Western Washington advances to Div. II finals

Western Washington University opened up a 20-point lead then survived a late rally to defeat Stonehill College 71-66 in a semifinal game of the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Elite Eight on Thursday at The Bank of Kentucky Center on the campus of host Northern Kentucky University.

The Vikings, ranked No.12 in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches/NCAA II Top 25 Poll, improved to 30-5 and advance to their first-ever national championship game, facing No. 22 Montevallo, Ala., on Saturday at 10 a.m. PDT. Saturday's championship will be televised on CBS.