SPOKANE, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's basketball team dropped its preseason exhibition game against Gonzaga University 78-36 Friday evening in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
The Vikings held their own in the first half leading 21-19 midway through the second quarter and trailed 30-22 at halftime. But the Bulldogs out-scored the Vikings 32-6 in the third quarter to pull away for the 42-point victory.
The game result and statistics do not count towards the official 2022-23 season records for both teams.
WWU led 9-4 earl in the first quarter, but GU finished the opening frame on a 11-0 run to take a 15-9 lead. The Vikings went on a 10-2 run with three-pointers by Brooke Walling and Mason Oberg to tie the game at 19-19 with 4:40 left in the half and grabbed a 21-19 lead on a basket by Truitt Reilly.
Gonzaga showed why it has advanced to play in the last five NCAA Tournaments finishing the half on a 11-1 run to talk a 30-22 lead into halftime.
The Bulldogs went on an 18-2 run to open the third quarter to double-up the Vikings at 48-24 and finished on a 14-2 run to take a 62-28 lead into the final quarter. WWU was limited to 14 second-half points to close out the game.
Freshman guard Riley Dykstra led the Vikings with 13 points on 6-for-12 shooting and also had three rebounds, three assists and one steal. Junior forward Brooke Walling grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to go along with five points and senior forward Katrina Gimmaka had six points and six rebounds. WWU committed 23 turnovers, leading to 32 points for Gonzaga. The Vikings out-rebounded Gonzaga 39-36.
The Bulldogs, the preseason West Coast Conference favorite, were led by 17 points on five three-pointers by Kayleigh Truong, with twin sister Kaylynne adding seven points. Brynna Maxwell contributed 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting and Yvonne Ejim had 13 points and nine rebounds in 18 minutes of action. Gonzaga combined to go 10-for-21 from three-point range.
WWU officially opens the season November 18-19 hosting the West Region Crossover Classic on WECU Court in Carver Gym, with No. 21 Azusa Pacific and No. 12 Cal State San Marcos providing big early-season tests. The complete 2022-23 WWU women's basketball schedule can be viewed online at WWUVikings.com/22-23_WBB.
Here is a list of preseason rankings for the Vikings:
- GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll: #1 (8 of 10 first-place votes)
- WBCA NCAA II Coaches Poll: #2 (7 of 23 first-place votes)
- D2SIDA NCAA II Media Poll: #1
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 51-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 643, 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.
