LANGLEY, B.C. – St. Edward's men's basketball battled back from a 16-point halftime deficit but couldn't complete the comeback in a 97-93 loss to Western Washington on the second day of the CCA Division II Canadian Tip-Off Classic. 
 
Western Washington scored the first eight points of the game and quickly opened a double-digit lead on a 3-pointer from Nic Welp, who had 11 points and eight rebounds in the first half, hitting 4-for-5 from the field. Jonathan Ned led the Vikings in scoring 12 points, shooting 4-for-6 from deep at the break. 
 
The Vikings shot a blistering 58.3 percent from the field, including 8-for-16 from the 3-point line, and opened a lead as large as 21 points with 3:15 remaining in the half. 
 
St. Edward's starting frontcourt of SEAN ELKINTON and BLAKE NIELSEN did the heavy lifting for the Hilltoppers in the first half, combining for 21 points on 6-for-13 shooting and a combined eight made free throws, with both scoring in double figures. 
 
The Hilltoppers whittled away at the lead over the first 10 minutes of the second half, cutting the deficit to 72-68 with 11:38 remaining on a 3-pointer by ALEU ALEU off a feed from GAVINO RAMOS. 
 
Once again, Elkinton and Nielsen led the charge. Elkinton hit 5-for-6 from the field after the break and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line for 17 second-half points. Nielsen contributed 13 points, four rebounds, and two assists over the final 20 minutes. 
 
St. Edward's twice took a one-point lead in the final five minutes on an Elkinton layup and turnaround jumper, then again on a pair of JEFF GARY free throws with 2:49 remaining. Still, Western Washington answered each time, reeling off a 7-3 run after the Hilltoppers tied the game at 90. 
 
Elkinton scored a career-high 27 points on 8-for-12 shooting and 9-for-10 from the free-throw line while grabbing six rebounds and blocking two shots. Nielsen added 24 points on 8-for-20 shooting and 8-for-9 from the charity stripe. He also grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists. JEFF GARY and JAYDEN JOHNSTON added 11 points each, with the latter shooting 4-for-6 off the bench. 
 
Kai Johnson led four Vikings in double figures with 22 points. Isaac Morrow scored 16, Welp added 18, and Ned scored 15. 
 
St. Edward's drops to 1-1 with the loss. Western Washington improves to 2-0. The Hilltoppers will wrap up their weekend with a game against host Simon Fraser University tomorrow at 7:15 p.m.