SEATTLE, Wash. – Fueled by a dominating start to the game the Western Washington University women's basketball team defeated Cal State San Marcos 65-48 Saturday at the SPU West Regional Crossover inside Royal Brougham Pavilion.

In a re-match of last year's West Regional semifinal won by San Marcos, the Vikings took control of the game early out-scoring the Cougars 21-3 in the first quarter, including the first 19 points of the game. CSUSM cut the deficit to five points in the fourth quarter, but WWU held off the comeback for the 17-point victory to improve to 2-3 on the season.

Junior forward Alyson Deaver led all players with a single-game collegiate best 24 points on 9-for-18 shooting. The Utah Tech transfer also grabbed a team high seven rebounds, had three blocked shots and a pair of steals. Senior guard Olivia Wikstrom added 16 points on 7-for-13 shooting and junior guard Mason Oberg filled the stat sheet with 10 points, six assists, five steals and a blocked shot.

WWU combined to shoot 44.1-percent from the field (26-for-59), but was held to 4-for-17 (.235) from three-point range. Through the first five games of the season the Vikings are shooting 77.1-percent from the free throw line (64-for-83) after going 9-for-11 Saturday.

Rose Morse led Cal State San Marcos (0-4) with 10 points and Kacie Slover had seven rebounds. The Cougars held a slim 34-31 advantage in rebounds over the Vikings.

WWU scored the first 19 points of the game with five points each by Olivia Wikstrom and Alyson Deaver to jump out to the commanding lead. WWU never trailed in the game and led by as many as 19 points (also at 27-8 in 2nd quarter). The Vikings were 8-for-14 from the field to open the game with the extended scoring run.

Junior forward Alyson Deaver led all players with a game-high 24 points on 9-for-18 shooting, also grabbing seven rebounds, three blocked shots and a pair of steals in 32 minutes. The 24 points are the most in Deaver's 55 career collegiate games with her previous high 14 points on March 14, 2024 vs. UT Arlington in WAC Tournament.

The Vikings defense limited Cal State San Marcos to just three points in the opening quarter, a banked three-pointer with 31 seconds remaining in the 10-minute quarter. The three points allowed are tied for the fourth-lowest in a quarter since the NCAA adopted the four-quarter format for women's college basketball in 2015-16. Best defensive quarter by a Viking squad since holding Saint Martin's to two points in the 2nd quarter on February 22, 2022.

The Vikings (2-3) are off next week returning to action of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend facing Biola and Westminster at the CWU Thanksgiving Classic in Ellensburg (November 29-30). 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 statistical comparison between WWU and Cal State San Marcos:

Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2024-25 season:

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2024-25 season following the 65-48 victory over Cal State San Marcos:

One of the premier basketball programs in NCAA Division II, recording a 20-win season in 11 of the last 14 full seasons, and 38 times in the 53-year history of the program. WWU has 24 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 693, winning percentage and 20-win seasons. The Vikings have reached the NCAA II Tournament in 20 of 25 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 1,125 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.