LACEY, Wash. – In a tight defensive battle, the No. 14 nationally-ranked Western Washington University women's basketball team defeated Saint Martin's University, 52-49, Thursday evening inside Marcus Pavilion in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action.

WWU improved to 13-3 overall with its fourth consecutive victory and remain in second place in the conference standings at 5-1.
 

In a back-and-forth contest, the game was determined in the final three minutes of action. The Vikings trailed by one when sophomore guard Mason Oberg, playing for the first time in a month following an injury, hit a big three-pointer at the 2:47 mark to put the Vikings up 48-46. The Saints however would answer right back, banking in their own three-pointer at 1:23 to go up 49-46. From that point on it was the Maddy Grandbois show.
 

After a Viking turnover on the offensive end, Grandbois would chase down a fastbreak by the Saints to force a turnover and prevent an easy layup. Grandbois would then hit the biggest shot of the game with 36 seconds left as she drilled a three-pointer to give Western a 51-49 edge. Grandbois would again force a turnover on the defensive end and after being fouled and calmly go 1-2 from the free throw line. The Vikings defense shut down the Saints final effort and took the game 52-49.
 

The Western offensive attack proved to be a total team effort with the Vikings tallying 16 assists on 17 made baskets spearheaded by senior guard Steph Peterson's seven assists. Junior guard Olivia Wikstrom paced the scoring with 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting and Grandbois finished with nine points, seven of which came in the fourth quarter.
 

The Vikings, who rank 5th in NCAA II in opponents field goal percentage, limited the Saints to 14 first-half points on 27.7-percent shooting (5-for-18) and forced 16 turnovers. The Saints would finish the game with 20 turnovers while shooting 41.2-percent (21-for-51).
 

The Saints (3-10, 1-5 GNAC) were led by Kiana Rios, who had a game-high 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting and Anjel Galbraith with 11 points.

WWU held a 17-14 lead at the half, out-scoring the Saints 11-9 in the second quarter. The Vikings were led by seven points by Olivia Wikstrom, who was 2-for-4 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free throw line. The two teams combined for 29 turnovers in the first half and both shot under 30-percent (WWU-27.3%/6-for-22).

The two teams combined to score just 11 points in the opening quarter, with the Vikings holding a one-point 6-5 lead through the first 10 minutes. The five points allowed marked the 12th time this season the Vikings have held an opponent to single-digits scoring in a quarter this season. WWU's six points were tied for the 6th-lowest quarter scoring output since the four-quarter format was adopted in 2015-16.

Junior guard Maddy Grandbois was selected as the WECU Player of the Game with nine points, five rebounds and one blocked shot. Grandbois scored seven of her nine points in the fourth quarter, including a go-ahead three-pointer with 36 seconds left in the game.

W🏀| WECU Player of the Game

After scoring the final four points of the game, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with :36 seconds left and making multiple key defensive stops, Maddy Grandbois is your WECU Player of the Game! The Viks defeated Saint Martin's 52-49. GO VIKS! pic.twitter.com/rSidR1p0qf
— WWU Athletics (@WWUAthletics) January 19, 2024
  

Junior Olivia Wikstrom led the Vikings with 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting, including 2-for-4 from beyond the arc. The performance marked Wikstrom's fourth consecutive double-digit scoring game, all with 14 points. Over the last six games Wikstrom is averaging 12.3 points per game. Wikstrom was also 2-for-2 from the free throw line vs. Saint Martin's and is a perfect 22-for-22 from the charity stripe this season.

The Vikings (13-3, 5-1 GNAC) remain on the road taking on Western Oregon on Saturday in Monmouth with tip-off scheduled for 2 pm. 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 Vikings record breakdown for the 2023-24 season:

WWU improved to 80-11 all-time vs. Saint Martins and have won the last seven games. Dating back to the 1998 season the Vikings are 50-2 against the Saints.

Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and Saint Martin's:

Here is an updated look at the 2023-24 GNAC Women's Basketball standings following Thursday's games:

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2023-24 season following the 52-49 win over Saint Martin's:

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 680, 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 1,112 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.