Dec. 3, 2011

Box Score

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Center Katie Benson scored a game-high 24 points, leading Seattle Pacific University to an 82-66 victory over Western Washington University on Saturday in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball game at Sam Carver Gymnasium on the WWU campus.

The Vikings, who had a three-game winning streak snapped, fell to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in the GNAC. Guard Corinn Waltrip (Jr., Tigard, OR) had a team-high 16 points for WWU.

SPU improved to 5-2 overall and 1-1 in the GNAC. Guard Jordan Harazin had 11 points for the Falcons, and forward Nyesha Sims added 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

The Falcons never trailed, jumping to a 24-8 lead 11:16 into the game as WWU hit just two of its first 14 shots from the field. SPU held a 35-27 advantage at halftime.

The Vikings twice pulled to within four points in the second half, the last at 45-41 with 15:31 left after forward Kristin Schramm (Sr., Chelan) hit a 3-pointer, then stole the ball and converted a layin.

But SPU then put the game away, using a 12-2 run, with Benson scoring 10 of the points, to take a 57-43 lead with 12 minutes remaining. WWU got no closer than 10 points after that.

Schramm finished with 13 points and forward Sydney Donaldson (Fr., Edmonds/Edmonds-Woodway) came off the bench to add 11 for the Vikings, who entered the contest shooting 47.1 percent from the field for the season but hit just 35.5 percent (22-of-62) Saturday.

WWU next travels to Seattle to compete in the GNAC/CCAA Challenge Classic, meeting Chico State on Friday and Sonoma State on Saturday. Both contests tipoff at 5 p.m.

Vikings cold against Seattle Pacific

MICHELLE NOLAN / THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

BELLINGHAM - Western Washington University held 18 teams to fewer than 60 points on the way to a 26-4 women's basketball record last season. The year before, the Vikings limited 19 teams to the same stingy totals during a 23-5 season.

That explains why coach Carmen Dolfo didn't mince words when she frankly evaluated Western's 82-66 GNAC loss to rival Seattle Pacific on Saturday, Dec. 3, at Carver Gym.

"Our defense is very, very poor right now. ... We have to get a different defensive mentality," said Dolfo, who is widely acknowledged as an outstanding defensive coach. "We need to base (chances for success) on defense. We need to stop trying to outscore teams."

With only one returning starter and one senior, the Vikings (4-2 overall, 1-1 GNAC) came in averaging 79.8 points, but they haven't held anyone under 60 points since their opener. Western also came in shooting 47.1 percent from the field, yet endured 35.5 percent miseries (22 for 62) against the Falcons (5-2, 1-1), meaning their ragged defense meant disaster from the start.

"I completely agree (with Dolfo)," said Kristin Schramm, Western's lone senior. "I need to pick up my own defense and get everyone going with scrappiness. I need to set an example. I definitely need to pick it up."

Point guard Corinn Waltrip, the Vikings' only returning starter, was also frustrated by how many open shots the Falcons got, resulting in 45.8 shooting (27-59). SPU found the open player often enough to earn 20 assists.

"We need to be more proactive defensively and we need to communicate better," said Waltrip, who led Western with 16 points, including 12 in the second half, and worked hard enough for a game-high four steals. "We were late on a late of things. We know we have a lot of work to do ... tonight was an eye-opener for us if we expect to contend for the conference championship."

Unlike in Western's 80-72 conference-opening victory over Montana State-Billings two nights earlier -- when the Vikings fell behind by 10 points in the first 16 minutes -- Western couldn't overcame a slow start.

SPU shot to a 24-8 lead nine minutes into the game, but Western cut that to 35-27 at the half as the Viking reserves outscored the starters 17-10.

A steal and layup by Schramm pulled the Vikings within 45-41 a little less than five minutes into the second half. But Western could come no closer, despite Schramm's 5 for 10 shooting, including three 3-pointers in four attempts, for 13 points, all in the second half.

The Falcons, led by 6-1 center Katie Benson's 9 for 16 shooting and game-high 24 points, refused to wilt and steadily pulled away to lead by as much as 76-57 with 4:55 to play.

Former Lynden Christian standout Joani Reimer, a 6-2 center who has worked her way into the reserve rotation as a senior, applied the dagger with her only basket for a 79-62 bulge with 1:30 remaining. Reimer, who came in averaging 15 minutes, 3.2 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, also had four rebounds and two assists, helping the Falcons to a 43-30 rebound advantage and a 20-11 assist edge.

Reserve guard Katie Colard provided an offensive lift in the first half with eight points for Western, including a pair of 3-pointers. Freshman forward Sydney Donaldson shot 4 for 7 and contributed 11 points off the bench and Britt Harris had all three of her hoops in the short-lived second-half rally.

Jordan Harazin and Nyesha Sims backed Benson with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Six Falcons scored 3-points for 10 for 22 accuracy led by Harazin's three.

"We're going to be working very hard this week going into our next tournament (the GNAC/CCAA crossover classic in Seattle Dec. 9 and 10)," said Waltrip, who signed autographs for dozens of young girls along with her teammates on Autograph Night following the loss.

If the young Vikings put in enough work to improve a whole lot on defense, they may really have something to write about.