SEATTLE, Wash. – Western Washington University junior guard Lexie Bland hit a 3-pointer from the left corner that bounced in at the buzzer on Saturday afternoon, giving the Vikings a 77-74 overtime victory against Azusa Pacific in the Sodexo Classic women's basketball tournament, handing the Cougars their first loss of the season.
 
The Vikings (2-2) and Azusa (3-1) were deadlocked at 74-74 with 6.8 seconds to play in Seattle Pacific's Brougham Pavilion. After a timeout and advancing the ball to frontcourt, Western inbounded right in front of its bench.
 
It was worked over to Bland (Ellensburg, WA) in the far left corner. She launched her shot, watched it bounce high off the rim and through the net as the buzzer was sounding. It was initially signaled as being good, then was reviewed on the video monitor, and confirmed as good.
 
"I was ready to take the shot, I wanted to take it and as soon as I saw my defender help off me that much I was ready," said Bland after the game from Seattle. "I wasn't worried about getting it off in time cause I knew I just needed to not rush and be in rhythm. When I first released it I didn't think it had a chance, and then I watched it bounce and was like wait... and then it dropped in and I just was so excited and happy."
 
Forward Kelsey Rogers (Bothell, WA/Lynnwood) led Western with 24 points and made it a double-double with 10 rebounds. The sophomore finished the tournament with 50 points in the two games, scoring a career-high 26 points in the opener on Friday vs. UC San Diego. In four games this season she leads the Vikings averaging 15.8 points per game and has been WWU's leading scorer in three of four games.
 
Junior guard Dani Iwami (Seal Beach, CA/Los Alamitos/Hawai'i Pacific) chipped in 17 points (4-for-12 FG, 8-for-9 FT) and sophomore guard Emma Duff (Tumwater, WA/Black Hills) grabbed a team-high 12 boards. Freshman guard Avery Dykstra (Lynden, WA/Lynden Christian) had a breakout game with a career-high 11 points, connecting on three 3-pointers. Bland's last-second 3-pointer gave her 9 points in the game, including 4-for-5 from the free throw line.

"It was a great win, and we really did it together," added Bland. "Our defense was great, everyone who went to the line hit big free throws and we executed at the end like we were supposed to. It was a lot of fun."
 
The Vikings were 30-for-34 from the free throw line (88.2%) and held a big 52-32 advantage in rebounds over the Cougars, who have been picked to win the Pacific West Conference.
 
The game was tied 11 times, and the lead changed hands 11 times. That included one tie and two lead changes in overtime.
 
The only overtime tie was at 74-74 when Azusa's Rachel Bozlee drained a trey from the top of the key with 10 seconds left, setting the stage for Bland's game winner. APU initially pushed the game to overtime when Savanna Hanson was fouled on a three-pointer attempt with 4-seconds remaining in regulation, and hit all three free throws to tie the game 66-66.
 
Hanson led the Cougars with 19 points and 6 rebounds, while Daylee Hanson (14 points) and Zoe March (10 points) also scored in double-figures.
 

The Vikings return home next week hosting the 21^st annual Lynda Goodrich Classic welcoming the University of Mary, Minnesota Crookston and Saint Martin's to Carver Gym. WWU plays Mary on Friday, November 23 at 5 pm, followed by the Saint Martin's/Minnesota Crookston game at 7:30 pm to open the two-day tournament.
 

More information on the 2018-19 season, including a details schedule, roster and quick facts can be found online atWWUVikings.com/WBB and via social media on Twitter (@WWUBasketball), Instagram (@wwu.basketball) and Facebook (@WWUwomensbball).
 

WWU will serve as the host for the 2019 GNAC Championships, with the top six teams in both the men's and women's conference standings at the end of the season qualifying for the tournament that will be held March 7-9 on WECU Court in Carver Gym. 
 

One of the premier basketball programs in NCAA Division II, recording a 20-win season in seven of the last nine seasons, and 34 times in the 47-year history of the program. WWU has 20 seasons of 20 or more wins under head coach Carmen Dolfo, who is the winningest coach of any sport at WWU and ranks among Division II active and all-time coaching leaders in wins, win percentage and 20-win seasons. The Vikings have reached the NCAA II Tournament in 16 of 20 seasons at the Division II level with two trips to the Final Four. The program has 1,005 all-time wins in the 47-year history of the program, and according to available records, is the 15th women's college basketball team across all divisions and levels to reach the milestone.

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