Feb. 19, 2007

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BELLINGHAM, Wash. -

UPDATE: Seeking to end a slump that has seen it go without a win since late January, a young Western Washington University men's basketball team entertains Northwest Nazarene University on Thursday (7 p.m.) in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest on Haggen Court at Sam Carver Gymnasium.

The Vikings, 9-13 overall and eighth in the GNAC at 3-9, then travel to Western Oregon University for a league counter Saturday (7 p.m.).

Western dropped two games in Alaska last week, running its losing streak to seven, the longest since a school-record 10-game drought during the 1982-83 campaign. The Vikings lost 84-62 to Alaska Fairbanks on Feb. 15 and were beaten 77-61 by Alaska Anchorage on Feb. 17.

Western, which at times has had three freshmen in its starting lineup, has lost 12 of its last 16 games after opening the season 5-1. WWU's last win was a 79-77 overtime thriller against arch-rival Central Washington on Jan. 20 at Carver Gym.

The two games this week come against opponents who, like the Vikings, are in the bottom third of the GNAC standings. Northwest Nazarene is 9-14 overall and seventh in the GNAC at 4-8. The Crusaders have won their last two games, but are 3-9 on the road this season, including losses in six of their last seven away contests. Western Oregon is 8-16 overall and last in the GNAC at 3-10. The Wolves have lost 10 of their 13 contests since the start of 2007, and although they are 4-4 at home, have lost their last four contests there.

This will be the first season since 1999-2000 that the Vikings have finished without a winning record, and one more loss would lead to their first losing campaign since 1998-99.

Senior forward Lukas Henne continues to lead Western in most statistical categories. He is averaging 17.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, shooting 52.5 percent (126-of-240) from the field and 90.2 percent (111-of-123) on free throws. All those numbers except the blocks top the team, and he ranks third in the GNAC in rebounding and free throw percentage, fourth in blocks, fifth in scoring and eighth in field goal percentage.

Henne has scored in double figures in 19 of 22 games this season, including all of the first 17 games.

Sophomore guard Ira Graham, who has led Western scorers in four of the last five games, is averaging 15.2 points, eighth in the GNAC, and a team-high 3.3 assists. He has scored double figures in all but two games this season.

Henne and Graham have started all 22 games, as has freshman center Steve Severin, who is averaging 5.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and a team-high 1.8 blocks. Severin ranks third in the GNAC in blocks, notching six in the loss to Alaska Anchorage, and 10th in rebounds.

Junior forward Brett Weisner is averaging 9.9 points in 15 games, including eight starts, since returning to action following a torn ACL suffered last April. Weisner has made his last 25 free throw attempts.

Sophomore forward Calin Schell has started all but five games. He is averaging 7.0 points and 6.2 rebounds.

Freshman guard Harold McAllister, who has started 10 games, leads the GNAC in 3-point percentage at 48.3 percent (29-of-60). He is averaging 7.3 points and a team-high 1.1 steals. Freshman guard Brandon Williams, who has made eight starts, is averaging 6.3 points.

The Vikings lead the GNAC in blocked shots (4.7 avg.) and are fourth in rebounding margin (plus 1.1), but are eighth in scoring (73.3) and last in field goal percentage (43.6).

Offensive struggles have been a key factor in the seven-game losing streak. Western was averaging 77.3 points a game prior to the slide, but has averaged just 64.6 during it. In the skid, the Vikings are shooting just 39.6 percent (153-of-386) from the field, including 26.0 percent (27-of-104) on 3-pointers. Western was hitting 6.9 3-pointers a game prior to the slump, but just 3.9 a contest during it.

UPCOMING GAMES:

Feb. 22 (Thu.) NORTHWEST NAZARENE UNIVERSITY* (CARVER GYM), 7 p.m.
Feb. 24 (Sat.) at Western Oregon University* (Monmouth, OR), 7 p.m.
Mar. 1 (Thu.) SEATTLE PACIFIC UNIVERSITY*# (CARVER GYM), 7 p.m.
Mar. 3 (Sat.) SAINT MARTIN'S UNIVERSITY*# (CARVER GYM), 3 p.m.

