Junior guard Kai Johnson scored 31 points but Western Washington University men’s basketball was unable to hold onto a slim halftime lead as it fell 112-105 to Saint Martin’s on Saturday, Jan. 6 at Sam Carver Gymnasium.
Western (10-4, 2-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) had its six-game win streak snapped by Saint Martin’s (13-1, 3-1 GNAC), which is currently ranked No. 5 nationally among NCAA Division II programs.
The Vikings led 49-48 at halftime before allowing the Saints to pull away five minutes into the second half. Saint Martin’s senior guard Kyle Greeley totaled 31 points to tie Johnson’s game-high scoring effort.
Four other Saint Matin’s players scored at least 10 points, highlighted by sophomore guard Kaden Hansen’s 22 points and seven rebounds.
Three Western players outside of Johnson scored in double figures, led by senior forward Johnathan Ned’s 16 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Junior forward Nic Welp tallied 14 points while sophomore forward BJ Kolly finished with 13 points and six rebounds. Johnson also had seven assists for the Vikings.
Next up for Western is a two-game road trip that takes its first stop at Montana State Billings (10-4, 4-0 GNAC) at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 11. After that, the Vikings will head to Seattle Pacific at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13.
