Men’s basketball this year is the best surprise of Western sports this year, and Tijean Sain and Garrett Levesque are one of the reasons.
Entering the final two games of the regular season, the Vikings won a spot in the postseason Great North West Thres Retic Conference Championship Tournament, but are hoping to play in the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time since 2017.
GNAC winners will receive automatic bids, but large slots are also playing, raising the stakes to ensure Western ends strong.
Western is the hottest team at the conference, outperforming the fourth-place standings (10-6 GNAC, 18-8 overall). The Vikings have won 10 of their last 11 games, dug up from the start of the 0-5 meeting and dumped the shovel.
“This year, our pride and our defensive efforts, we take it to the next level,” he said, coming to the West from Mariner High in Everett and cousin of Viking Hoops alum BJ Collie. “I still feel like there’s a lot to unlock.”
Thane and Levesque helped turn things around. Shortly after returning from his injured ankle, a layup sprinting through the cost buzzer from Thane’s coast on January 16 helped him beat the nationally ranked St. Martin, 77-75. Nine days later, Levesque, one of two former NCAA Division I players on the roster, sunk an unusual three-point attempt with three seconds left to beat Simon Fraser, 79-77.
The sign, which is a larger size but performing a redshirt sophomore guard, has shed tears in the last three games, scoring a total of 93 points to score a team (16.6 points per game). A 6-6 forward and junior transfer from the University of Texas El Paso University, Levesque leads the team with rebounds (average 6.4 games) and steals (43).
The most notable part is when the season began, coach Tony Dominguez had little idea of what kind of team he had. Only six players have returned with the program’s highest 10 new players in the team.
Beginners included Levesque, a child from California and Texas. Picked from the transfer portal, it literally connected with Thane in a literal, literal way, when Thane threw a lob pass at him during an open gym session last spring. Jim got hooked.
“My family thought I was crazy,” Levesque said to come to the lesser known West in the Texas Hoops Circle. “I told them where I think I’d succeeded, where I wanted and where I think I would gel the best… That’s one of the big reasons why I stayed. When I played and talked with (players) (at the open gym), I felt really good. It was just a good vibe – you enjoyed it, it was a good basketball.”
The Vikings rely on both fun and good hoops to continue.
It’s worth noting
The defending national runners’ softball team (11-4) were shed tears and won in 10 straights as they headed for Saturday’s home opening doubleheader. The Vikings defeated 11-4-year-old Western Oregon and 3-0 Simon Fraser in a non-conference game on Friday, February 21st. Baker pitched nine scoreless innings in both starts. Matlock went 7 for 13-7, hitting 11 RBIs in doubles and grand slams.
quoteworthy
“Every time I walk past the batting cage, it seems she’s there and does some extra work,” coach Cheryl Gilmore said of Matlock. “Olivia has a scoring runner and the clutch that 11 RBIs have in two days is really great.”
Best Benefits
Thursday, February 27th at 7pm – Men’s Basketball vs. Central Washington University, Bellingham. The slope between the two hottest teams in a meeting. Western has won 10 of the last 11 games. GNAC No. 1 Team Central won 11 out of 13.
Saturday, March 1st, 7pm – Men’s Basketball vs. Northwest Nazareth, Bellingham. Fourth place Western will finish the regular season playing the top two teams of GNAC. The victory at second-placed Northwest Nazarene could have a seed effect on the conference tournament from March 6-8.
Saturday, March 1st, 11am and 1:30pm – Softball vs. Simon Fraser, Bellingham. The home opening double header for runner-ups in NCAA Division II is currently ranked 10th nationwide. They outscored 71-16 on a 10-match winning streak.
If you’re going
ticket. Please refer directly to wwuvikings.com/tickets or 1 hour before game time.
parking. Sports are free. For basketball, lot 19g for the general audience. 9g for season ticket holders. For softball, the C lot is free. See the map at wwu.edu/parking.
Can’t you make it? Stream
All home games and most road contests are streamed via live and free YouTube webcasts. Find the link online at cascadiadaily.com.
If you have a smart TV, search for “WWU Athletics” on YouTube.
We want to hear from you
Have you got any WWU sports related news tips or interesting items from this notebook, or some good story ideas? We are all ears. Send to newstips@cascadiadaily.com, Subject: WWU Sports Notebook
Meri-Jo Borzilleri is a freelance journalist and a former 20-year sports reporter.
