Dec. 22, 2006

BELLINGHAM, Wash. -

UPDATE: Looking to snap a three-game losing streak, the Western Washington University men's basketball team entertains Dixie State on Thursday (Dec. 28-7 p.m.) in its last non-league contest before beginning Great Northwest Athletic Conference play the following week.

The Vikings, 5-4, dropped two games to nationally ranked opponents as host of the first Great Western Shootout in Las Vegas, Nev., on Dec. 19-20. After a narrow 67-64 loss to No.22 Cal Poly Pomona, they fell 86-67 to No.24 Cal State San Bernardino.

Western's meeting with Dixie State will be the first. The Rebels are in their first year at the NCAA Division II level after being a powerhouse in the junior college ranks.

In its last appearance on Haggen Court at Sam Carver Gymnasium on Dec. 3, Western had a 31-game regular-season home court winning streak snapped, losing 84-70 to Notre Dame de Namur.

Following the Dixie State game, the Vikings begin league play, entertaining Western Oregon on Jan. 4 (Thu.-7 p.m.) and traveling to Northwest Nazarene on Jan. 6 (Sat., 7 p.m.). Western, which finished second in the GNAC last season, was picked to place fifth in the preseason coaches poll. Northwest Nazarene was predicted to finish eighth and Western Oregon ninth.

Senior forward Lukas Henne continues as Western's scoring leader at 18.3 points per game. He is shooting 54.2 percent (52-of-96) from the field and 93.0 percent (53-of-57) on free throws, both team highs.

Henne, who is second on the squad in rebounding with a 6.9 average, has scored double-figure points in all nine games, twice netting a career-high 27. He was named MVP at the WWU Chuck Randall Thanksgiving Classic and was an all-tourney pick at the SPU Tip-Off Classic.

Sophomore guard Ira Graham has also reached double-figure points in every game. Averaging 15.9 points and a team-high 4.3 assists, he was an all-tournament pick at both the GWS and Randall Classic, scoring a career-high 27 points in a 96-88 win over Northwest on Nov. 24.

Seeing his first action of the season at the GWS was junior guard Brett Weisner, who suffered a serious knee injury in April that required surgery. He averaged 8.5 points in the two games.

Three freshmen have been performing notably. Guard Harold McAllister, who got his first two career starts at the GWS, is averaging 8.3 points, shooting 51.2 percent (22-of-43) from the floor, 53.3 percent (16-of-30) from 3-point range, and 83.3 percent (15-of-18) at the line. Guard Brandon Williams is scoring at a 9.0 clip and center Steve Severin tops the team in rebounds at 7.1, while averaging 5.4 points on 53.7 percent (22-of-41) accuracy from the field.

Sophomore forward Calin Schell is averaging 8.1 points and 6.8 rebounds.

Western coach Brad Jackson, in his 22nd season, has 403 career victories. That is eight wins 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.

Western shot just 39.0 percent (39-of-100) from the floor at the GWS and has had just 31 assists compared to 59 turnovers in its last three outings. At the GWS, the Vikings' 64 points against Cal Poly Pomona was a season low and their 67-point output versus Cal State San Bernardino was tied for the third lowest of the year.

UPCOMING GAMES:

Dec. 28 (Thu.) DIXIE STATE COLLEGE, 7 p.m. (BELLINGHAM)
Jan. 4 (Thu.) WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY*, 7 p.m. (BELLINGHAM)
Jan. 6 (Sat.) at Northwest Nazarene University*, 7 p.m. (Nampa, ID)
Jan. 11 (Thu.) at Seattle University*#, 7 p.m. (Seattle - Connolly Center)
Jan. 13 (Sat.) at Seattle Pacific University *#, 7 p.m. (Seattle - Brougham Pavilion)

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 Vikings, who are shooting 42.3 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 is expected to made up later in the season ... 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 ... Western is now 15-3 in Randall Classic contests, winning its last 10 games ... 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 ... The last time Western did not score 100 points in a game during a season was 1983-84.

COACH JACKSON: Brad Jackson is in his 22nd year and is the most successful men's coach in school history, both in total wins (403-228) and winning percentage (.639). 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 either Mark Scholten, Jason Stiles or Ervin Kuehbler 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 Calin Schell, 6-7, *So., Chelan, WA/Chelan

G Brett Weisner, 6-5, **Jr., Spokane, WA/Shadle Park/Eastern Washington
G Brandon Williams, 6-4, Fr., Chicago, IL/Thornton Fractional North
F Gabe Thrash, 6-8, Fr., Gardena, CA/Gardena
*letters

OPPONENT SKETCHES:

DIXIE STATE COLLEGE: The Rebels (9-7), who are making the transition from junior college to NCAA Division II (member of Pacific West Conference), have just one player back from last year's 21-12 team that ranked No.14 nationally in the final JC national poll - 6-5 sophomore guard Ben Hartman (9.3 ppg). Two redshirts returning for second-year coach Jon Judkins are 5-10 junior guard Dan Stock (10.3 ppg, 5.7 apg) and 6-6 sophomore forward Mike Shaw (4.8 ppg). Three top newcomers are 6-2 freshman guard Johnny Little (11.1 ppg), 6-4 sophomore forward Ryan Sanchez (12.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.1 spg), a transfer from the College of Eastern Utah and 6-6 junior forward Troy Randall (9.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg), a transfer from Western Wyoming College. First meeting.

WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY: The Wolves (3-6, Dec. 29 host North Dakota, Dec. 30 host Shepherd), who were 9-18 last year, are picked to place ninth in the preseason GNAC Coaches' Poll. Two starters return for second-year head coach Craig Stanger. They are 6-8 sophomore center Travis Kuhns (9.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg), the 2005-06 GNAC Freshman of the Year, and 6-7 senior forward Jacob Mitchell (19.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 61.5 FG Pct.). Also back are 6-3 senior guard Dominique DeWeese (6.4 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 (7.3 ppg, 2.6 spg). Two talented newcomers are 6-7 senior forward Ryan Schmidt (16.8 ppg, 6.3 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 (10.3 ppg, 6.4 apg), a transfer from Clackamas CC. WOU lost a four-overtime 126-122 decision to Cal State Monterey Bay on Dec. 15. Western holds a 30-9 series advantage, winning the last four meetings.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE UNIVERSITY: The Crusaders (4-6, Jan. 4 host Seattle U.), who were 12-15 last year, are picked to place eighth in the preseason GNAC Coaches' Poll. Second-year coach Tim Hills (17-21, 28th year, 458-415) returns just one starter - 6-1 senior guard Marcus Clift (10.3 ppg, 4.1 apg). Also back is 6-1 senior guard Tim Ireland (12.3 ppg, Bellingham High graduate). Three standout freshmen are 6-4 guard Justin Parnell (15.5 ppg, 4.5 apg), a two-time Oregon 3A Far West League MVP, 6-7 forward Kendall Gielow (9.6 ppg), who was co-MVP of the Oregon 4A state championship game, and 6-1 guard Louie Beech (8.1 ppg). Two more new faces making key contributions are 6-8 junior forward Jason Simmons (15.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg), who averaged 19.3 points and 7.6 rebounds last year at Olympic CC, and 6-4 senior forward Casey Fisher (7.5 ppg), a graduate student who played two years at Regis University CO before missing his junior and senior seasons with knee injuries. Western leads the series 12-4, but has split the home-and-home series in each of the last three seasons.

GAME SUMMARIES:

Dec. 19 - Cal Poly Pomona 67. WESTERN 64 at Las Vegas, NV (Great Western Shootout) Guard Billy Hofman hit two free throws with 12 seconds left, lifting nationally ranked Cal Poly Pomona to a 67-64 victory over host Western at the first Great Western Shootout at Valley High School. Graham led Western, which fell to 5-3 with its second straight loss, with 13 points and a game-high six assists. Cal Poly Pomona, which was ranked No.22 in the NCAA Division II Coaches Top 25, improved to 6-1 overall with its fifth consecutive victory. Forward Dion Cook led the Broncos with a game-high 19 points. Weisner, who scored 12 points off the bench in his first action after returning from a knee injury suffered last spring, gave Western a 64-63 lead on two free throws with 24.9 seconds left. Hofman, who had not attempted a free throw all season, was then fouled driving the lane, and swished both shots for the go-ahead points. Western had a chance to go back in front, but a pass sailed over an open Graham and out-of-bounds with five seconds left. Luis Pulido then made two free throws with two seconds left to put the Broncos up by three, and the Vikings were unable to get off a game-tying attempt. The Vikings trailed by 13, 45-32, with 13:48 left, but went on an 18-3 run to take a 50-48 lead on a 10-footer by Graham with 7:53 left. The game was tied eight times after that, with neither team ever leading by more than three points. Schell had 12 points for Western, and Henne added 11. Western, which shot just 32.1 percent (9-of-28) in the first half, was tied at 23-all when Weisner hit a 3-pointer. But Cal Poly Pomona closed the half with eight points in the last 59 seconds, capped by Cook's 3-pointer from two steps behind the halfcourt line. The Vikings had a 28-25 edge in rebounds, with Severin grabbing a game-high six. It was Western's second loss to Cal Poly Pomona this season. The Broncos defeated the Vikings, 75-66, in Seattle on Nov. 17.

Dec. 20 - Cal State San Bernardino 86, WESTERN 67 at Las Vegas, NV (Great Western Shootout) Tournament MVP Prentice Harris scored a game-high 26 points as nationally ranked Cal State San Bernardino defeated host Western to close out the first Great Western Shootout at Valley High School. CSUSB, ranked No.24 in the latest NABC/NCAA Division I Coaches Top 25, improved to 7-2 with its sixth consecutive triumph. Forward Yoseph Yaisrael added 16 points for the Coyotes. Western, which was led by the 13 points and eight rebounds of forward Lukas Henne, fell to 5-4 with its third straight loss. It is the first three-game losing streak for the Vikings since the 2003-04 season, and ironically the third loss in that string was to Cal State San Bernardino in Las Vegas shortly before Christmas. CSUSB broke the game open midway through the first half, using a 14-2 run in a 3:21 span to take a 28-13 lead with 4:36 left in the period. The Coyotes held a 35-21 lead at halftime and the margin was never less than 17 points in the final 13 minutes. Their biggest advantage was 27 points, 66-39, with 10:37 remaining. Graham had 12 points on four second-half 3-pointers for Western, which shot just 39.2 percent (20-of-51) from the field and committed 25 turnovers. Harris, a senior guard, was 8-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-7 on 3-pointers, and hit all six of his free throws.