BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's basketball team may only be playing an abbreviated six-game schedule, but the Vikings are playing like March Madness is right around the corner.
 
Fueled by 16 points from senior guard Dani Iwami (Seal Beach, CA) on 6-for-8 shooting, and a 14-point performance by reigning GNAC Player of the Week Mollie Olson (Napavine, WA) the Vikings improved to 3-0 with a 58-50 victory over Seattle Pacific University Friday evening on WECU Court in Carver Gym.
 
The two teams will match-up again Saturday night, this time on Royal Brougham Court in Seattle, with tip-off scheduled for 5 pm. SPU dropped to 7-6 with the loss after having entered the contest as winners of three of its last four games.
 
In addition to the big scoring efforts by Iwami and Olson, senior Emma Duff (Tumwater, WA/Black Hills) neared a double-double with 9 points and 7 rebounds, and junior guard Avery Dykstra (Everson, WA/Lynden Christian) scored 8 points (3-for-5 FG) with six in the 4^th quarter. Senior center Kelsey Rogers (Bothell, WA/Lynnwood) added 6 points and a game-high 8 rebounds.
 
"We stepped up on defense, and we needed that because we played a little tentative on offense," said WWU head coach Carmen Dolfo. "It was nice to see the team share the ball and really move around in the 4^th quarter that ultimately won the game for us. We will look to sharpen a few things before we play again tomorrow night against the same team."
 
Western held a 27-20 halftime lead, but SPU used a 17-6 run that spanned the 2^nd and 3^rd quarter to take a 35-33 lead with 2:44 remaining in the 3^rd quarter. An Iwami 3-pointer at the 1:12 mark sparked a 5-0 run to end the quarter to give WWU the 38-35 lead. The Vikings continued the run out-scoring the Falcons 17-4 over a 7:50 stretch to put the game out of reach to remain unbeaten at 3-0 on the season.
 
While the Vikings shot 35.6% from the floor (21-for-59), the defense limited SPU to 30.9% (17-for-55) and only 2-for-12 from 3-point range. Western out-rebounded SPU 42-25, with a 12-9 advantage in offensive rebounds, and were a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line (6-for-6 in the 4^th quarter).
 
Junior guard Rachel Berg scored a game-high 18 points on 6-for-13 shooting to lead the Falcons, and junior forward Natalie Hoff scored 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting. SPU (7-5) played without leading scorer Ashley Alter, who entered the game averaging 13.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
    The Vikings (3-0) return to the road tomorrow facing Seattle Pacific at Royal Brougham Pavilion in Seattle. Tip-off is set for 5 pm with webcast and live stats links available at WWUVikings.com/Live.
  Western went on a 17-4 run to turn a 35-33 deficit (2:44 remaining in 3^rd quarter) into an 11-point 50-39 lead with 3:25 remaining in the game. SPU had a 17-6 run late in the 2^nd quarter that extended into the 3^rd quarter that brought the Falcons back from a 9-point deficit.
  Both teams got off to a slow shooting performance in the first half, with WWU at 35.7 percent (10-for-28) and SPU at 24.0 (6-for-25). Western led by as many as 10 points at 24-14 late in the 2^nd quarter and took a 27-20 lead into halftime. Mollie Olson led all players with 10 first-half points, going 3-for-3 from the field including a pair of 3-pointers.
  Following GNAC protocols, there were no fans in attendance for the game inside Carver Gym. All GNAC contest this season will feature no spectators, but all games will be streamed live online.
  The WWU record book shows the Vikings leading the all-time series vs. the Falcons 65-33, including a current four-game winning streak. The Vikings defeated SPU last season 73-60 in Bellingham (for Carmen Dolfo's 600th career victory) and 77-62 in Seattle. Overall WWU has won 9 of the last 12 in the series.
  With no fans allowed to attend home or away games due to GNAC mandates, all games can be followed via live webcast on YouTube. Links will be active at WWUVikings.com/WBB_Watch for all games, with Vikings TV bringing you the home game action from Carver Gym. Shawn Walli and Ben Bagley will have the call from inside Carver Gym. Live statistical updates can also be tracked in real time via WWUVikings.com/WBB_Stats.
  Here is a look at the complete six-game schedule for the Vikings:
 

DATE	OPPONENT	PLACE	TIME/RESULT
Feb. 26 (Fri.)	at Saint Martin's	Lacey, WA (Marcus Pavilion)	W, 58-54
Feb. 27 (Sat.)	SAINT MARTIN'S	WECU Court at Carver Gym	W, 83-74
March 5 (Fri.)	SEATTLE PACIFIC	WECU Court at Carver Gym	W, 58-50
March 6 (Sat.)	at Seattle Pacific	Seattle, WA (Brougham Pavilion)	5:00 pm
March 12 (Fri.)	at Central Washington	Ellensburg, WA (Nicholson Pavilion)	5:00 pm
March 13 (Sat.)	CENTRAL WASHINGTON	WECU Court at Carver Gym	6:00 pm

  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 eight of the last 12 seasons, and 35 times in the 50-year history of the program. WWU has 21 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 612, win percentage and 20-win seasons. The Vikings have reached the NCAA II Tournament in 17 of 22 seasons at the Division II level with two trips to the Final Four. The program has 1,047 all-time wins in the 50-year history of the program, and according to available records, is one of less than 20 women's college basketball team across all divisions and levels to reach the milestone.