Warrior Men's Hoops Collect Two Wins on Opening Weekend, Both in Overtime Fashion

Pasco, WA - The 2025-26 WWCC Men's Basketball season got underway this past weekend as the Warriors took to the road for a couple of neutral site games hosted at Columbia Basin College. Things got off on the right foot as Walla Walla came away 2-0 on the weekend, including a double overtime win over Lane Community College on Friday night. Coach Reinland and the rest of the WWCC program will look to use this momentum to catapult them into a good test coming up this weekend at home in the Warrior Classic.

Walla Walla 108 vs. Lane 99 (2OT - Friday, November 14th)

Friday's season opener was back and forth the entire way, finally finding a conclusion in double overtime with the Warriors ahead 108-99 over Lane. The game included 11 ties and 14 lead changes and the biggest lead that either side held over the other at any point was 10 points. The Warriors shot 40.2% from the field in the game, countered by a 38% shooting night from Lane. Walla Walla was able to take advantage of a 60-45 rebounding advantage that resulted in 34 2nd chance points, a major advantage over the 14 2nd chance points scored by Lane. Another big difference maker in deciding the contest was 3-Point shooting, a traditional strength of Reinland-coached Warrior teams. WWCC knocked down 12 from beyond the arc (28.6%), while Lane only made 5 of the 25 3-Pointers they attempted (20%). Walla Walla got a career effort and huge spark off the bench in the form of Jackson Floyd. Floyd went on to drop 30 points on a 12/17 shooting night. He also added 9 rebounds and an assist to his stat line. Six Warriors finished in double figures with both Drew Hottinger and Tanner Goldsmith earning double-doubles in their efforts.

Walla Walla 85 vs. Grays Harbor 79 (OT - Saturday, November 15th)

As if double overtime wasn't enough on Friday night, the Warriors found a way to claw back from an 11 point halftime deficit to once again force extra minutes and claim a comeback victory over Grays Harbor, 85-79. In Saturday's game, WWCC was improved statistically in overall shooting percentage, 3-Point shooting percentage, and free throw percentage compared to Friday, but that was largely attributed to a hot-shooting second half where the Warriors shot over 50% from the field. The Warriors also showed some improvement in their turnover number from the night before, finishing Saturday's game with a positive Assist-to-Turnover ratio. Trebor Edwards and Tanner Goldsmith led the scoring charge, both ending the night with 20 points. Goldsmith, for the second night in a row, finished with a double-double after collecting 11 rebounds to go with his 20 points.

What's next?

The Warriors host the 2025 Warrior Classic at home in the Dietrich Dome this upcoming weekend. They get started on Friday with a matchup against the Gonzaga University Club team, tipoff slated for 6:00 PM. On Saturday, they are set to face off with Bellevue College for a 4:00 PM contest.