HILO, Hawai'i -- The Western Washington University women's basketball team completed non-conference play and the 2024 portion of the schedule with a 74-68 loss to Quincy University Saturday evening to complete play in the Big Island Holiday Classic inside Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.

 

Playing with a limited roster due to injuries and suiting up just eight players, the Vikings did all they could to stay close to Quincy, but a 4th-quarter comeback fell short in the six-point loss. WWU dropped to 6-5 on the season and Quincy improved to 7-5.

 

The short-handed Vikings were limited to 33.3-percent shooting in the game, connecting on 22-of-66 shots from the field with half the made field goals from beyond the arc. The shooting performance was the second-lowest of the season through 11 games in 2024-25.

 

Junior guard Mason Oberg led the Vikings scoring 21 points to fall just short of a career-high, shooting 6-for-17 from the field and 5-for-11 from three-point range. Oberg has now made 124 career three pointers to move into the top 10 in program history.

 

Junior forward Alyson Deaver added 17 points on 5-for-14 shooting to score in double-digits for the 10th time and senior guard Olivia Wikstrom and sophomore forward Jadyn Watts both contributed 10 points. Wikstrom recorded her second consecutive double-double grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds.

 

The Vikings were without the services of third-leading scorer Demi Dykstra (11.6 points per game) who went down with an injury in the 4th quarter of Friday's victory vs. Hawai'i Hilo.

 

Quincy featured four players scoring in double-digits, led by a 17-point, 15-rebound double-double from Cymirah Williams and 16 points by Karsyn Stratton. The Hawks shot 48.1-percent from the field (26-for-54) and out-rebounded the Vikings 47-32.

 

 

Mason Oberg made five three-pointers (one off her career-high) and now has 124 career three-pointers to tie for 10th-most in WWU history…making her sixth appearance on the hardwood since coming over from the volleyball team, Anna VanderYacht scored her first points for the Vikings…in her 39th career game, Jadyn Watts made her first career start for the Vikings…senior guard Olivia Wikstrom crossed the 800-point mark for her collegiate career that spans 123 games at WWU (42 G), Utah State (55 G) and Northern Colorado (26 G).

 

The Vikings (6-5, 1-1 GNAC) will take a short break for the holidays and returns to conference play in the new year with road games on January 2 at Western Oregon (5:15 pm) and Saint Martin's on January 4 (3 pm). The Vikings next home games are scheduled for January 9 vs. Northwest Nazarene and January 11 vs. Central Washington, both featuring a 7 pm tip-off on WECU Court in Carver Gym. 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 Quincy:

 

 

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

 

 

Quincy and WWU met for the third time on the hardwood with the Hawks gaining a 2-1 edge in the series with Saturday's victory. WWU defeated Quincy 82-64 on Dec. 18, 2008 and was defeated 72-62 on Dec. 19, 2015 in previous meetings in Las Vegas.

 

WWU head coach Carmen Dolfo is approaching another career milestone only three wins from 700 for her career. In 34 seasons leading the program Dolfo has accumulated 697 wins and has a .723 winning percentage (697-267). Here are a few fun facts about Dolfo approaching 700 career wins:

 

·         Among all-time NCAA Division II women's basketball head coaches, only 12 have reached the 700-win mark.

·         Among active NCAA II women's basketball head coaches, only 4 have reached the 700-win mark.

·         Only 43 head coaches at all levels of NCAA women's basketball have reached 700 career wins.

·         Dolfo is set to become the 17th active women's basketball head coach with 700 career wins.

 

Here is a look at updated scores from around the GNAC this week:

 

 

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2024-25 season following the six-point loss vs. Quincy:

 

 

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 697 (3 from 700), 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 1,129 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.