BELLINGHAM, Wash. – There have been many memorable wins in the 34 years head coach Carmen Dolfo has led the Western Washington University women's basketball program, and Saturday's milestone 700th career victory ranks near the top of a long list of amazing victories.

 

The Vikings erased a 13-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat in-state rival Central Washington 67-65 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

 

WWU trailed by as many as 16 points and was down 13 points at 58-45 with just over eight minutes remaining in the game. An Alyson Deaver three-pointer jumpstarted a 17-2 run that included scoring 12 consecutive points to put the Vikings ahead in the final two minutes. Western's defense limited the Wildcats to just two free throws during the span.

 

Sophomore Ellee Brockman put the Vikings ahead with a short jumper at the 1:28 mark, and after CWU tied it up, Demi Dykstra put WWU ahead for good with an off-balance shot with 43 seconds remaining. Maddy Grandbois hit three of four free throws down the stretch to seal the comeback victory and the milestone 700th career victory for Dolfo.

 

"What a memorable night with our team playing so hard to get the win. I am incredibly proud of how they battled and stayed together, which made for an amazing comeback win," said Dolfo. "There are so many people involved in the wins, so it is really a program accomplishment with all the players and coaches that I have been surrounded with. This was a special night and I could not be happier with how our team did it."

 

WWU improved to 9-6 overall and move into 3rd place in the GNAC standings with a 4-2 record. CWU dropped to 10-4 overall and 3-2 in conference play.

 

Senior guard Olivia Wikstrom led the Vikings with 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Deaver had 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting and contributed three blocked shots and two steals. Dykstra added 13 points and seven assists.

 

The Vikings recorded the comeback victory without starting guard Mason Oberg playing in the second half after suffering a shoulder injury at the end of the first quarter. 

 

The Wildcats were paced by a game-high 24 points by Asher Cai on 10-for-20 shooting, who also grabbed nine rebounds and had three steals. Capri Sims also finished in double figures with 14 points and just missed a double-double with nine rebounds.

 

 

WWU head coach Carmen Dolfo recorded her 700th career victory in her 968th career game in 34 seasons as the head coach of the Vikings. Her career record now stands at 700-268 for a .723 winning percentage. Here are a few fun facts about Dolfo's 700 career wins:

 

·         Among all-time NCAA Division II women's basketball head coaches, only 13 have reached the 700-win mark.

·         Among active NCAA II women's basketball head coaches, only 5 have reached the 700-win mark.

·         Only 45 head coaches at all levels of NCAA women's basketball have reached 700 career wins.

·         Dolfo became the 18th active women's basketball head coach with 700 career wins.

W🏀 | An incredible comeback victory gives the Vikings a 67-65 win over CWU marking the 700th career victory for Carmen Dolfo.

🎥 Storm Hedman/Viking Creatives pic.twitter.com/jexyeRN5oR
— WWU Athletics (@WWUAthletics) January 12, 2025
  

Trailing by 13 points with 8:04 remaining in the game at 58-45, the Vikings went on a 17-2 run spanning nearly seven minutes to take the lead 62-60 on an Ellee Brockman short jump shot with 1:28 on the clock. Alyson Deaver scored nine of the 17 points during the run, which included scoring 12 consecutive points.

 

Down 10 points at the half and 51-40 entering the fourth quarter, the Vikings out-scored CWU 27-14 in the fourth quarter to earn the narrow victory. The Wildcats led by as many as 15 points in the second half and had a 13-point lead with just over eight minutes remaining. The Vikings shot 51.7-percent in the second half (15-for-29) and were 10-for-13 from the free throw line. Alyson Deaver scored 13 of her 19 points in the second half and Olivia Wikstrom had 11 points.

 

The Wildcats took a 10-point lead into halftime at 34-24 and led by as many as 16 points late in the second quarter. WWU cut the deficit to single-digits at 33-24 with under two minutes remaining in the half going on an 8-1 run. Olivia Wikstrom led the Vikings with nine points on 4-for-8 shooting and grabbed four rebounds. Asher Kai led all players with 14 points and six rebounds while playing all 20 minutes. The difference in the first half was a 13-2 start to the game for the Wildcats, who led 17-7 through the first quarter. Both teams scored 17 points in the second quarter.

 

The Vikings (9-6, 4-2 GNAC) are back on the road next week making their annual trip to Alaska, beginning with a Thursday game at Alaska Fairbanks (7 pm AKT) and continuing Saturday at Alaska Anchorage (5:15 pm AKT). The complete season schedule, 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 Central Washington:

 

 

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

 

 

Saturday's comeback victory extended WWU's winning streak in the series vs. CWU to six consecutive games, with the Wildcats last victory coming in the 2022 GNAC Championships Final. The Vikings lead the all-time series vs. the Wildcats 104-17 with a 15-7 advantage in the last 22 meetings.

 

Here is a look at the 2024-25 GNAC Women's Basketball standings and overall records following Saturday's games. Updated standings and conference statistics can be viewed online at GNACSports.com. The top six teams in the conference standings at the end of the regular season will qualify for the GNAC Championships held March 6-8 in Lacey:

 

 

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2024-25 season following the come-from-behind victory over CWU:

 

 

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 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 1,132 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.