SEATTLE, Wash. – The wins keep on coming for the Western Washington University women's basketball team, this time using a 35-point second half to lift the Vikings to a 77-62 road victory over Seattle Pacific University on Thursday night in Brougham Pavilion.
WWU battled through 14 first-half lead changes and seven tie scores, taking the a lead with 3:07 remaining in the half on a Katrina Gimmaka jump with 3:07 remaining the half and led the rest of the way to record its sixth consecutive victory. The win moved the surging Vikings into a three-way tie for 2nd place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings.
The Vikings improved to 16-5 overall and 10-3 in GNAC play, while recording their 12th win over the last 14 games. SPU dropped to 7-14 overall and 5-8 in conference play.
Senior point guard Lexie Bland led all players with 17 points, going 6-for-12 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Bland added 4 assists, 4 rebounds and a pair of steals in 21 minutes of action.
Junior forward Kelsey Rogers tied her season high with 16 points on 8-for-13 shooting and senior center Anna Schwecke had 15 points (10 in the 1st quarter) on 7-for-8 shooting. Sophomore guardMollie Olson keyed WWU's defensive performance with 4 steals and 2 blocks.
The Vikings combined to shoot 54.2% for the game (32-for-59), the sixth time this season to shoot over 50.0% in a game this season (4th-best pct. this season). WWU was also 10-for-11 from the free throw line and out-rebounded the Falcons 34-24.
SPU was led by 15 points from forward Ashlynn Burgess (5-for-8 FG) and 14 points by Ashley Alter (4-for-8 FG). SPU shot 43.4% for the game (23-for-53) and was 7-for-21 from 3-point range.
The back-and-forth first half included 14 lead changes and 7 tie scores. WWU held a 1-point 42-41 lead at the half, but opened the 3rd quarter on a 14-2 run to expand the lead to 13 points at 56-43. SPU closed the gap to 6 points midway through the final quarter following a 3-pointer by Hallee Bennett with 6:27 remaining (62-56), but the Vikings closed out the victory on a 15-6 run, including scoring the final 8 points of the game.
THE SIX-GAME WINNING STREAK
WWU has won six consecutive games that dates back to the 88-41 win at Concordia on January 4 in Portland. It is the longest winning streak by a Viking squad since a 17-game winning streak in 2016-17.
The Vikings (16-5, 10-3 GNAC) remains on the road on Saturday facing Saint Martin's in Marcus Pavilion in Lacey, with tip-off set for 5:15 pm vs. the Saints. WWU will next play in Carver Gym February 13 (NNU) and 15 (CWU) with both games at 7 pm.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. SEATTLE PACIFIC
The Vikings recorded the season sweep over the Falcons, also winning 73-60 in Carver Gym on Jan. 11. WWU has won 12 of the last 18 in the series dating back to the 2012 season and leads the all-time series 64-33. Tonight's 15-point victory snapped a 2-game losing streak in Brougham Pavilion (6-3 in last 9 trips to Seattle).
Here is a look at the updated Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings through games played on Thursday with the Vikings moving into a three-way tie for 2nd place with Northwest Nazarene (lost 68-54 vs. UAA) and Simon Fraser (won 65-55 at Saint Martin's):
|
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
|
CONF
|
PCT
|
OVERALL
|
PCT
|
HOME
|
AWAY
|
NEUTRAL
|
STREAK
|
|
1.
|
Alaska Anchorage
|
12-1
|
.923
|
22-2
|
.917
|
11-0
|
8-2
|
3-0
|
Won 4
|
|
2.
|
Western Washington
|
10-3
|
.769
|
16-5
|
.762
|
9-0
|
5-4
|
2-1
|
Won 6
|
|
|
Northwest Nazarene
|
10-3
|
.769
|
15-6
|
.714
|
8-3
|
5-2
|
2-1
|
Lost 1
|
|
|
Simon Fraser
|
10-3
|
.769
|
15-8
|
.652
|
9-4
|
4-2
|
2-2
|
Won 3
|
|
5.
|
Central Washington
|
8-5
|
.615
|
13-8
|
.619
|
8-3
|
3-4
|
2-1
|
Won 2
|
|
6.
|
Montana State Billings
|
6-7
|
.461
|
11-11
|
.500
|
8-2
|
3-6
|
0-3
|
Won 1
|
|
7.
|
Seattle Pacific
|
5-8
|
.385
|
7-14
|
.333
|
5-5
|
2-7
|
0-2
|
Lost 2
|
|
8.
|
Saint Martin's
|
4-9
|
.308
|
9-11
|
.450
|
8-2
|
1-8
|
0-1
|
Lost 4
|
|
9.
|
Concordia
|
3-10
|
.231
|
4-17
|
.190
|
1-7
|
2-6
|
1-4
|
Won 1
|
|
10.
|
Alaska Fairbanks
|
2-11
|
.154
|
7-15
|
.318
|
4-7
|
0-7
|
3-1
|
Lost 1
|
|
|
Western Oregon
|
2-11
|
.154
|
5-15
|
.250
|
4-6
|
1-8
|
0-1
|
Lost 7
|
|
Thursday's GNAC Scores
(home team in bold)
|
|
Western Washington 77, Seattle Pacific 62
Central Washington 91, Alaska Fairbanks 69
Simon Fraser 65, Saint Martin's 55
Alaska Anchorage 68, Northwest Nazarene 54
Montana State Billings 87, Western Oregon 75
|
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.
