ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Western Washington University senior Emma Duff scored a career-high 29 points to lead the No. 8 nationally-ranked Vikings to a 74-72 road victory over Central Washington University Saturday evening in Nicholson Pavilion.
The Vikings improved to 15-2 overall and remain in first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings with a 7-2 league record. CWU dropped to 16-6 overall and 9-4 in league play.
Duff scored 16 of her 29 points in the second half and 11 in the final quarter to propel the Vikings to the two-point victory over their in-state rival, earning redemption for a 76-68 CWU win in Carver Gym on January 13.
"It was a game that went back and forth until the very end," said WWU head coach Carmen Dolfo. "Our team did a great job getting stops and hitting shots in crucial times. Emma was amazing again tonight, but overall it was just a great team effort and a team win on the road."
WWU junior guard Avery Dykstra added 10 points on 5-for-8 shooting and Mollie Olson had nine points and four assists. Freshman guard Maddy Grandbois, who originally attended CWU, grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and hit a key three-pointer early in the second half.
The Vikings trailed by nine points late in the second quarter at 35-26, but went on a 9-0 run that spanned halftime to pull even 35-35 on a three-pointer by Grandbois.
WWU used the swing of momentum to take a seven-point lead at 50-43 late in the third quarter, with the Vikings out-scoring the Wildcats 18-12 in the third period. Western led for most of the fourth quarter until consecutive three-pointers by Kizzah Maltezo and Valerie Huerta evened the score at 70-70 with one minute remaining.
Dykstra made a driving layup with 44 seconds remaining and the Vikings made two key defensive stops to remain in the lead, capped by free throws from Duff and Brooke Walling.
Kassidy Malcolm led CWU with 23 points on 9-for-19 shooting and Samantha Bowman recorded a 13-point, 14-rebound double-double. Maltezo contributed 17 points, but one of the top three-point shooters in the GNAC was limited to 1-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc.
WWU (15-2, 7-2 GNAC) returns to action Tuesday with a road game at Seattle Pacific, beginning a stretch of five games in eight games.
Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and CWU from Saturday's game:
|
COMPARISON
|
WWU
|
CWU
|
|
Points
|
74
|
72
|
|
Field Goal Pct.
|
.435 (30-69)
|
.394 (28-71)
|
|
3 Point FG Pct.
|
.333 (6-18)
|
.350 (7-20)
|
|
Free Throw Pct.
|
.571 (8-13)
|
.692 (9-13)
|
|
Rebounds
|
43
|
44
|
|
Offensive Rebounds
|
13
|
14
|
|
Assists
|
17
|
15
|
|
Turnovers
|
10
|
10
|
|
Steals
|
7
|
3
|
|
Blocked Shots
|
4
|
1
|
|
Time Led
|
14:09
|
20:25
|
|
Points off Turnovers
|
11
|
4
|
|
Points in the Paint
|
42
|
34
|
|
Bench Points
|
17
|
5
|
WWU improved to 98-16 all-time vs. CWU with a 9-6 advantage in the last 15 meetings dating back to the 2015-16 season. The Vikings have won consecutive games in Nicholson Pavilion after dropping three consecutive games in Ellensburg. CWU defeated WWU 76-68 on January 13 in Bellingham.
The Vikings (15-2, 7-2 GNAC) concludes its string of three consecutive road games Tuesday at Seattle Pacific University with a 4 pm makeup game in Brougham Pavilion. The game vs. the Falcons will feature a live webcast and statistical updates with direct links available at wwuvikings.com/Live. WWU will then play four consecutive home games in Carver Gym, beginning by hosting the Alaska schools February 17 and 19 with 7 pm tip-offs on WECU Court.
Here is an updated look at the GNAC standings following play on Saturday with the Vikings remaining in first place in the conference with a 7-2 league record:
|
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
|
CONF
|
PCT
|
OVERALL
|
PCT
|
HOME
|
AWAY
|
NEUTRAL
|
STREAK
|
|
1.
|
Western Washington
|
7-2
|
.778
|
15-2
|
.882
|
4-1
|
9-1
|
2-0
|
Won 1
|
|
2.
|
Alaska Anchorage
|
9-3
|
.750
|
16-4
|
.800
|
8-2
|
7-2
|
1-0
|
Won 6
|
|
|
Montana State Billings
|
9-3
|
.750
|
15-9
|
.625
|
10-5
|
3-2
|
2-2
|
Won 3
|
|
4.
|
Central Washington
|
9-4
|
.692
|
16-6
|
.727
|
6-2
|
8-3
|
2-1
|
Lost 1
|
|
5.
|
Northwest Nazarene
|
7-5
|
.583
|
13-7
|
.650
|
8-2
|
4-3
|
1-2
|
Lost 1
|
|
6.
|
Seattle Pacific
|
6-7
|
.462
|
10-13
|
.435
|
7-5
|
2-6
|
1-2
|
Lost 1
|
|
7.
|
Simon Fraser
|
5-6
|
.454
|
9-11
|
.450
|
4-1
|
3-6
|
2-4
|
Won 1
|
|
8.
|
Western Oregon
|
4-9
|
.308
|
8-12
|
.400
|
6-3
|
2-8
|
0-1
|
Lost 3
|
|
9.
|
Saint Martin's
|
3-9
|
.250
|
11-10
|
.524
|
7-4
|
2-6
|
2-0
|
Won 1
|
|
10.
|
Alaska Fairbanks
|
1-12
|
.077
|
2-16
|
.111
|
0-9
|
1-6
|
1-1
|
Lost 5
|
|
THIS WEEK'S GNAC SCHEDULE & RESULTS
|
|
Tuesday, February 8
Alaska Anchorage 73, at Western Oregon 65
Seattle Pacific 63, at Saint Martin's 43
Thursday, February 10
at Northwest Nazarene 77, Western Washington 70 (OT)
at Montana State Billings 52, Saint Martin's 50
at Seattle Pacific 67, Western Oregon 54
at Central Washington 92, Simon Fraser 69
Saturday, February 12
Western Washington 74, at Central Washington 72
Alaska Anchorage 74, at Alaska Fairbanks 62
Saint Martin's 58, at Seattle Pacific 51 (OT)
at Montana State Billings 72, Western Oregon 52
Simon Fraser 96, at Northwest Nazarene 86
|
One of the premier basketball programs in NCAA Division II, recording a 20-win season in eight of the last 12 full 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 632, winning 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 1,065 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 1,000-victory milestone.
