Western Washington University men’s basketball keeps rolling, this time in a 135-87 blowout win over Langara College at home on Monday night.
Just six points shy of tying WWU’s highest-scoring game in program history, the Vikings now sit at a solid 7-1 overall record to start the season.
Western dominated in nearly every statistical category on Monday night, but especially in the rebounding column. The Vikings went into halftime out-rebounding the Falcons 37-18, including a 15-3 advantage in offensive boards by the first half’s end — further showing why they’re a top-10 rebounding team in the NCAA Division II.
“When our minds are in it, we’re a very good rebounding team,” WWU coach Tony Dominguez said.
The blowout continued into the second half as the Vikings cruised to a nearly 50-point win over the squad from Vancouver, British Columbia. The victory will count towards Western’s win-loss record, but will not have any sway on the Vikings’ national ranking, given Langara is not an NCAA DII program.
Led by junior guard D’Angelo Minnis — who tallied 23 points, five assists and two steals while hitting all five of his 3-point attempts — the Vikings put on an offensive show for the home crowd at Sam Carver Gymnasium. Every Vikings player who went on the court scored, with eight players racking up double-digit points on the night.
Minnis wasn’t the only player lighting it up from beyond the 3-point line. Six Vikings shot 50% or higher from long range, bringing the team average to a stellar 42.6% on the night.
The Vikings held a lead over Langara for 38:04 minutes of the 40-minute game, but Dominguez said he still thought his team had moments where they stepped off the gas pedal.
“We played a little bit down [to our competition], to be honest,” Dominguez said. “It was finals week, our minds are everywhere, our players knew they were going to do well in the game, so their minds were not dialed in on defense. It’s hard to harp on that; we’re all human.”
Dominguez said it’s important to get game minutes during the slow portions of the season, even though it won’t contribute to their national ranking.
“It’s been a great preseason. We strategically placed this game so we can get into game rhythm for the games that really count,” Dominguez said. “It’s a great opportunity to not just practice for two-straight w eeks.”
Western now sets its sights on a long road trip to Honolulu, Hawaii, for the Hoops in Hawai’i Holiday Classic — three games in three nights from Dec. 17–19. It will be the first big test for a Vikings team that has shown they are capable of making noise in the West Region.
The message Dominguez is sending to his No. 3-ranked team?
“Just play together,” Dominguez said. “Have fun and — obviously you’ll see a different defensive team if you’re watching our games — play together and just trust in your abilities.”
Western won’t return to play a home game at Carver Gym until Jan. 5, when it takes on Montana State Billings at 7 p.m. Until then, the 7-1 Vikings take on Texas Permian Basin, Emmanuel College and Hawaii Pacific at the Hoops in Hawai’i Holiday Classic.
