Frye Stellar, Vikings Come Up Short

Despite a monstrous 23-point, 19-rebound effort from sophomore DJ Frye, a 43-28 halftime deficit would be too deep a hole to overcome, as the Big Bend Community College Vikings men's basketball team fell to visiting Spokane Community College 80-72 on Saturday (February 4) in NWAC East action.

After giving up a 22-11 run over the final 10:23 of the first half to set their halftime deficit at 15 points, the Vikings would find themselves down to the visiting Sasquatch by as many as 22 points in the second half, with a little more than seven minutes remaining in the contest. However, the Vikings would string together a run of their own, capped off by a three-pointer by freshman Quin Goldsmith, cutting the deficit to seven at 76-69, with 2:10 remaining. But this would be as close as the Vikings would get, as clutch ball control and free-throw shooting in the final minutes would seal the win for the Sasquatch.

For the Vikings, in addition to Frye's major minutes, sophomore Karon Sears added a double-double of his own, with 19 points and ten rebounds, while sophomore Keenan Miller rounded out the double-figure scoring for the Vikings with 16. The visiting Sasquatch placed three in double-figures as well, led by Carter Brown's 23 points.

The Vikings (4-15 overall, 2-8 NWAC East) will remain at home for their next action on Wednesday (February 8), as they attempt to gain the season sweep over a visiting Walla Walla Community College (19-4 overall, 8-2 NWAC East) team that they previously defeated 96-90 on January 4^th. Saturday's tip is slated for 4:00pm, following the women's contest. As always, stay updated on all-things-Viking through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as well as via the NWACSports Network's livestream video platform, where available.