Home games (all caps) on Haggen Court at Sam Carver Gymnasium
#broadcast on KBAI Radio (930 AM) and via the internet at wwuvikings.com
*Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest

THREE-DOT NOTES: The losing streak is the longest in Coach Brad Jackson's 22-year tenure at Western. The Vikings had a five-game losing string under his tutelage during the 1998-99 season ... Henne ranked ninth nationally last week in free throw shooting ... Either Graham or Henne have led the Vikings in scoring in every game but one this season ... Weisner has made his last 25 free throws ... Two of Western's losses were to Top 25-ranked opponents at the first Great Western Shootout on Dec. 19-20. After a narrow 67-64 setback to No.22 Cal Poly Pomona, the host Vikings fell 86-67 to No.24 Cal State San Bernardino ... The Vikings, who are shooting 43.6 percent from the floor, have not shot below 46.4 percent from the field for a season since hitting 44.4 percent during the 1999-2000 campaign ... Western's home game with Pacific Lutheran on Nov. 28 was postponed because of winter weather conditions that forced closure of the school for two days. The contest will not be made up ... The last time Western did not score 100 points in a game during a season was 1983-84 ... Jackson has 407 career victories. That is four shy of the school record for wins by a coach in any sport. Current WWU director of athletics Lynda Goodrich posted 411 victories in 19 campaigns as the Vikings' women's basketball coach from 1971-90.

Henne was named MVP at the WWU Chuck Randall Thanksgiving Classic and was an all-tourney choice at the Seattle Pacific Tip-Off Classic. He also was a GNAC Player of the Week for Nov. 19-25 ... Graham was an all-tourney pick at both the Great Western Shootout and Randall Classic ... Just five letter winners and no starters return from last year's 23-7 Viking team that reached the championship game of the NCAA Division II West Regional. It was the first time that Western had made back-to-back appearances in the national tournament (reached regional semifinals in 2004-05). The Vikings, who placed second in the GNAC with a 13-5 record, had their second straight 20-win season and their fourth in the last six years.

COACH JACKSON: Brad Jackson is in his 22nd year and is the most successful men's coach in school history, both in total wins (407-237) and winning percentage (.632). He ranks No.19 among active NCAA II coaches in victories and 35th in winning percentage. In 2001, Jackson directed Western to a 27-4 record and the semifinals of the NCAA II National Championship, being named NABC/NCAA II West Region, Northwest small college and Pacific West Conference Coach of the Year. Five times named district/region Coach of the Year, Jackson has directed Western to 16 post-season playoff appearances, including district/region/conference championships and national tournament appearances in 1988, 1994, 2001, 2005 and 2006. He has had nine 20-win campaigns (1986-90, 1993-94, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2004-05, 2005-06).

RADIO BROADCASTS: Selected Western games are being broadcast this season on KBAI Radio (930 AM) with Doug Lange handling the play-by-play and Mark Scholten providing the color commentary. They also can be heard on the internet at www.wwuvikings.com.

ON THE WEB: For up-to-date statistics, box scores of every game, records, stories, etc., see the Western Athletic web page at www.wwuvikings.com. Up-to-date league standings and statistics can be found on the Great Northwest Athletic Conference web page at www.gnacsports.com.

PROBABLE WESTERN STARTERS & TOP RESERVES:

G Ira Graham, 6-1, *So., Fontana, CA/Fontana
G Harold McAllister, 6-0, Fr., Vancouver, WA/Mountain View
C Steve Severin, 6-10, Fr., Richland, WA/Hanford
F Lukas Henne, 6-7, ***Sr., Bremerton, WA/Central Kitsap
F Brandon Williams, 6-4, Fr., Chicago, IL/Thornton Fractional North

F Calin Schell, 6-7, *So., Chelan, WA/Chelan
G Brett Weisner, 6-5, **Jr., Spokane, WA/Shadle Park/Eastern Washington
G Bryan Adams, 6-0, TR.-Jr., San Jose, Calif./Branham/De Anza College
F Gabe Thrash, 6-8, Fr., Gardena, CA/Gardena
*letters

OPPONENT SKETCHES:

