Western Washington University men’s basketball ended its season with a bittersweet 90-79 win over Simon Fraser University at home Feb. 25.
The Vikings finished the season 15-13 overall, but 8-10 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, putting them a single win short of qualifying for the postseason.
“I feel really proud of these guys,” Western coach Tony Dominguez said. “They did what they needed to do and finish on a high note.”
Senior guards Daniel Hornbuckle, D’Angelo Minnis and Lucas Holden, playing one last time in a Vikings jersey, were honored before the game. The team also celebrated team manager Ryder Cunningham’s 20th year with the team.
Western men’s basketball team manager Ryder Cunningham is honored for his 20th season with the team.
(Finn Wendt/Cascadia Daily News)
All three seniors led Western in scoring on the night — with Holden scoring a game-high 18 points, Minnis contributing 17 and Hornbuckle adding 16. Holden also shot a perfect 7 for 7 on the floor.
“It sucks having the last game, but we didn’t want to go have our last game be a loss,” Holden said. “We all went out, had fun and we all performed well.”
The game was tight as soon as it tipped off.
Simon Fraser held the lead through the first eight minutes, but Western never trailed by more than three during that stretch as seven Vikings scored to keep it close.
Western took its first lead with just over 12 minutes remaining in the first half and went into the locker room holding a 45-41 lead.
Western’s Lucas Holden (11) reacts to a foul call.
(Finn Wendt/Cascadia Daily News)
The second half was another back-and-forth battle as the game saw a total of 11 lead changes.
The Vikings controlled the game for the first four minutes of the second half until the Red Leafs retook the lead. Western went up for good with just under 12 minutes remaining and led by as many as 13 in the final two minutes to seal the victory.
The Vikings wrapped up a frustrating season that seemed promising at the start.
“The sad thing is I do think if we could’ve snuck into that tournament we would have performed very well,” Dominguez said.
As a team, Western finished the season top-three in the GNAC in scoring, free throw percentage, 3-point percentage, 3-pointers made, defensive rebounds and blocks.
The three Viking seniors combined for over 3147 minutes and 998 points on the season.
Minnis finishes five years at Western with 1,081 points in 83 games, all starts. He earned the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year award in the 2021–22 season and wound up on SportsCenter with a half-court buzzer-beater the same year.
Western’s D’Angelo Minnis (5) looks to dish off a pass in the paint.
(Finn Wendt/Cascadia Daily News)
“It’s bittersweet,” said Minnis. “Of course we want to be in the tournament, but it’s good we went out like this.”
Hornbuckle closes out three years at Western in a five-year varsity career. As a Viking, he racked up 719 points across 52 games. In the 2021–22 season, he was selected All-GNAC Honorable Mention and to the GNAC All-Academic team.
“I don’t think it’s really hit, to be honest,” Hornbuckle said. “It’ll hit in a couple of hours. All love for these guys.”
Holden ends a four-year collegiate career with two seasons spent at Western where he scored 421 points across 55 games. He received the GNAC Faculty Athletic Representative Award in the 2020–21 season and made the GNAC All-Academic team the following year.
“All the seniors, they’re very talented young men, they’re going to be very successful in life,” Dominguez said. “The guys that are coming back, we’re excited about them and building another team.”
