NAMPA, Idaho – The Western Washington University men's basketball team wrapped up the 2025-26 season Saturday with a tight 87-84 loss at Northwest Nazarene University inside the Johnson Sports Center.
Looking to build off Thursday's 103-92 rivalry game victory at Central Washington, the Vikings needed a victory and a little help to advance to the postseason. WWU finishes the 2025-26 season with a 13-16 overall record and placed 8th in the GNAC standings with a 7-11 record.
Saturday's finale against the Nighthawks featured 10 lead changes and eight tie scores, with the Vikings leading for nearly 23 minutes of the game (compared to 11 minutes by NNU). WWU held a one-point 42-41 lead at halftime and built a seven-point lead with just over five minutes remaining in the game.
NNU (18-9, 12-6 GNAC) tied for 2nd in the standings and clinched the No. 3 seed for the GNAC Championships next week in Bellingham (March 5-7) going on a 19-6 run to end the contest. Over the final 5:21 of the game NNU went to the free throw line 14 times, connecting on 11 shots from the charity stripe. Overall, NNU shot 30 free throws (21-for-30) compared to the 14 by WWU (9-for-14).
Sophomore guard Aidan Rice capped a solid season scoring a game-high 26 points on 9-for-16, marking his ninth performance with 20+ points while averaging a team-best 18.2 points per game for the season.
Freshman guard Dennis Johnson III recorded a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double after nearly tallying a triple-double with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists at CWU. Senior Dajon Lott Jr. scored 13 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in his final collegiate game. WWU shot 51.6-percent for the game, connecting on 33-of-64 from the field.
NNU was led by a trio of 20-point scorers, led by 25 points from Jaden Byers, and 20 each by Briggs Ranstrom and Michael Day (11 rebounds).
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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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Western Washington (13-16, 7-11)
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42
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42
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84
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Northwest Nazarene (18-9, 12-6)
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41
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46
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87
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Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and Northwest Nazarene:
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COMPARISON
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WWU
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NNU
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Points
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84
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87
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Field Goal Pct.
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.516 (33-64)
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.455 (30-66)
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3 Point FG Pct.
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.409 (9-22)
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.250 (6-24)
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Free Throw Pct.
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.643 (9-14)
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.700 (21-30)
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Rebounds
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35
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39
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Offensive Rebounds
|
11
|
15
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Assists
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12
|
19
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Turnovers
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11
|
9
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Steals
|
5
|
5
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Blocked Shots
|
6
|
5
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Time Led
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22:54
|
10:40
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Points off Turnovers
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13
|
14
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Points in the Paint
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42
|
48
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Bench Points
|
27
|
7
|
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Fouls
|
22
|
15
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Biggest Lead
|
7
|
6
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Lead Changes: 10 Times Tied: 8
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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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13-16
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GNAC
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7-11
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Non-Conference
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6-5
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Streak
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L1
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Home
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7-4
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Away
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1-10
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Neutral
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5-2
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vs. Ranked Teams
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2-1
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Leading at Half
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7-5
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Trailing at Half
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6-10
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Tied at Half
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0-1
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Overtime
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0-0
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BY UNIFORM
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White
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8-5
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Black
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1-3
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Navy
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1-5
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Light Blue
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3-3
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GNAC STANDINGS & SCHEDULE
Here is a look at the final GNAC standings for the 2025-26 season. 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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15-3
|
.833
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23-5
|
.821
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11-2
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11-3
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1-0
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W4
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7-3
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2.
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Alaska Anchorage *
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12-6
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.667
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20-9
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.690
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16-2
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4-6
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0-1
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L1
|
7-3
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|
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Northwest Nazarene *
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12-6
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.667
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18-9
|
.667
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12-3
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5-5
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1-1
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W3
|
6-4
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4.
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Seattle Pacific *
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9-9
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.500
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14-11
|
.560
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10-3
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4-7
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0-1
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W2
|
6-4
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|
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Central Washington *
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9-9
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.500
|
15-14
|
.517
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9-4
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3-7
|
3-3
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W1
|
6-4
|
|
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Alaska Fairbanks *
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9-9
|
.500
|
14-13
|
.519
|
9-4
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4-6
|
1-3
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W1
|
5-5
|
|
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Montana State Billings
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9-9
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.500
|
20-11
|
.645
|
10-4
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6-6
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4-1
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L5
|
4-6
|
|
8.
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Western Washington
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7-11
|
.389
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13-16
|
.448
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7-4
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1-10
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5-2
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L1
|
5-5
|
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9.
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Western Oregon
|
4-14
|
.222
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9-18
|
.333
|
5-7
|
2-9
|
2-2
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L5
|
2-8
|
|
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Simon Fraser
|
4-14
|
.222
|
7-21
|
.250
|
6-6
|
0-9
|
1-6
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L2
|
2-8
|
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* Clinched spot in GNAC Championships March 5-7 in Bellingham, WA + GNAC Regular-Season Champion
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This Week's GNAC Schedule & Results
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Thursday, February 26:
at Alaska Anchorage 80, Western Oregon 59
at Northwest Nazarene 82, Simon Fraser 71
Western Washington 103, at Central Washington 92
Saint Martin's 77, at Alaska Fairbanks 65
Saturday, February 28:
at Seattle Pacific 87, Montana State Billings 85
at Alaska Fairbanks 82, Western Oregon 74
at Central Washington 86, Simon Fraser 66
at Northwest Nazarene 87, Western Washington 84
Saint Martin's 57, at Alaska Anchorage 56
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