NORTHWEST NAZARENE UNIVERSITY: The Crusaders (9-14 overall, 4-8 GNAC, 6-5 home, 3-9 road), who have won their last two games following a 2-8 stretch, placed eighth in the GNAC last year (12-15, 7-11) and were picked to place eighth in the preseason coaches poll. Second-year coach Tim Hills (21-29, 28th overall, 462-423) returns just one starter - 6-1 senior guard Marcus Clift (11.1 ppg, 3.9 apg). Also back is 6-1 senior guard Tim Ireland (11.3 ppg, Bellingham High graduate). Three standout freshmen are 6-4 guard Justin Parnell (14.6 ppg, 3.4 apg), a two-time Oregon 3A Far West League MVP, 6-7 forward Kendall Gielow (10.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg), who was co-MVP of the Oregon 4A state championship game, and 6-1 guard Louie Beech (7.9 ppg). Two more new faces making key contributions are 6-8 junior forward Jason Simmons (10.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg), who averaged 19.3 points and 7.6 rebounds last year at Olympic CC, and 6-4 senior forward Casey Fisher (7.1 ppg), a graduate student who played two years at Regis University CO before missing his junior and senior seasons with knee injuries. NNU tops the GNAC in free throw accuracy at 79.7 percent. Western leads the series 12-5, losing 95-72 at Nampa, Id., on Jan. 6.

WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY: The Wolves (8-16 overall, 3-10 GNAC, 4-4 home, 4-12 road), who have lost 10 of their last 13 games after a 5-6 start, finished ninth in the GNAC last year (9-18, 4-14) and were picked to place ninth in the preseason GNAC Coaches' Poll. Two starters return for second-year head coach Craig Stanger (17-34). They are 6-8 sophomore center Travis Kuhns (10.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg), the 2005-06 GNAC Freshman of the Year, and 6-7 senior forward Jacob Mitchell (17.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 58.5 FG Pct.-2nd GNAC). Also back are 6-3 senior guard Dominique DeWeese (6.9 ppg), who started 18 games two years ago, but played in just two games last season because of injuries; and 5-9 junior guard Brad Krichevsky (5.8 ppg). Two talented newcomers are 6-7 senior forward Ryan Schmidt (12.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg), who spent last year at University of Hawaii after averaging 18.2 points and 5.6 rebounds at Linn-Benton JC the previous season, and 6-0 senior guard Alex Swerzbin (8.4 ppg, 4.8 apg), a transfer from Clackamas CC. Western Washington holds a 31-9 series advantage, winning the last five meetings, including a 97-94 victory at Monmouth, Ore., on Jan. 4.

SEATTLE PACIFIC UNIVERSITY: The GNAC-leading Falcons (16-8 overall, 9-4 GNAC, 10-1 home, 6-7 road, Feb. 22 host Alaska Fairbanks, Feb. 24 host Alaska Anchorage), who are the defending GNAC (26-6 overall, 14-4 league) and NCAA II West Region champions, were picked to place second in the preseason coaches poll. They have won 12 of their last 16 games after a 4-4 start. Leading SPU is first-team GNAC all-star 6-4 senior guard Dustin Bremerman (18.8 ppg-4th GNAC, .881 FT Pct.-5th GNAC). Two other top returnees for coach Jeff Hironaka (5th year, 91-47) are 6-10 junior center Rob Will (13.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.1 bpg - 1st GNAC, 56.6 FG Pct.-5th GNAC) and 6-4 senior forward Drew Matzen (9.0 ppg). Two new faces are 6-8 redshirt freshman Rob Diederichs (9.0 ppg, 54.4 FG Pct.) and 6-5 junior forward JoJay Jackson (9.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg), a transfer from Solano (Calif.) JC where he averaged 19.7 points and 7.3 rebounds. SPU tops the GNAC in scoring offense at 80.9 points per game. SPU leads in the series, 67-44, the two rivals splitting their home-and-home series in each of the last five years. The Falcons won the first meeting this season, 80-65, on Jan. 13 at Seattle.

