Feb. 12, 2005
Box Score
ARCATA, Calif. - Forward Tina Donahue (Jr., Stanwood) matched her career high with 31 points, but it wasn't enough as Western Washington University fell to Humboldt State University, 85-73, in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball game Saturday at East Gymnasium.
The Vikings, ranked No.14 in the latest USA Today/ESPN/Women's Basketball Coaches Association NCAA Division II Top 25 and No.2 in the West Region rating, had a five-game winning streak snapped, falling to 19-3 overall and 11-2 in the GNAC. The loss also knocked Western out of a tie for first place in the conference, as Seattle Pacific defeated Northwest Nazarene, 90-47.
Humboldt State, which had never beaten Western in 18 previous meetings, improved to 8-14 overall and 5-8 in the GNAC with its fourth victory in the last six games. The Lumberjacks were led by forward Jenna Washington, who had 24 points, 17 of them in the first half, and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Lumberjacks scored five points in the first 18 seconds of the game and led the rest of the way, although Western twice pulled to within a point in the first half, and the margin at halftime was just four, 33-29. Washington, who had 11 of Humboldt State's first 16 points, did not miss a shot in the opening half, going 4-for-4 from the field, including a 3-pointer, and 8-of-8 on free throws.
The Vikings were still down by just four, 43-39, after a layin by guard Devin Dykstra (So., Sumas/Nooksack Valley) with 14:26 left in the game, but Humboldt State ran off six straight points in a span of 21 seconds to open up a 49-39 lead with 13:33 to go, and Western never got closer than seven points after that.
Humboldt State shot 51.2 percent (21-of-41) from the field, including a sizzling 68.8 percent (11-of-16) in the second half. Center Nicole Lynch had 22 points for the Lumberjacks, and guard Kelly Fay added 17 points, eight rebounds and six steals. Humboldt State also was 37-of-49 (75.5 percent) on free throws.
Donahue, who also had nine rebounds, was 9-of-16 from the field, but overall Western shot just 37.3 percent (25-of-67) from the field. Guard Jodi Gerald (Sr., Puyallup/Cascade Christian) had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Vikings, and center Courtney Clapp (Jr., Kirkland/Juanita) added 10 points.
Western forward Krystal Robinson (So., Kent/Kentridge) had three blocked shots, extending her streak of games with at least one block to 17, but Dykstra missed her only free-throw attempt, snapping her string of successful tosses at 25, just two short of the school record set by Erica Porter in 1987-88.
Western returns home to host Saint Martin's on Thursday (7 p.m.) and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday (7 p.m.) in a pair of GNAC counters.
