SEATTLE, Wash. – Led by another strong defensive effort and a solid shooting performance the No. 6/11 nationally-ranked Western Washington University women's basketball team recorded a 21-point road victory over Seattle Pacific University 75-54 Tuesday evening in Royal Brougham Pavilion.
 
The Vikings strengthened their hold on the top spot on the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings improving to 16-2 overall and 8-2 in conference play. WWU also continued its great play on the road improving to 12-1 in games away from Bellingham. WWU entered the week ranked No. 6 in the D2SIDA Media Poll and No. 11 in the WBCA Coaches Poll.
 
The 21-point victory jump-started a stretch of five games in eight days, and six games in 12 days to complete the 2021-22 regular season. WWU now plays four consecutive home games on WECU Court in Carver Gym, hosting the Alaska schools this weekend to continue the frantic buildup to the GNAC Championships that will be held March 2-5 in Seattle and Lacey.
 
WWU got off to a quick start going on a 16-2 run over the final six minutes of the first quarter to grab a 22-10 lead. An 11-1 run in the second quarter, including an 8-0 spurt, broke the game open to give the Vikings a 40-19 halftime lead.
 
The second half was played evenly with both teams scoring 35 points, but the dominating first half by WWU was too much for SPU to overcome. The Vikings big victory was fueled by a 42-24 edge in rebounding and out-scored the Falcons 42-22 in the paint.
 
Freshman guard Riley Dykstra scored a career-high 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting and added a game-high nine rebounds. GNAC Player of the Year candidate Emma Duff continued her outstanding senior season with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists and one steal. Sophomore post player Carley Zaragoza contributed another efficient game scoring 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting.
 
The balanced team effort had eight players score points with five contributing at least eight points. Junior guard Monique Fierke equaled her single-game career-high with nine points on a trio of three-pointers.
 
The Vikings shot over 50.0% for the sixth time this season, connecting on 31-of-60 shots (.517) and went 8-for-20 from three-point range.
 
SPU was limited to 33.3% shooting (18-for-54) and had only one player reach double-figures in scoring with 10 points by Natalie Hoff.
 
WWU (16-2, 8-2 GNAC) concluded its three-game road trip with a 2-1 record and is back in action Thursday hosting Alaska Fairbanks in a 7 pm game on WECU Court in Carver Gym.
  Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and SPU from Tuesday's game:
 

COMPARISON	WWU	SPU
Points	75	54
Field Goal Pct.	.517 (31-60)	.333 (18-54)
3 Point FG Pct.	.400 (8-20)	.286 (4-14)
Free Throw Pct.	.714 (5-7)	.778 (14-18)
Rebounds	42	24
Offensive Rebounds	13	8
Defensive Rebounds	29	16
Assists	14	6
Turnovers	13	10
Steals	4	2
Blocked Shots	4	4
Time Led	36:12	0:20
Points off Turnovers	15	6
Points in the Paint	42	22
Bench Points	27	28
Fouls	16	8

  The Vikings swept the season series against SPU also defeating the Falcons at home 59-40 on February 3. Have won the last seven meetings vs. SPU and 12 of the last 15 dating back to the 2014-15 season. WWU now leads the all-time series 68-33.
  The Vikings (16-2, 8-2 GNAC) returns home to Bellingham to play four consecutive home games in Carver Gym, beginning with games against Alaska Fairbanks (Thursday) and conference rival Alaska Anchorage (Saturday). WWU also entertains Northwest Nazarene in a Monday makeup game on President's Day at 3 pm and Senior Night will be on Tuesday against Saint Martin's (7 pm).
  Here is an updated look at the GNAC standings, with Simon Fraser still to play Northwest Nazarene later tonight. The Vikings remaining in first place in the conference with a 8-2 league record:
 

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL		CONF	PCT	OVERALL	PCT	HOME	AWAY	NEUTRAL	STREAK
1.	Western Washington	8-2	.800	16-2	.889	4-1	10-1	2-0	Won 2
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.	Simon Fraser	5-6	.454	9-11	.450	4-1	3-6	2-4	Won 1
7.	Western Oregon	4-9	.308	8-12	.400	6-3	2-8	0-1	Lost 3
8.	Seattle Pacific	6-8	.429	10-14	.417	7-6	2-6	1-2	Lost 2
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 15 Western Washington 75, at Seattle Pacific 54 Northwest Nazarene at Simon Fraser, 7:00 pm (late Tuesday game) Thursday, February 17 Northwest Nazarene at Saint Martin's, 5:15 pm Alaska Anchorage at Simon Fraser, 7:00 pm Alaska Fairbanks at Western Washington, 7:00 pm Central Washington at Western Oregon, 7:30 pm Saturday, February 19 Northwest Nazarene at Western Oregon, 2:00 pm Montana State Billings at Seattle Pacific, 2:00 pm Central Washington at Saint Martin's, 3:00 pm Alaska Fairbanks at Simon Fraser, 7:00 pm Alaska Anchorage at Western Washington, 7:00 pm

  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 634, 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 1,066 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.