March 8, 2008

Box Score

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Guard Ira Graham (Jr., Fontana, CA) scored a team-high 15 points as Western Washington University ended its season with a 70-63 victory over Northwest Nazarene University in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball game Saturday on Haggen Court at Sam Carver Gymnasium.

The Vikings, who shot 71.4 percent (15-of-21) percent from the field in the second half, concluded the season 15-12 overall and 8-10 in the GNAC.

Northwest Nazarene slipped to 17-10 overall, 9-9 in conference play. Guard Justin Parnell led the Crusaders with game-highs of 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Western was without head coach Brad Jackson, who missed the game with illness, the first absence of his 23-year coaching career covering 674 games. Assistant coach Tony Dominguez directed the team in his absence.

The Vikings jumped to an 11-2 lead in the first 4:04 and never trailed, but the game was tied at 29-29 in the opening minute of the second half.

Western then went on a 16-2 run in a little less than seven minutes to take a 45-31 lead with 12:44 to play. Guard Harold McAllister (Jr., Vancouver/Mountain View) started the charge with a 3-pointer, then capped it with a layin and free throw.

Western was up by 15, 61-46, with under five minutes left. Northwest Nazarene made a late charge, pulling to within four, 67-63, on a 3-pointer by Joel Ryman with 37 seconds left, and got the ball back after Graham missed two free throws, but Parnell missed a 3-pointer that would have cut the margin to one, and Western guard Andrew Ready (Jr., Chicago, IL/Westinghouse) then hit two free throws, effectively putting the game away.

Center David Brittinen (Jr., Hoquiam), making his first career start, had 11 points and three blocked shots for Western, and McAllister had 10 points. The Vikings had a season-high 11 blocked shots.

Western shot 60.9 percent (28-of-46) from the field for the game. But the Vikings again struggled from the foul line, hitting just 10-of-24 attempts (41.7 percent) to finish the season at a school-record low 61.2 percent.

Adam Shildmyer had 14 points off the bench for the Crusaders, who shot just 36.9 percent (24-of-65) from the field, but had a 43-27 rebound advantage.

Western's lone senior, Greg Meier (Chelan), had five points in eight minutes of action, all in the second half.