SEATTLE, Wash. – Facing a halftime deficit for the first time this season and trailing at the end of each of the first three quarters, the No. 5/6 nationally-ranked Western Washington University women's basketball team put together a gritty performance to earn a 58-53 road victory over Seattle Pacific University Thursday evening in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. 

 

WWU trailed 16-14 through the first quarter, 29-22 at the half and 41-39 after the third quarter before out-scoring SPU 19-12 in the final quarter for the five-point victory.

 

The Vikings extended their winning streak to 14 consecutive games to tie for the 10th-longest in the 52-year history of the program, improving to 14-1 overall. Battling the second-place Falcons, WWU remained perfect in GNAC play at 8-0.

 

Senior guard Avery Dykstra fueled the gritty team performance with a game-high 17 points on 4-for-7 shooting and was clutch from the free throw line hitting 7-of-8 shots from the charity stripe, all in the fourth quarter.

 

Junior forward Brooke Walling added 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots and sophomore forward Truitt Reilly recorded a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.

 

Overall the Vikings were held to one of their lowest shooting performances of the season at 40.9-percent (18-for-44), but were 18-for-20 from the free throw line, including 13-for-15 in the fourth quarter. WWU held a slim 33-32 advantage in rebounding and recorded six blocked shots to four by SPU.

 

SPU (10-6, 5-3 GNAC) was led by 13 points from Schuyler Berry (6-for-9 FG) and 12 points by Ashley Alter (5-for-10 FG). The Falcons were 23-for-61 (.377) shooting in the game and were 3-for-6 from the free throw line. SPU recorded five more assists (12-7) and field goals (23-18) than WWU, and five fewer turnovers, but couldn't keep the Vikings off the free throw line down the stretch.

 

The tightly-contested game featured 10 lead changes and nine ties, with SPU holding the lead for 21:27 (WWU led for 12:16).

 

WWU entered the weekend ranked No. 6 (WBCA Coaches) and No. 5 (D2SIDA Media) in the national polls, and No. 1 in the D2SIDA West Region Poll. The Vikings remain on the road for the second of four consecutive away contests Saturday at Montana State Billings (7 pm MT/6 pm PT). 

 

SPU held a 47-44 lead with 5:59 remaining in the game before the Vikings went on a 7-0 run to grab the 51-47 lead. Avery Dykstra and Maddy Grandbois hit a pair of free throws each and Truitt Reilly hit a long range jump shot and a free throw to account for the scoring. SPU pulled even at 53-53 on a three-point play by Schuyler Berry with just under a minute remaining, but the Avery Dykstra scored the final five points of the game at the free throw line to send the Vikings to victory

 

The Vikings trailed at the half for the first time this season at 29-22, with SPU hitting a last-second three-pointer to extend the lead to seven points. With WWU leading 14-9 following a Brooke Walling three-pointer with 3:37 remaining in the first quarter, SPU went on a 15-0 quarter-spanning run to take a 24-14 lead. The Vikings answered with an 8-0 spurt to cut the deficit to two points at 24-22 before the Falcons scored the final five points of the quarter.

 

WWU (14-1, 8-0 GNAC) return to action Saturday facing Montana State Billings in Alterowitz Gym with tip-off at 7 pm MT/6 pm PT. Links on how to follow the Vikings on the road can be found at wwuvikings.com/Live.

 

Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and Seattle Pacific:

 

 

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

 

 

WWU extended its winning streak over SPU to eight consecutive games, a streak that dates back to February 16, 2019…the Vikings have also won 13 of the last 16 meetings in the series since the 2014-15 season…WWU maintains a 69-33 lead in the all-time series…the eight-game winning streak over the Falcons is the longest in the series during the NCAA era (since 1998-99).

 

The Vikings extended their current winning streak to 14 in-a-row, the 26th double-digit winning streak in program history. The current winning streak is tied for 10th-longest in program history and the longest since a 16-game winning streak spanning the 2020-21 and 2021-22 season. Dating back to the start of the 2019-20 season, the Vikings have combined to go 67-16 (.807) with a 32-10 record in GNAC play (.762). Here is a look at the longest winning streaks (top 15) in program history:

 

 

Here is an updated look at the GNAC standings, complete with Thursday's results from around the conference:

 

 

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2022-23 season following the 58-53 win at SPU:

 

 

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 657, 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 1,089 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.