Monday, January 13, 2020

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Western Washington men’s basketball team was triumphant last week as the Vikings swept the Alaska schools to extend their winning streak to six games and earn selection as the GNAC Team of the Week.

Western Washington escaped with a 74-70 victory over Alaska Anchorage on Thursday before scoring a 71-63 win over Alaska on Saturday. Down by three points at the half, the Vikings limited UAA to 30.8 percent shooting and outscored the Seawolves 36-29 in the second half to hand them their second conference loss.

The Vikings pulled off another come-from-behind win on Saturday. After scoring just 29 points in the first half, the Vikings erupted for 42 points in the second half, shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range, to run away with the eight-point victory over the Nanooks.

“Our play and success lately have been defensive-driven,” head coach Tony Dominguez said. “I am really happy with the focus and intensity the team has had in these recent games, and the defense has been critical to our success.”

Freshman guard D’Angelo Minnis turned in two consistent performances as he averaged 17 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 48 percent from the field. Minnis scored 16 points to go with six assists and five rebounds in Anchorage then ended his week with 18 points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal in Fairbanks, connecting on 6 of 11 from the field against the Nanooks.

Senior forward Trevor Jasinsky registered a pair of double-digit scoring performances to help lead the Vikings in The Last Frontier. Jasinsky recorded 11 points, six rebounds, five assists and a steal against the Seawolves. He then notched a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds and added four assists, a steal and a block against the Nanooks.

Sophomore forward Jalen Green totaled 24 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. His week was highlighted by his 14 points, six rebounds, two assists and block against the Seawolves.

Senior center Logan Schilder also saw his best performance come in Anchorage as he made 8 of 12 from the field to score a game-high 17 points to go with 14 rebounds to secure his second double-double of the season.

“Logan had his best game of the season,” Dominguez said. “He was very active and focused on offense and defense. He affected the game with and without the ball.”

The Vikings improved to 10-4 overall and sit in second place in the conference standings with a 5-1 conference mark. The Vikings will return home this week to host Concordia on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday.