Western Washington University senior Derrick Webb pulls up for a short jump shot over Central Washington University's J.C. Cook during the first half of the Vikings' 84-70 win in the opening round of the NCAA Division II west regional tournament Friday, March 12. Webb had 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for WWU. Photo by Matthew Anderson | WWU

Host Western Washington University saw a 21-point lead slip away, then rallied in the final minutes and claimed an 84-70 victory over arch-rival Central Washington University in a NCAA Division II Men's Basketball West Regional first-round game Friday before a crowd of 2,314 on Haggen Court at Sam Carver Gymnasium.

Guard Morris Anderson scored a game-high 23 points as the Vikings, ranked No.15 in the final regular-season National Association of Basketball Coaches/NCAA II Top 25 Poll and the No.1 seed in the region, improved to 26-5.

In the spotlight

Richard Van Den Hul has been named the vice president for Business and Financial Affairs at Western Washington University, President Bruce Shepard announced.

“I am pleased that Richard Van Den Hul will be joining our leadership team here at Western and I am confident he will be an outstanding leader for the University,” Shepard said.

Van Den Hul, vice president for Finance and Administration at the University of South Dakota, will start at Western on July 8.

“I am excited about joining the Western community. I found the people at Western to be welcoming and engaged; they show a true love for their University,” said Van Den Hul. “I look forward to working with everyone at the University to meet the opportunities and challenges facing Western now and those to come in the future.”

Van Den Hul began his career at the University of South Dakota (USD) as director of Budget, Finance, and Institutional Research in 1996, was...