Logo courtesy off WWU Athletics
Tough Monday For WWU Hoops
December 18, 2018
The Western Washington University men's and women's basketball teams suffered the same fate Monday despite being over 27-hundred miles apart. The Viking men fell in Honolulu while the women lost in Bellingham at Carver Gym.
VIKINGS FALL TO NO. 11 SOUTHERN NAZARENE 85-72 IN HAWAII
HONOLULU, Hawai’i – For the second consecutive game, the Western Washington University men’s basketball team was defeated by a nationally-ranked team, falling to No. 11 Southern Nazarene University 85-72 on Monday in the second round of the Hoops in Hawai'i D2 Power Invitational at the Hawai'i Convention Center.
The Vikings fell to 7-4 overall and have dropped three of their last four games after opening the season 6-1. Southern Nazarene (Bethany, OK) improved to 10-2 on the season bouncing back from its 79-78 loss to Dallas Baptist on Sunday to open the tournament.
Playing for the second straight game without starting forward Cameron Retherford due to an injury, the Vikings were shorthanded against one of the top teams in NCAA Division II. Junior forward Trevor Jasinsky (Camas, WA) and freshman forward Jalen Green (Renton, WA/Lindbergh) led the Vikings with 13 points apiece.
Jasinsky was 4-for-12 from the field, and connected on his 100th career 3-pointer to become the 20th player in program history to reach that milestone.
Junior forward KJ Bosco (Portland, OR/Portland CC) added 9 points on 4-for-8 shooting in 20 minutes, and also recorded a team-high 6 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.
Southern Nazarene junior guard Jhonathan Dunn led all players with 30 points on 10-for-12 shooting, including 3-for-4 from 3-point range and 7-for-8 from the free throw line.
WWU was limited to 41.4% from the field (24-for-58) and were 6-for-22 (27.3% from 3-point range. The Crimson Storm connected on 52.8% of their shots (28-for-53) and were 9-for-15 (60.0%) from beyond the arc.
UP NEXT
WWU will close out play in the D2 Power Invitational facing either Hawai'i Pacific or Emmanuel College at 1:15 pm HT/3:15 pm PT on Tuesday in the Hawai'i Convention Center. Links to the live webcast for each game can be found online at scoringlive.com/hoopsinhawaii.
-- @WWUHoops --
LATE WWU COMEBACK COMES UP SHORT IN 67-54 LOSS
BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women’s basketball team had its five-game winning streak snapped Monday night, falling to Lubbock Christian University 67-54 to conclude the first day of the 2018 Viking Holiday Hoops Classic on WECU Court in Carver Gym.
WWU (6-3) returned to the court after a 15-day break for final exams and couldn’t knock off the 2016 NCAA Division II national champions to have its winning streak snapped. Lubbock Christian improved to 8-4 on the season, snapping its two-game losing streak. The 2018 Elite 8 participants and preseason No. 10 nationally-ranked Lady Chaparrals had dropped three of its last four games after opening the season 6-1.
The Vikings made a valiant comeback attempt, pulling to within two points at 51-49 with 6:13 remaining in the game after trailing by 9 points at 49-40 heading into the fourth quarter. LCU received two key three-pointers from leading scorer Olivia Robertson, and ended the game on an 8-0 run for the 13-point victory.
WWU sophomore forward Kelsey Rogers (Bothell, WA/Lynnwood) led the Vikings with 14 points, connecting on 6-of-7 shots from the field. She also grabbed a team-high 6 rebounds and had one blocked shot. Junior post Anna Schwecke (Evergreen, CO/Clear Creek/Colorado-Colorado Springs) added 9 points on 3-for-5 shooting and sophomore guard Emma Duff (Tumwater, WA/Black Hills) had 8 points on 3-for-10 shooting (2-for-7 3FG).
The Vikings shot 45.5% from the floor, compared to Lubbock Christian’s 38.7 mark (24-for-62), but were out-rebounded for the first time this season. WWU also committed a season-high 27 turnovers.
The Lady Chaparrals were led by a game-high 23 points from Robertson, who scored 19 points in the second half and 12 in the fourth quarter. The senior was 7-for-15 from the floor (2-for-2 3FG) and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line.
THE OPENING QUARTER
After opening the game with turnovers on the first three possessions, the Vikings settled in and battled back from an 8-3 deficit to take a 13-12 lead through the first quarter. Kelsey Rogers led the Vikings with 4 points going 2-for-2 from the field. WWU ended the quarter on a 6-2 run over the final 2:32 of the quarter. Offsetting the 8 turnovers for the Vikings was 5-for-8 accuracy from the field shooting 62.5% in the opening quarter.
SECOND QUARTER SEESAW
Lubbock Christian started an 8-0 run with three-point play by senior forward Bobbi Chitsey at the 3:14 mark, pulling away from a 24-24 game to build a 32-24 lead. The Vikings answered with a 5-0 run to pull to within three points at 32-29. Emma Duff hit a last-second 3-pointer to cut the Lady Chaparrals lead to three points. Avery Dykstra led the Vikings with 5 points in the quarter, shooting 58.3% from the field (7-for-12).
LCU PULLS AWAY IN THIRD QUARTER
The Lady Chaparrals opened the third quarter going on a 9-2 run, and built a 13-point lead at 49-36 with 2:27 remaining in the quarter. The Vikings ended the quarter on a 4-0 run to close the gap to 9 points at 49-40 heading into the final quarter. Gracie Castaneda led the Vikings by scoring 7 of WWU’s 11 points in the quarter.
VIKING HOLIDAY HOOPS CLASSIC
Stanislaus State opened the 2018 Viking Holiday Hoops Classic with a 75-63 victory over Simon Fraser. Alexus Kelly and Caitlin Keding led the Warriors with 16 points apiece, as four Stanislaus State players reached double-figures in scoring. The game was tied 40-40 at the half and was a one-point game at 55-54 at the end of the third quarter, but the Warriors ended the game out-scoring the Clan 20-9 in the final quarter. Jessica Jones led SFU with 17 points, going 5-for-12 from 3-point range. SFU attempted 35 3-pointers, connecting on 13 from beyond the arc (37.1%).
GAME NOTES
Freshman guard Avery Dykstra made her first career start…freshman guard Monique Fierke (Monroe, WA) made her collegiate debut for the Vikings…this was the first meeting between WWU and Lubbock Christian…LCU was the 2016 NCAA Division II National Champions and was the preseason No. 10 team in the nation after advancing to the Elite 8 last season.
UP NEXT
The Vikings close out the non-conference portion of their schedule on Tuesday playing Stanislaus State (2-6) in the final game of the Viking Holiday Hoops Classic. WWU returns to conference play with its annual road trip to Alaska, facing Alaska Fairbanks on Jan. 3 and Alaska Anchorage on Jan. 5.
-- @WWUWBB --
