Box Score

NAMPA, Idaho - A strong fourth quarter lifted the No. 22 Western Washington University women's basketball team to an 86-81 victory over Northwest Nazarene Thursday evening in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action at the Johnson Sports Center.

Western out-scored the Crusaders 28-18 in the fourth quarter to overcome a 63-58 deficit heading into the final 10 minutes of the game.

WWU improves to 10-3 overall and 4-1 in GNAC play, while NNU suffered its first conference loss of the season falling to 6-5 overall and 4-1 in league play.

"We didn't play great defense, but we did what we need to do at the end of the game," said head coach Carmen Dolfo, in her 26th year leading the program. "We hit some big shots and made some key plays to get a very good road win."

Senior guard Taylor Peacocke (Kenmore, WA/Inglemoor) led all players with 18 points on 6-for-17 shooting from the field. The nation's leading scorer entered the game averaging 23.5 points per game.

Junior forward Hannah Stipanovich (St. Louis, IL/Metro State) added 16 points on a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and was 2-for-3 from the free throw line.

Freshman Lexie Bland (Ellensburg, WA) poured in a career-high 15 points, going 4-for-5 from 3-point range and 3-for-4 from the free throw line.

The Vikings had five players reach double figures in scoring, with sophomore center Nikki Corbett (Camas, WA) adding 11 points and senior forward Kiana Gandy (Des Moines, WA/Mount Rainier) contributing 10 points and 5 assists.

WWU trailed 63-58 heading into the final quarter, but rallied by out-scoring the Crusaders 28-18 down the stretch. The Vikings opened the quarter on a 7-0 run to take a 65-63 lead. The two teams battled in a back-and-forth final six minutes, with Western pulling away from a 77-77 tie with five consecutive points. The Vikings took the lead on a jump shot by Peacocke with 55-seconds remaining and senior guard Jessica Valley (Lafayette, IN/Nova Southeastern) recorded a steal and layup with 30 seconds left to build a 4-point lead. The Vikings secured the road victory going 5-for-6 from the free throw line in the final minute.

The Crusaders also had five players reach double digits in scoring, led by 13 points apiece from Ellie Logan (5-for-11 FG) and Kate Cryderman (5-for-10 FG).

The Vikings held a 7-point lead at 26-19 after a strong first quarter. Bland hit a pair of 3-pointers to lead Western with 6 points. NNU chipped away at the lead in the second quarter with WWU taking a 44-41 lead into halftime. Stipanovich led all players with 10 first-half points, followed by 7 from Peacocke. Tubbs and Cryderman led the Crusaders with 7 points apiece.

The Vikings continue their road trip Saturday against rival Central Washington at 5 pm at Nicholson Pavilion. The game will be streamed online via WWUVikings.com/Live.