BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's basketball team bounced back in a big way. 

Just 24 hours after falling one point short against No. 21-ranked Azusa Pacific, WWU was in the lead from the middle of the first quarter through the end of the game in defeating No. 12 Cal State San Marcos on Saturday in the West Region Crossover Classic women's basketball tournament, 63-46, at Whatcom Pavilion.

Junior forward Brooke Walling, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, produced a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds for the No. 2-ranked Vikings (1-1). Walling hit 8 of 14 from the field, also blocking three shots and handing out two assists. 

She was one of three Western players in double figures. Freshman guard Mason Oberg added 14 points, with 12 of those coming from behind the 3-point arc, and senior guard Mollie Olson chipped in 10. 

San Marcos, which scored a 70-62 victory against Seattle Pacific on Friday's opening day, jumped to a quick 6-2 lead. 

But Western Washington responded with 11 straight points: a lay-up by senior forward Katrina Gimmaka, a lay-up by Walling, a 3-pointer by Olson, a lay-up by sophomore guard Riley Dykstra, and a lay-up by sophomore post Truitt Reilly. 

The Cougars never got closer than four the rest of the day, the last time at 24-20 midway through the second quarter. 

WWU took a 32-25 lead into halftime, then blew the game open during the third quarter, outscoring by a 20-8 margin to make it 50-33 heading into the final 10 minutes. 

"I thought our defense was a little bit more consistent today," said WWU head coach Carmen Dolfo. "Offensively we struggled last night, so today, we just tried to look at what they gave us instead of pre-determining what we were going to do. We did a better job of recognizing what the defense was giving us and doing." 

Walling finished the tournament with 33 points on 14-of-25 shooting (56 percent), plus 21 rebounds, six blocked shots and three steals.

For the second consecutive day, the Vikings got significant contributions from their reserves, and they put 26 points on the board. In the Azusa Pacific game on Friday, Western got 20 points off the bench. 

Western Washington hit an even 50 percent for the day, draining 26 of 52. That included 50 percent from 3-point range (7 of 14), with Oberg draining 4 of 6. 

On the defensive end, WWU limited San Marcos to just 25 percent shooting (16 of 64). 

"Our defense today was really a factor in that – and that's something we take pride in," Dolfo said.  

The Vikings also dominated the boards, 46-31. Combined with Friday's 43-33 advantage against Azusa Pacific, they were plus-25 for the weekend (89-64). Of those, 27 came at the offensive end. 

All four teams in the tournament – Western, Seattle Pacific, San Marcos, and Azusa Pacific – finished the weekend at 1-1. 

"It's tough to start with Azusa and San Marcos – they're such fabulous teams," Dolfo said. "It's a great opportunity for us. You learn a lot quickly, and hopefully, we can take that into the games in front of us. But the challenge tested you, and you figure out the things you need to work on."

The Vikings are back in action next week hosting the Lynda Goodrich Classic on WECU Court in Carver Gym November 25-26 (Friday-Saturday), with Dominican (CA), Bemidji State and Saint Martin's participating in the four-team, two-day tournament. Games will be played each day at 2 and 4:30 pm in Carver Gym.

Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and Cal State San Marcos:

Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2022-23 season:

One of the premier basketball programs in NCAA Division II, recording a 20-win season in nine of the last 13 full seasons, and 36 times in the 52-year history of the program. WWU has 22 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 644, winning percentage and 20-win seasons. The Vikings have reached the NCAA II Tournament in 18 of 23 possible seasons at the Division II level with three trips to the Elite Eight (including 2022) and played in the 2022 national championship game. The program has 1,075 all-time wins in the 51-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 1,000-victory milestone.