BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University senior guard Lexie Bland had a career night with 22 points and 9 assists to lead the Vikings to a 77-69 victory over rival Central Washington Saturday night on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

With the nine-point victory, the Vikings improved to 17-7 overall and moved into a tie for 3^rd place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings at 11-5. After dropping the last two games, WWU moved back into the win column improving to 10-1 in Carver Gym this season. CWU dropped to 14-10 overall and 9-7 in GNAC play.

Bland played inspired basketball as one of her former backcourt teammates Taylor Peacocke served as the honorary coach for the Viking in the annual Pink Night game. A former All-American for the Vikings, Peacocke is battling cancer and was on the sidelines helping guide the Vikings to the win over the Wildcats.

"Taylor is an amazing example of hard work and effort and to see what she is going through right now, and knowing how she is fighting it is just so inspiring for our team," said WWU head coach Carmen Dolfo. "Her being here tonight and seeing how she is fighting was an inspiration for us tonight."

The senior who hails from Ellensburg, recorded career-highs in points (22) and assists (9) as she nearly recorded her first career double-double. Her 9-assist performance came on the night where she moved past the 300-career assist mark, making her one of 19 Vikings to achieve that statistical milestone. Bland was 8-for-17 from the field and 3-for-4 from 3-point range, and also contributed a pair of steals.

"Lexie was unbelievable tonight. I think Taylor being here motivated her. She has always looked up to Taylor and respected her. She played a really great game making things happen on both ends of the court," added Dolfo on her senior point guard.

Senior center Anna Schwecke recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds, going 7-for-11 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free throw line. Sophomore guard Avery Dykstra scored a season-high 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting.

Overall the Vikings shot 53.3% from the field (32-for-60) and were 4-for-9 from 3-point range (44.4%). It marked the seventh time this season the Vikings have shot over 50.0%, improving their league-leading field goal percentage to 45.9%.

Central was led by a game-high 26 points from senior Alexis Pana, who connected on 9-of-18 shots and was 3-for-8 from 3-point range. Kassidy Malcolm added a 18-point, 12-rebound double-double for the Wildcats.

WWU led by as many as 25 points late in the 3^rd quarter, out-scoring the Wildcats 46-29 combined in the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters. But Central rallied late out-scoring the Vikings 25-10 in the final quarter to bring the final to a single-digit margin.

Central's Taylor Shaw hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the 2^nd quarter to bring the game to a two-point margin at 23-21 in Western's favor, but the Vikings answered with a 14-0 run to take a 16-point lead at 37-21. WWU would lead by at least double-digits from that point on, until late in the fourth quarter. Lexie Bland scored 5 of the 14 points during the run that lasted over five minutes.

The Vikings (17-7, 11-5 GNAC) return to the road for the annual Alaskan road trip, traveling to play Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday (5:15 pm AKT/6:15 pm PT) and nationally-ranked Alaska Anchorage on Saturday (7:30 pm AKT/8:30 pm PT). Both games will feature a live webcast and statistical updates at GNAC.tv.

The Vikings and Wildcats split the season series, each winning on their home court. WWU snapped a 3-game losing streak vs. the Wildcats after falling 72-62 in Ellensburg on Jan. 16. WWU continues to dominate the all-time series 95-15.

Here is a look at the updated Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings through games played on Saturday, with the Vikings moving into a 3^rd-place tie with Simon Fraser 11-5 in conference play.

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 607, 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 1,039 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.