BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Junior Emma Duff led the Vikings with an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double but it wasn't enough as the Western Washington University women's basketball team saw its nine-game home winning streak snapped with a 79-72 loss to Northwest Nazarene Thursday night on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

The Vikings dropped their second consecutive game and lost for the first time in 10 home games this season, dropping to 16-7 overall. WWU remains in 4^th place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference at 10-5, one game of 5^th-place Central Washington, the Vikings opponent on Saturday. NNU won for the sixth time in the last seven games to improve to 17-6 overall and clinched a spot in the GNAC Championships with a 12-3 mark in conference play.

WWU trailed by as many as 10 points with just under eight minutes remaining in the contest, but cut the deficit to one point at 69-68 with two minutes remaining. NNU continued its second-half surge responding with a 5-0 run, overcoming with 35-29 halftime deficit. The Nighthawks out-scored the Vikings 50-37 in the second half, including a 23-11 advantage in the 3^rd quarter.

While out-shooting NNU 40.4% (21-for-52) to 35.4% (28-for-79), the Vikings committed a season-high 29 turnovers, which led to 34 points for NNU. The Nighthawks also attempted 27 more shots than the Vikings in the game.

Duff recorded her third double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds, both team-highs. She was one of four WWU players to reach double-figures in scoring. Senior center Anna Schwecke and junior guard Gracie Castaneda each scored 12 points and sophomore guard Avery Dykstra added 10 points and 5 rebounds. All 11 players that suited up for the Vikings scored at least one point.

NNU was led by a 26-point, 11-rebound double-double from Avery Albrecht, who was 8-for-18 from the field and 3-for-8 from 3-point range. Marina Valles and Nicole Gall each added 12 points for the Nighthawks. NNU combined to attempt a season-high 35 3-pointers, going 10-for-35 (28.6%) from beyond the arc.

WWU led 42-39 with 3:37 remaining in the 3^rd quarter, but NNU hit three consecutive 3-pointers to jump-start an 11-0 run to lead 50-42. NNU would lead the rest of the way following that binge of long-distance shots. The Nighthawks would lead by as many as 10 points 58-48 with 7:42 remaining.

Trailing by 62-53 points with six  minutes remaining, the Viking went on a 15-7 run, including a 9-2 spurt, to cut the deficit to one point at 69-68 with 2:08 remaining. NNU again had an answer for WWU's comeback attempt, scoring five consecutive points and the Nighthawks sealed the game at the free throw line.

The Vikings turned things around in the 2^nd quarter out-scoring the Nighthawks 21-10, shooting 53.3% from the field connecting on 8-of-15 shots. The comeback was ignited by a 3-pointer by Maddison Coleman to cut the deficit to 24-21 with 7:24 remaining in the half and started a 12-0 run. WWU's defense held NNU scoreless for nearly 6-and-a-half minutes to grow the lead to as many as six points at 30-24. The Vikings closed out the half with back-to-back layups by Emma Duff and Avery Dykstra to take a six-point lead heading into the half, 35-29.

WWU battled through a tough shooting quarter to open the game, going 4-for-13 from the field (30.8%) and made 9 turnovers in the 1^st quarter. After trailing 9-1 to start the game, the Vikings kept close cutting the deficit to five points at 19-14 through the first 10 minutes of the game. 

The Vikings (16-7, 10-5 GNAC) remain at home hosting in-state rival Central Washington (14-9, 9-6 GNAC) on Saturday with tip-off at 7 pm on WECU Court in Carver Gym. The game will feature the annual Pink Night promotion helping raise awareness and funds for the PeaceHealth Cancer Center. Former Viking All-American Taylor Peacocke will be the honorary coach.

WWU split the season series vs. NNU with each team winning on the road. WWU defeated the Nighthawks 94-83 on Jan. 18. WWU is now 31-15 all-time vs. NNU and 17-6 in home games vs. the Nighthawks (dropped 4 straight).

Here is a look at the updated Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings through games played on Thursday, with the Vikings remaining in 4^th place at 10-5 in conference play. NNU joined Alaska Anchorage as teams to qualify for the GNAC Championships Tournament March 5-7 in Seattle.

More information on WWU Basketball can be found online at WWUVikings.com/WBB and via social media on Twitter (@WWUBasketball), Instagram (@wwu.basketball) and Facebook (@WWUwomensbball).

One of the premier basketball programs in NCAA Division II, recording a 20-win season in seven of the last 11 seasons, and 34 times in the 48-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 with 606, win percentage and 20-win seasons. The Vikings have reached the NCAA II Tournament in 16 of 21 seasons at the Division II level with two trips to the Final Four. The program has 1,038 all-time wins in the 48-year history of the program, and according to available records, is one of just 16 women's college basketball team across all divisions and levels to reach the milestone.