SAINT MARTIN'S UNIVERSITY: The Saints (10-14 overall, 7-6 league, 7-3 home, 3-11 road, Feb. 22 host Seattle, March 1 at Western Oregon), who have won just two of their last eight games after a seven-game winning streak), were picked to place sixth in the preseason coaches poll after placing 10th last year (7-20, 2-16). They have lost three of their last four contests following a seven-game winning streak. Five returnees start for coach Keith Cooper (4th season, 34-71), led by 5-10 sophomore guard Jake Linton (19.9 ppg-2nd GNAC, 5.1 apg-3rd GNAC), 6-5 junior forward Brendan Campbell (14.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg-2nd GNAC), 6-5 senior forward Stephon Harris (11.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and 6-1 senior guard Greg O'Neal (9.0 ppg). Rounding out the first five is 6-9 senior center Trevor Dunstan (6.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg). Two other returnees making solid contributions are 6-5 sophomore forward Tyler Nixon (5.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg) and 6-1 senior guard Joe Chirhart (3.3 ppg). Western, which leads the series, 114-57, had an 11-game series winning streak snapped with a 67-64 loss at Lacey on Feb. 8.

GAME SUMMARIES:

Feb. 15 - Alaska Fairbanks 84, WESTERN 62 at Fairbanks, AK

Western started slowly and never really recovered, falling to Alaska Fairbanks, 84-62, in a GNAC game at Patty Center. Henne led Western with 14 points, hitting all four of his shots from the field, including two 3-pointers, and all four of his free throw attempts. Alaska Fairbanks, No.8 in the NCAA II West Region rating, improved to 16-9 overall and 7-4 in the GNAC with its fifth win in the last six games. Forward Jushay Rockett led the Nanooks with 22 points, 15 in the first half. Alaska Fairbanks took control quickly, jumping to a 20-5 lead just 6:14 into the game. The Nanooks later used a run of 14 straight points to extend the lead to 26, 41-15, with 4:31 left in the half, and held a 50-23 advantage at halftime. Alaska Fairbanks shot 54.8 percent (17-of-31) from the field in the first half and had a 19-9 edge in rebounds, while Western shot only 26.3 percent (5-of-19). The Nanooks led by as much as 35 in the second half, and Western never was closer than the final margin of 22. McAllister had 12 points for Western, which finished the game at 37.3 percent (19-of-51) from the field. Mike Titus had 15 points for Alaska Fairbanks, and Steven Sandles and Kenny Barker each added 13, with Sandles also grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds.

Feb. 17 - Alaska Anchorage 77, WESTERN 61 at Anchorage, AK

Alaska Anchorage used a burst at the start of the second half to break open a tight game and hand Western its seventh consecutive defeat, 77-61, in a GNAC game at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex. The 61 points matched the lowest output of the last six seasons for Western. Graham had 16 points for the Vikings. Alaska Anchorage, No.5 in this week's NCAA Division II West Region ranking, improved to 17-7 overall and 8-5 in the GNAC with its fourth victory in the last five games. Forward Carl Arts led the Seawolves with 25 points and 12 rebounds, and forward McCade Olsen added 23 points. Western trailed by just one, 29-28, at halftime, but the Seawolves opened the second half with a 15-2 run to take a 44-30 lead with 14:18 left in the game. The lead never went under double digits after that. The Vikings pulled within 10, 57-47, on a Graham 3-pointer with 7:08 to play, but UAA countered with the next six points. The Vikings shot just 30.0 percent (9-of-30) from the field in the second half, finishing the game at 38.9 percent (21-of-54). They were perfect on all 16 of their free throw attempts for the game, breaking the school record for free throws made in a game without a miss. The old mark was 13-of-13 set against Saint Martin's on Feb. 12, 1998. Weisner, who had 12 points, was 8-of-8 at the line. Western blocked 10 shots, with Severin getting six, the most by a Viking in a single game since the 2002-03 season. Western trailed early in the game, falling behind 12-7 a little over six minutes into the contest, turning the ball over on six of its first 13 trips down court. But the Vikings rallied with 11 straight points to take an 18-12 lead with 8:17 left in the first half. UAA regained the lead at 23-22 on two free throws by Eric Draper with 5:21 left, and never trailed again. Western shot 50.0 percent (12-of-24) from the field in the first half to only 36.7 percent (11-of-30) for UAA, and had an 18-12 advantage in rebounds, but committed 11 turnovers that led to 14 Seawolf points.