BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Northwest Nazarene men's basketball team struggled on both sides of the ball Saturday, losing to Western Washington 84-59 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action.

NNU shot 24-of-55 from the field, including 6-of-22 from behind the 3-point line, while the Vikings shot a blistering 60-percent from the field and made eight 3-pointers in the first half to open up a huge lead that the Nighthawks couldn't overcome.

"We have to be able to start strong," NNU coach Paul Rush said. "Our effort defensively wasn't there and then we were turning the ball over too much early and we let it get away from us."

Despite the loss, the Nighthawks earned a split on a tough road trip. The Vikings were the preseason pick to win the GNAC title.

NNU returns home to face Central Washington at 7 p.m. Tuesday in a key conference game.

"I think we were really prepared on Thursday mentally," Rush said of the win at Simon Fraser. "Tonight, we weren't as focused or as ready. So, it is a good lesson to learn. We have to flush this and get ready for Tuesday."

Ezekiel Alley had a team-high 15 points and five rebounds. Jayden Bezzant added 10 points and five assists, Adalberto Diaz had eight points and Gabriel Murphy had a team-high seven rebounds.