SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Career-high scoring efforts from senior guard Avery Dykstra and sophomore forward Truitt Reilly helped lead the No. 13 nationally-ranked Western Washington University women's basketball team to a 73-64 road victory over Point Loma Nazarene University Tuesday night in Golden Gymnasium.

Going on the road for the first time this season, WWU won its fourth consecutive game to improve to 4-1 on the season. The Vikings only defeat of the young season was a one-point setback in the season opener against No. 21 Azusa Pacific.

The Vikings and Sea Lions battled through eight tie scores and eight lead changes until WWU made a game-defining run midway through the fourth quarter. Western trailed 56-55 with 5:04 remaining in the final quarter, but answered with an 11-2 run and remained in the lead the rest of the way en route to the nine-point victory.

With junior forward and double-double machine Brooke Walling in foul trouble, Reilly shined with a career-high 14-point, 13-rebound effort on 7-for-11 shooting. Avery Dykstra scored her career-high 19 points on 5-for-10 shooting while going 8-for-8 from the free throw line (all in the fourth quarter).

Senior guard Mollie Olson added 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting and despite being called for three early fouls Walling finished with nine points and 10 rebounds. 

PLNU was led by a game-high 21 points by Ellie Turk, shooting 7-for-14 from the field with five three-pointers. Allie Carreon also finished in double-digits scoring with 16 points on 5-for-8 shooting. The Sea Lions shot .421 from the field (24-for-57) and were 9-for-17 (.529) from beyond the arc, but were just 7-for-21 from the free throw line.

The Vikings out-rebounded the Sea Lions 44-35 and had an 8-to-4 advantage in blocked shots. WWU shot .431 from the field (28-for-65), were 4-for-17 from three-point range and were an efficient 13-for-16 from the free throw line (.813).

WWU (4-1) remain on the road opening GNAC play Saturday (Dec. 3) at Simon Fraser University with tip-off scheduled for at 5:15 pm in West Gym. The game will feature a live webcast and statistical updated with direct links available at wwuvikings.com/WBB.

Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and Point Loma:

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

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2022-23 season following Tuesday's win at Point Loma:

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 647, 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 1,079 all-time wins in the 52-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.