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Nov. 13, 2009

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - The Western Washington University men's basketball team plays host to Northwest University in its home opener Monday (7 p.m.) on Haggen Court at Sam Carver Gymnasium.

The game will be carried live on KBAI Radio (AM 930 -Bellingham) and can be heard on the internet at http://930kbai.com. It is also being video-streamed live and will be available free at http://www.greatnorthwest.tv.

The Vikings then compete in the Seattle Pacific Tip-Off Classic, meeting Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday (3 p.m.) and Dominican CA on Saturday (3 p.m.) at Royal Brougham Pavilion.

Western opened its season at the Disney Tip-Off Classic on Oct. 30-Nov. 1, tying for first place with wins over Grand Canyon, 94-70, and San Francisco State, 71-52, sandwiched around a 71-58 loss to Kentucky Wesleyan.

The Vikings then played two home exhibition games, crushing Quest BC, 111-58, and edging Team Another level, 111-105 in overtime.

Western senior forward Michael Duty was named MVP at the Disney Classic, with Derrick Webb, another senior forward, also was selected to the all-tournament team. Duty is averaging a team-best 14.3 points per game and 6.3 rebounds, and Webb is scoring at an 11.7 clip, converting 18-of-19 free throws.

Senior point guard Morris Anderson is averaging 10.3 points, 5.0 assists and 3.0 steals. Reserve sophomore guard Cameron Severson is averaging 10.3 points, shooting 60.0 percent (9-of-15) from the field and 92.3 percent (12-of-13) at the foul line.

Senior center Zach Bruce leads the team in rebounding with an 8.0 average. Webb scored 30 points in the win versus Team Another Level, 25 in the second half, and Duty had 27. Duty had 17 points in the victory over Quest, leading six Vikings in double-figure scoring.

The game against Northwest will be an exhibition for the Eagles, who are 2-1 in counting games.

THREE-DOT NOTES: Webb missed all of last season because of a broken wrist suffered during preseason practice ... Both Bruce and senior guard Andrew Ready missed last season after being top reserves in 2007-08. Bruce was a redshirt and Ready took a year off from school to work ... Freshman guard Richard Woodworth suffered a severe sprain of his left ankle in the exhibition with Team Another Level and his status is indefinite.

MO IS PRESEASON A-A: Western point guard Morris Anderson received honorable mention recognition on The Sporting News 2009-10 Preseason NCAA Division II All-America Team. He is one of two returning starters from last season's 21-6 team that won the school's first outright Great Northwest Athletic Conference title and earned an automatic berth in the West Regional of the NCAA II National Tournament.

Anderson averaged 12.6 points, 6.1 assists and 5.4 rebounds in 2008-09, earning GNAC Newcomer of the Year and first-team all-star honors. He ranked ninth nationally in steals (2.7) and No.12 in assists with the third highest average in school history.

Anderson scored a team season-best 30 points in an 83-68 win at Northwest Nazarene on Jan. 15, 2009. He had 13 assists versus Northwest, the most by a Viking player since 1989. Anderson nearly had triple-doubles in two of Western's final three regular-season games. He had 15 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in an 85-68 win over Central Washington; and 11 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds in a 76-68 victory at Montana State Billings.

SILVER ANNIVERSARY FOR COACH JACKSON: Brad Jackson is in his 25th season, the longest tenure of any coach in Western history in any sport. He is the most successful men's coach in school history, both in total wins (447-258) and winning percentage (.634). Jackson ranks No.18 among active NCAA II coaches in victories and No.38 in winning percentage.

Jackson was named GNAC Coach of the Year last year, directing the Vikings to their 17th post-season playoff appearance and 10th 20-win season during his tenure. In 2001, Jackson directed Western to a 27-4 record and the semifinals of the NCAA II National Championship, being named NABC/NCAA II West Region, Northwest small college and Pacific West Conference Coach of the Year.

