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Western men’s basketball drops thriller to Saint Martin’s

Team effort not enough for Vikings in close 75-71 loss

Western Washington University's BJ Kolly and a Saint Martin's University player chase after a loose ball with their arms entangled as spectators watch from the sidelines.
Western Washington University redshirt freshman forward BJ Kolly and a Saint Martin's University player chase after a loose ball Jan. 27. Kolly finished with a double-double in Western's 75-71 loss. (Finn Wendt/Cascadia Daily News)
By Finn Wendt Visual Journalist

Western Washington University men’s basketball lost a close 75-71 contest against Saint Martin’s University at home on Thursday, Jan. 26. 

The game was tight from the tip-off — neither team led by more than four points for the first 10 minutes of the first half. Redshirt freshman forward BJ Kolly did some familiar bullying in the post during those minutes, posting 10 of Western’s 17 points. 

BJ Kolly looks to a referee in disbelief with one leg up in the air as other members behind him look to see the results.
BJ Kolly looks to a referee in disbelief after getting called for a shooting foul. (Finn Wendt/Cascadia Daily News)

Western continued to outpace Saint Martin’s from there, making five 3-pointers in the following four-and-a-half minutes to accumulate its largest lead of the night, going up 33-24. 

After that, however, the Vikings’ offense momentarily stalled, allowing the Saints to go on a 9-0 run and tie up the game. After a few back-and-forth possessions, Western went into halftime up by a slim 40-38. 

Coming out of the break, the game continued at a similar pace with neither team extending a lead of more than three points through the first six minutes. The lead then swapped five more times until the Saints went up 54-52 and didn’t let go for the final 13 minutes of the game. 

Head coach surrounded by his team wearing their signature white uniform strategize during a timeout.
Western head coach Tony Dominguez talks to his team during a timeout. (Finn Wendt/Cascadia Daily News)

The Vikings lost a couple of possessions to the Saints early in the second half and Western head coach Tony Dominguez said getting behind at that point made the difference in the even-set game. 

“I think if we could have eliminated that, I think [the game] would’ve been in our favor, but it wasn’t,” he said. 

The men have played a tumultuous set of games in January, going 3-6 in GNAC play. Despite the loss, the game showed a lot of promise, and seven of eight players who touched the court scored six or more points. 

Johnson leaping towards the basketball net with the ball in hand as a defender tries to block the shot with his body.
Johnson draws contact from a Saint Martin’s defender Jan. 27 as he attacks the rim. (Finn Wendt/Cascadia Daily News)

“[Kolly] and Kai [Johnson] are going to be All-Americans. We have a guy in D’Angelo Minnis who hasn’t missed a shot all year, [Jonathan] Ned … Darius Gary, too,” Western senior guard Daniel Hornbuckle said. “Now our thing is trying to make the game easy for each other. I think we’re starting to do that, and with that happening, we’re going to start seeing success.” 

Kolly collected his third double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Hornbuckle matched Kolly with 16 points of his own while shooting three-for-six beyond the arc. 

The first face-off between the Vikings and the Saints this season resulted in a similarly tight game in Lacey, where Saint Martin’s squeaked away with an 89-84 win. 

Saint Martin’s recently dropped out of the D2SIDA national rankings after peaking during week five at No. 18.  


Jonathan Ned reaches to block the opposing team's jump shot as two other players behind him watch.
Western junior forward Jonathan Ned contests a Saint Martin’s shot. (Finn Wendt/Cascadia Daily News)

“We can’t point fingers. We can’t get upset because in life, what would you do? Would you just be frustrated and say, ‘I hate this’ and quit? No, you’ll fight it,” Dominguez said. “We just want to fight to get back to where we think we can be.” 

The Vikings host Western Oregon University (8-9, 5-5 GNAC) at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28.

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