-6 performance from beyond the arc. Guard Mikyle Malabuyoc dished out 11 assists, tied for second-most by a GNAC player in a game this season.

The Vikings (12-15, 6-10 GNAC) remain on the road closing out the regular season facing rival Central Washington Thursday (7 pm) in Ellensburg and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday in Nampa, Idaho (7 pm MT). WWU remains in playoff contention, but will need a pair of wins to advance to the GNAC Championships. 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 Simon Fraser:

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 Saturday. 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.