BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's basketball completed a 2-0 start to the 2023-24 season earning a hard-fought 76-69 overtime victory over Cal State LA to close out the WWU Veterans Day Classic Saturday evening on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

In a battle of two regional teams from last season, the Vikings prevailed for the seven-point overtime victory to complete a solid start to the season after opening with a convincing 70-47 win over defending West Regional champion Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday. 

The competitive game between the Vikings and Golden Eagles featured 14 lead changes and 10 ties.

WWU was led by another standout performance from senior forward Brooke Walling with a 26-point, 13-rebound double-double, adding six blocked shots to earn tournament MVP honors. Walling was one point off her career single-game high of 27 points set in the 2022 national championship game vs. Glenville State. 

The Vikings trailed 30-26 at the half, were down by as many as nine points early in the third quarter and were in a 49-44 deficit heading into the final quarter before staging the comeback. A quick 5-0 spurt to open the fourth quarter tied the game at 49-49 and both teams exchanged leads down the stretch before the Golden Eagles had one file chance to put the game away. Junior guard Riley Dykstra forced a shot clock violation with lockdown defense to send the game to overtime tied 63-63.

In the five-minute overtime period, WWU scored the first five points on a pair of free throws from junior guard Olivia Wikstrom and a three-pointer by Walling. That early run held off any chance of LA leaving Carver Gym with a victory.

In addition to Walling's big performance, Wikstrom finished with 14 points on 4-for-10 shooting and had four steals. Sophomore guard Mason Oberg and junior forward Aspen Garrison each had nine points to complete the balanced scoring attack. 

Walling (MVP), Garrison and Riley Dykstra each earned a spot on the WWU Veterans Day Classic All-Tournament Team. In two games Riley Dykstra dished out 14 assists while also averaging 8.5 points per game.

Western held a 42-34 rebound advantage in the game and was 18-for-19 from the free throw line (.947).

Cal State LA (1-1) was led by 21 points from Nicole Flennaugh on 7-for-18 shooting, who also led all players with nine assists. Donja Payne neared a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds. LA finished 9-for-9 from the free throw line and was 10-for-23 (.435) from three-point range.
 

The Vikings (2-0) head on the road for the first time in 2023-24 next week at the Azusa Pacific Cougar Shootout playing in a pair of games against ranked West Regional teams in Azusa, California. WWU will take on No. 22 Cal State San Marcos on Friday (Nov. 17) and No. 12 Azusa Pacific on Saturday (Nov. 17). The complete season schedule, complete with links on how to watch the games, can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/WBB.

Here is a look at the final results of the 2023 WWU Veterans Day Classic held November 10-11 in Carver Gym:

Here is the six-player All-Tournament Team for the 2023 WWU Veterans Day Classic:

• Brooke Walling – Western Washington (MVP) – 20.5 points/game, 11.5 rebounds/game, 12 blocks
• Aspen Garrison – Western Washington – 9.5 points/game, 6.5 rebounds/game
• Riley Dykstra – Western Washington – 8.5 points/game, 7.0 assists/game
• Nicole Flennaugh – Cal State LA – 19.5 points/game, 5.5 assists/game, 8-for-17 3FG
• Donja Payne – Cal State LA – 11.0 points/game, 9.0 rebounds/game
• Olivia Mayer – Seattle Pacific – 14.0 points/game, 9.5 rebounds/game, 14-for-27 FG (.519)

Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and Cal State LA:

Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2023-24 season:

Fans wishing to purchase season tickets for the 2023-24 season can call the WWU Box Office at (360) 650-BLUE to reserve their seats for the upcoming season inside Carver Gym. The complete 2023-24 schedule is available online with links to purchase tickets at wwuvikings.com/23-24_WBB.

One of the premier basketball programs in NCAA Division II, recording a 20-win season in 10 of the last 14 full seasons, and 37 times in the 52-year history of the program. WWU has 23 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 669, winning percentage and 20-win seasons. The Vikings have reached the NCAA II Tournament in 19 of 24 possible seasons at the Division II level with three trips to the Elite Eight (last in 2022) and played in the 2022 national championship game. The program has 1,101 all-time wins in the 53-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.