The Doug Lange Network 

January 6, 2019 

​

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University junior Trevor Jasinsky hit three consecutive three-pointers down the stretch as the Vikings ended a 75-68 victory over No. 19 nationally-ranked Saint Martin’s scoring 10 consecutive points to knock off the first-place Saints in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action Saturday night on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

 

The Vikings snapped a four-game losing streak to improve to 8-6 overall and evened its mark in GNAC play at 2-2. Saint Martin’s suffered just its second loss of the season to drop to 10-2 on the season and took its first loss in conference play at 3-1. 

 

WWU trailed Saint Martin’s 66-59 with 5:08 remaining in the game, but went on a 16-2 run and held the Saints without a field goal the rest of the game to secure the victory.

 

Jasinsky (Camas, WA) recorded a monster 25-point, 12-rebound double-double to lead all players in scoring. The junior scored 17 of his 25 points in the second half, including 11 over the final 4:16. Prior to draining three consecutive 3-pointers, starting at the 2:07 mark to tie the game at 68-68, Jasinsky was 0-for-5 from 3-point range. Jasinsky has now recorded a conference-best eight 20-point games and is averaging 19.7 points per game (24.0 ppg in 4 GNAC games).

 

Junior forward Cameron Retherford (Portland, OR/Benson/Portland CC) tied his season high with 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting, scoring 12 points in the second half.

 

Freshman Jalen Green (Renton, WA/Lindbergh) recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds while making his third career start.

 

The Saints had four players reach double-figures in scoring, led by 16 points each from EJ Boyce (4-for-9 FG) and Chandler Redix (7-for-14 FG).  

 

FROM THE HEAD COACH

“We felt like we had a lot of momentum early in the season, and had a tough trip to Hawai'i, but I am really proud of how the guys stuck with it and got a big win tonight. We fought through some tough shooting in the first half, and the second half was a great confidence booster for the guys. I thought Trevor Jasinsky was excellent down the stretch, putting the team on his back with those three straight three-pointers,” said head coach Tony Dominguez.   

 

WHAT A FINISH

Following  dunk by SMU’s Tavian Henderson at the 5:08 mark, the Vikings trailed the Saints by seven points at 66-59. Jalen Green hit a pair of free throws to spark the Vikings to a 16-2 run to finish the game. Green hit a pair of free throws at the 3:44 mark to cut the deficit to 67-65, and after a SMU free throw, Trevor Jasinsky started his shooting barrage with the first of his three consecutive 3-pointers at the 2:07 mark. WWU held Saint Martin’s without a field goal over the final five minutes of the game.  

 

SHOOTING TURNAROUND

After shooting 31.0 percent in the first half (9-for-29), the Vikings caught fire in the second half shooting at a 50-percent clip connecting on 13-of-26 shots. The strong second-half shooting performance lifted the Vikings to a 40.0-percent mark for the game (22-for-55).  

 

DOMINATING THE BOARDS

The Vikings dominated the boards out-rebounding the Saints 48-26, including a 15-8 advantage in offensive rebounds. For the season the Vikings are the top rebounding team in the conference averaging 40.1 rebounds per game (Concordia is 2nd at 37.2 rebounds/game).  

 

THE CHARITY STRIPE

WWU continued its solid free throw shooting by connecting on 24-of-26 free throws vs. the Saints. Trevor Jasinsky was 10-for-10 from the free throw line and freshman Jalen Green was 7-for-8. WWU leads the GNAC with a season free throw percentage of 79.0 (218-for-276).

 

BACK-AND-FORTH EARLY SECOND HALF

The Vikings opened the second half on a 7-0 run in the first two minutes to take a four-point lead at 37-33. After starting the second half slow, Saint Martin’s heated up going on a 16-2 run over a 3:36 stretch to take a 10-point lead at 49-39 with 12:56 remaining. WWU responded with a 13-5 run, including 8 straight points by Cameron Retherford, to pull to within two points at 54-52 with 8:44 remaining

 

FIRST HALF RECAP

Despite shooting 31.0 percent in the first half, the Vikings rallied at the end of the first half to trail by just three points at 33-30. WWU was 9-for-29 from the field and 2-for-13 from 3-point range (15.4%), but hit all 10 of its free throw attempts to stay close with the Saints. SMU pulled away from a 9-9 tie by going on a 7-0 run to take a 16-9 lead and used an 8-2 run that ended at the 5:18 mark to take a 28-21 lead. Western made it a one possession game going into the half by going on a 9-5 run. Trevor Jasinsky led the Vikings with 8 points, led by 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Luke Lovelady added 6 points on 3-for-5 shooting and Leif Anderson chipped in 5 points on 2-for-5 shooting. Saint Martin’s started shot 44.4% in the first half (12-for-27), including 6-for-14 from 3-point range. Chandler Redix led all players with 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting (2-for-4 3FG).

​

UP NEXT

The Vikings return to the road next week with a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference contests. WWU opens the week on Thursday, Jan. 10, at Northwest Nazarene (8-2, 3-1 GNAC) in Nampa, Idaho, with tip-off set for 7:30 pm MT/6:30 pm PT. The Vikings will then head to Ellensburg for the annual rivalry game vs. Central Washington (7-5, 1-3) on Saturday, Jan. 12, at 7 pm inside Nicholson Pavilion. Both games from the road can be followed live online via webcast and statistical updates at GNAC.tv.

​

-- @WWUHoops --