RADIO BROADCASTS: Selected Western games are being broadcast this season on KBAI Radio (930 AM) with Doug Lange handling the play-by-play and Mark Scholten providing the color commentary. They also can be heard on the internet at www.wwuvikings.com.

ON THE WEB: All Viking home games are being video streamed live and are available free at http://www.greatnorthwest.tv. For up-to-date statistics, box scores of every game, records, stories, etc., see the Western Athletic web page at www.wwuvikings.com. Up-to-date league standings and statistics can be found on the Great Northwest Athletic Conference web page at www.gnacsports.com.

PROBABLE WESTERN STARTERS & TOP RESERVES:

G Morris Anderson, 6-3, *Sr., Federal Way, WA/Federal Way/Highline CC
G Andrew Ready, 6-1, *Sr., Chicago, IL/Westinghouse/Bakersfield College
C Zach Bruce, 6-8, *Sr., Oceanside, CA/Oceanside/Highline CC
F Michael Duty, 6-6, *Sr., Seattle, WA/O'Dea/Bellevue CC
F Derrick Webb, 6-3, *Sr., Port Orchard, WA/South Kitsap/Highline CC

G Cameron Severson, 6-4, *So., Petersburg, AK/Petersburg
G Harold McAllister, 6-0, ***Sr., Vancouver/Mountain View
F  Rory Blanche, 6-6, *So., Ashland, Ore/Ashland
C Dave Vanderjagt, 7-0, *Sr., Townsville, Australia/Townsville State/Montana
F Chris Mitchell, 6-8, R-Fr., Everson/Nooksack Valley
*letters

Oct. 30 - WESTERN 44, Grand Canyon 70 at Anaheim, Calif. (Disney Classic)

Webb , who missed all of last season because of a broken wrist, scored a game-high 23 points as Western defeated Grand Canyon, 94-70, in first-day action at the Disney Tip-Off Classic held at the Anaheim Convention Center. Webb, who had 15 of his points in the second half, was 5-of-10 from the field, hitting 2-of-4 3-pointers and 11-of-12 free throws. Duty and Anderson each had 19 points for Western. Anderson, who was 6-of-8 from the floor, also had game-highs of nine assists and three steals. The Vikings got nine points and a game-high nine rebounds from Bruce. Five Grand Canyon players had double-figure points, led by reserve Marco Ramos with 12. Neither team led by more than three points for the first 17 minutes of the first half. Western trailed 34-32 with 4:05 left in the opening period, but Anderson and Webb each hit 3-pointers to begin a 12-3 run. Webb was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 0:06 left in the period and made all three free throws to give the Vikings a 44-37 halftime lead. Western continued the barrage to begin the second half, outscoring the Antelopes 18-6 over the first 7:29 for a 19-point advantage, 62-43, with 12:31 remaining. Grand Canyon narrowed the margin to eight points, 66-58, with 8:02 to go, but the Vikings outscored the Antelopes, 28-12, the rest of the way, leading by as many as 26 twice in the final 1:07.

Oct. 31 - Kentucky Wesleyan 71, WESTERN 58 at Anaheim, Calif. (Disney Classic)

Western shot just 38.9 percent from the field as it fell 71-58 to Kentucky Wesleyan in second-day action at the Disney Tip-Off Classic held at the Anaheim Convention Center. Both teams had their records evened at 1-1. Western, which connected on just 21 of 54 attempts from the floor, was led by the 12 points of Vanderjagt. Michael Duty added 11 points for the Vikings and grabbed six rebounds. Kentucky Wesleyan shot just 39.7 percent (23-of-58) from the field, but made 8-of-21 3-pointers. Western hit just 4-of-17 from 3-point range. The Panthers had a 40-32 rebound advantage and had four less turnovers, 15 to 19. Guard Desmond Stephens tallied a game-high 13 points to lead four double-figure scorers for Kentucky Wesleyan. Shawn Rouse, a 6-6 transfer from Boise State, had 12 and Chris Williams and Travis Owsley each had 11. Panther center Jay Ivey grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to go with eight points. Kentucky Wesleyan, which never trailed in the game, led 32-22 at halftime. Trailing, 37-24, Western scored 11 straight points to get within two, 37-35 with 15:50 remaining on a 3-pointer by Ready. But the Panthers went on a 19-4 run over the next 8:32 for their biggest lead of 17 points, 56-39, with 7:28 to go. The Vikings never got closer than 11 after that. It was Western's first meeting with Kentucky Wesleyan, which has won eight NCAA Division II national championships, the last one coming in 2001. The Panthers were 19-9 last year and advanced to the NCAA II tournament.

