BELLINGHAM, Wash. – In a battle of two nationally ranked teams, No. 17 Western Washington University prevailed over No. 9 Montana State Billings 76-68 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

 

The Vikings (16-3) extended their winning streak to seven consecutive games and remained perfect at 10-0 in home games with the eight-point victory over MSUB. WWU completed the first half of the GNAC schedule at 8-1 moving into a tie for first place in the standings with the Yellowjackets. Billings dropped its first conference game to fall to 17-4 overall, 8-1 in GNAC play and had its seven-game winning streak snapped.

 

WWU took control early in the game with hot shooting from the perimeter, connecting on its first five attempts from beyond the arc. The Vikings held a 24-15 lead after the first quarter and took a four-point 34-30 lead into halftime. An 11-2 run over a four-minute stretch near the end of the third quarter proved to be the difference maker as the Vikings extended their lead to as many 18 points down the stretch.

 

Senior All-American Brooke Walling led all players with 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting, also grabbing eight rebounds. Having already reached 1,000 points in her collegiate career, Walling became the 29th player in program history to hit the 1,000 point mark as a Viking.

 

Senior point guard Steph Peterson neared a triple-double (and possible quadruple double) filling the stat sheet with 10 points, nine rebounds, six assists, six steals and had one blocked shot. 

 

Five Vikings reached double figures in scoring, with sophomore guard Mason Oberg moving back into a starting role and scoring 14 points on 4-for-5 shooting from three-point range. Junior forward Aspen Garrison added 11 points (5-for-9 FG) and junior guard Maddy Grandbois tallied 11 points on 4-for-4 from the field. Junior guard Olivia Wikstrom concluded a solid month of January on the court with nine points and five rebounds.

 

Western combined to shoot 56.9-percent from the field (29-for-51) for the third-best performance of the season and combined to go 10-for-19 (.526) from three-point range. The Vikings also had a 33-24 advantage in rebounding and dished out 21 assists.

 

MSUB was led by 17 points each from Dyauni Boyce and Montana State transfer Kola Bad Bear. MSUB entered the night as the top scoring team in the conference averaging 73.5 points per game (scored 68) and the top defensive team holding opponents to 57.2 points per game (allowed 76 points).
 

 

The Vikings ended the third quarter on an 11-4 run to build a 56-41 lead, which included a string of scoring nine consecutive points to lead by as many as 17 points. Steph Peterson and Brooke Walling each scored five points in the quarter with WWU out-scoring MSUB 22-11 in the quarter.

 

WWU held a four-point 34-30 halftime lead, fueled by 14-for-23 shooting in the first 20 minutes of action (60.9%). Brooke Walling and Mason Oberg each had nine points to pace the Vikings offense. Dyauni Boyce led MSUB with nine points on 3-for-5 shooting from the field (2-for-2 FT). 

 

After growing its lead to 14 points at the 8:49 mark in the second quarter, MSUB had a strong finish going into the half with an 11-2 run and out-scored WWU 15-10 in the second quarter to trim Western's lead to 34-30 at the halftime break. The Yellowjackets hit a pair of three pointers in the quarter and were 6-for-16 from the field. WWU was 4-for-10 from the field and 2-for-5 from three-point range. 
 

 

The Vikings built a 24-15 through the first quarter of play, riding 4-for-4 shooting from beyond the arc and overall 10-for-13 from the field. Brooke Walling and Mason Oberg each scored six points in the first 10 minutes of action. Western used a 13-2 run to build its nine-point lead at the end of the first quarter.

 

Senior Brooke Walling was named the WECU Player of the Game after scoring a game-high 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting. Walling also grabbed eight rebounds and had a pair of assts. In 19 games (all starts), Walling is averaging 16.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.

 

Late in the first quarter senior Brooke Walling reached the 1,000 point mark as a Viking, adding to already reaching the mark for her collegiate career adding in points scored in two seasons at Fresno State. Walling is the 29th player in program history to score at least 1,000 points in a Western uniform.

The Vikings (16-3, 8-1 GNAC) continue their four-game homestand next week hosting the Alaska schools, beginning with a Thursday (Feb. 1) game vs. Alaska Anchorage at 7 pm. The game vs. the Seawolves will open the campus celebration of Black History Month with special programming. 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:

 

 

The Vikings won their second straight game over MSUB adding to the 76-71 win over the Yellowjackets last March in the GNAC Championships final. The two teams will meet again in Billings on February 22 inside Alterowitz Gym. WWU leads the all-time series 30-18 with a 23-11 mark in conference games and 17-6 in home games in Bellingham. The Vikings are also 8-4 vs. the Yellowjackets over the last 12 meetings.

 

Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and Montana State Billings:

 

 

Here is an updated look at the 2023-24 GNAC Women's Basketball standings following Saturday's games to wrap up the first half of the conference schedule. WWU moved into a tie for 1st place with MSU Billings at 8-1 in conference play:

 

 

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2023-24 season following the 76-68 victory over No. 9 MSUB:

 

 

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 683, 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 1,115 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.