LANGLEY, B.C. – Led by a strong team defensive effort and a dominating fourth quarter performance, the Western Washington University women's basketball team completed play in the D2 Canadian Tip-Off Classic with a come-from-behind 54-49 victory Sunday in the Langley Events Centre.
WWU led for only 1:09 and trailed by nine points with just under five minutes remaining in the game (47-38). Junior guard Joy Haltom started what ended up being a 16-2 scoring run to complete the game with a layup at the 4:37 mark to turn the nine-point deficit into a five-point victory. WWU scored the final 12 points in the game going 8-for-9 from the free throw line with senior forward Olivia Hodges scoring eight of her team-high 12 points.
The Vikings finished the season-opening tournament with a 2-1 record also defeating Minot State 69-64 on Saturday and narrowly falling to No. 21 Colorado Mesa 65-62 on Friday.
Western's strong defensive effort included out-rebounding the Rangers 43-34, with an 18-6 offensive rebounding advantage, and recorded 12 steals. In the first three games of the season the Vikings have recorded 39 steals. WWU also limited Parkside to 33.3-percent shooting (16-for-48).
Haltom, a Kirkland native and transfer from Portland State, recorded an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double in a reserve role in 31 minutes. She was 5-for-10 from the field and contributed had two blocks and three steals.
Hodges tallied her second double-double of the tournament with 12 points and 11 rebounds, going 8-for-9 from the free throw line. Hodges, a transfer from Cal State LA, ranked in the top 25 in NCAA II as a junior in 2024-25 averaging 10.3 rebounds per game.
Parkside, a DII program that is part of the University of Wisconsin system in Kenosha, Wisconsin, suffered its first loss of the season after opening the tournament with wins over GNAC schools Simon Fraser (61-50) and Saint Martin's (66-47). The Rangers were led by 17 points and nine rebounds from Lillie Petersen and 14 points from Katie Hamill.
The Vikings (2-1) are off next week and return to action with a pair of non-conference games in the Falcon Classic hosted by Seattle Pacific University November 14-15 in Brougham Pavilion. WWU faces West Region opponents Cal State Dominguez Hills (Nov. 14, 5:15 pm) and Cal State LA (Nov. 15, 5:15 pm).
Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and Parkside:
|
COMPARISON
|
WWU
|
PARK
|
|
Points
|
54
|
49
|
|
Field Goal Pct.
|
.288 (17-59)
|
.333 (16-48)
|
|
3 Point FG Pct.
|
.143 (1-7)
|
.292 (7-24)
|
|
Free Throw Pct.
|
.731 (19-26)
|
.769 (10-13)
|
|
Rebounds
|
43
|
34
|
|
Offensive Rebounds
|
18
|
6
|
|
Assists
|
7
|
13
|
|
Turnovers
|
15
|
21
|
|
Steals
|
12
|
7
|
|
Blocked Shots
|
3
|
4
|
|
Time Led
|
1:09
|
35:50
|
|
Points off Turnovers
|
16
|
8
|
|
Points in the Paint
|
30
|
14
|
|
Bench Points
|
19
|
0
|
|
Fouls
|
16
|
22
|
|
Biggest Lead
|
5
|
10
|
|
Lead Changes: 2 Times Tied: 4
|
Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2025-26 season:
|
RECORD BREAKDOWN
|
|
Overall
|
2-1
|
|
GNAC
|
0-0
|
|
Non-Conference
|
2-1
|
|
Streak
|
W2
|
|
Home
|
0-0
|
|
Away
|
0-0
|
|
Neutral
|
2-1
|
|
vs. Ranked Teams
|
0-1
|
|
Leading at Half
|
0-0
|
|
Trailing at Half
|
1-1
|
|
Tied at Half
|
1-1
|
|
Overtime
|
0-0
|
|
BY UNIFORM
|
|
White
|
0-1
|
|
Black
|
1-0
|
|
Navy
|
0-0
|
|
Light Blue
|
1-0
|
2025-26 WWU BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
The complete schedules for the 2025-26 WWU women's basketball team can be viewed by clicking on the link below. Season tickets can be reserved at WWUVikings.com/Tickets. Single-game tickets are available for all games at the Carver Gym Box Office one hour prior to tip-off for each game or by the online box office.
· Women's Basketball Schedule
· GNAC Schedule
