BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The No. 8 nationally-ranked Western Washington University women's basketball team used an overpowering second half to pull away from a halftime tie in a 69-52 victory over Seattle Pacific University Saturday night on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

The Vikings improved to 21-3 overall and inched closer to winning back-to-back Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season titles at 15-2 in league play with one game remaining. WWU is in first place in the conference standings with second-place Montana State Billings falling to Simon Fraser 67-61 Saturday night. 

WWU used a 15-2 run spanning the second and third quarters, pulling away from a 29-29 halftime tie by out-scoring the Falcons 40-23 in the second half to record the 17-point victory.

Western showcased its depth with all 10 active players scoring at least four points, with sophomore guard Riley Dykstra leading all players with 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting. Sophomore forward Truitt Reilly neared a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds and junior forward Brooke Walling tallied nine points, six rebounds and two assists. Senior guard Avery Dykstra added nine points and a team-high four assists.

WWU shot 59.5-percent in the game to increase the season shooting percentage to 48.7 to rank amongst the top five in NCAA Division II. The Vikings held a 30-25 advantage in rebounding and tied a season high with nine blocked shots.

Ashley Alter and Natalie Hoff led the Falcons with 11 points each, with Alter reaching the 1,000-point milestone for her career. SPU dropped to 13-11 overall and is tied for fourth place in the GNAC standings.

WWU (21-3, 15-2 GNAC) closes out the regular season vs. Simon Fraser next Thursday (Feb. 23) for Senior Night with tip-off vs. the Red Leafs at 7 pm in Carver Gym. WWU's five-player senior class will be celebrated prior to the game. The complete 2022-23 WWU women's basketball schedule and season results to this point can be viewed online at WWUVikings.com/22-23_WBB. Tickets for home games can be purchased at wwuvikings.com/Tickets.

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

WWU entered the weekend ranked No. 8 (WBCA Coaches) and No. 8 (D2SIDA Media) in the national polls, and No. 2 in the D2SIDA West Region Poll. SPU was one of the 10 teams, along with WWU, listed in the first edition of the NCAA Regional rankings that was released last Wednesday.

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

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

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2022-23 season following the 69-52 win over 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 664, 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 1,096 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.