Nov. 1 - WESTERN 71, San Francisco State 52 at Anaheim, Calif. (Disney Classic)

Severson came off the bench to score a game and career-high 19 points, helping Western to a 71-52 victory over San Francisco State in final-day action at the Disney Tip-Off Classic held at the Anaheim Convention Center. Cameron, who scored 11 points in the first half, connected on 5-of-8 field goals and made 9-of-10 free throws. Duty had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Vikings, and Bruce grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. SFSU, which suffered its first loss in three tourney games, was led by guard Marquel Hoskins with 13 points. The Gators held a six-point lead, 28-22, with 4:20 left in the first half before Western went on a 14-3 run to close out the period and lead by five at halftime, 36-31. Severson had seven points during that stretch and Harold McAllister five. Midway through the second half, Western scored nine straight points for a 19-point advantage, 57-38, with 8:05 remaining. The Vikings' biggest lead was 22, twice in the final minute. Western held the Gators to 34.7 percent (17-of-49) field-goal shooting and forced 22 turnovers. The Vikings made 19-of-21 free throws, 90.5 percent.

Nov. 9 - Exhibition - WESTERN 111, Quest BC 58

Duty scored 17 points on 8-of-11 field-goal shooting to lead six Vikings in double figures as Western defeated Quest, 111-58, in an exhibition game on Haggen Court at Carver Gym. Webb had 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting and tied for game-high honors with seven assists for Western, which shot 57.1 percent (44-of-77) from the field. Quest, located in Squamish, B.C., was led by the 15 points of guard John Pankratz. The Kermodes jumped to a 7-1 lead and had the score tied at 10-10, with Pankratz scoring eight of the Quest points, but Western took over after that, going on a 29-5 run and eventually opening up a 54-19 lead at halftime. The margin was never less than 32 points in the second half and never less than 41 in the last 15 minutes. Anderson had 15 points for Western. Severson had 12 points, Woodworth added 11, and Mitchell had 10 points and eight rebounds. The Vikings had a 50-23 rebound advantage, with Blanche grabbing a game-high 10 boards.

Nov. 12 - Exhibition - WESTERN 111, Team Another Level 105 (OT)

Webb scored 25 of his 30 points after halftime, helping Western to a 111-105 overtime victory over Team Another Level in an exhibition contest on Haggen Court at Carver Gym. The victory was overshadowed, however, by the performance of Team Another Level forward Tyler Amaya, who scored a game-high 44 points, the most ever in a game at Carver Gym, in just 27 minutes of action before fouling out early in overtime. Amaya, who played two seasons at Western from 2003 to 2005, was 13-of-17 from the field, hitting 7-of-9 on 3-pointers and getting one putback to fall midway through the second half while lying on his back in the middle of the key. He also tied for game-high rebound honors with 14. The visiting Blue Angels held a 64-59 lead with just over 13 minutes to play in the second half, but the Vikings responded, taking a 71-70 lead with 9:17 to go on a jumper by Bruce, who finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds. The score was tied seven times in regulation after that, with Team Another Level's Lukas Henne, who had 22 points, sending the game to overtime at 98-98 on a 3-pointer with four seconds left. Western then took over in the extra frame, breaking away from a 99-99 tie with 11 straight points. Duty had 27 points and a game-high 14 rebounds for Western, which had a 58-39 advantage on the boards.