Tuesday, December 5, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Thanks to its upset win over then No. 13 ranked Western Oregon on Saturday, Western Washington’s men’s basketball team has been named as the first honorees in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) new National Team of the Week program.

The Vikings rolled to a 2-0 record last week, winning a pair of games by a combined 54 points. The impressive week start on Thursday with a 99-72 victory over Concordia in the Vikings’ GNAC opener. They followed that performance on Saturday by handing the Wolves their first loss of the season by a score of 85-58. In the two contests, Western Washington shot a combined 58.5 percent from the field 44.4 percent from the long distance.

The wins come in the midst of a nine-game season-opening home stand for Western Washington, which enters its Dec. 12 matchup with Cal State East Bay with a 5-2 overall record. The Vikings lead the GNAC and are ranked 12th in Division II in scoring at 91.6 points per game. Western Washington leads Division II in rebound margin (16.0), are fourth in field goal percentage (.531) and eighth in free throw percentage (.794), leading the GNAC in each category.

The other recipients of NABC Team of the Week awards are Presbyterian (Division I), Wisconsin-Oshkosh (Division III) and Truett McConnell (NAIA).