BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's basketball team celebrated Senior Night with a 65-55 victory over Simon Fraser University Saturday in front of 977 fans on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

WWU sent senior guards Maddy Grandbois and Olivia Wikstrom out with a victory in their final home game in Carver Gym. The 10-point victory improved WWU to 16-9 overall and maintained their 4th-place standing in the GNAC at 11-5. Western has already clinched one of the six spots for the postseason GNAC Championships held March 6-8 in Lacey.

The 10-point victory over the Red Leafs didn't come easy, as the Vikings had to overcome a six-point 4th-quarter deficit to pull out the win. WWU led 40-28 at the half, but SFU out-scored the Vikings 20-7 in the 3rd quarter to take a one-point lead heading into the final quarter.

WWU trailed 54-48 with just under seven minutes remaining in the contest, but the Vikings battled back going on an 8-0 run to re-take the lead and out-scored the Red Leafs 17-1 the remainder of the way for the 65-55 victory. Grandbois jumpstarted the run with a three-pointer to cut the deficit in half. The Viking were 9-for-10 from the free throw line down the stretch to hold off any SFU comeback.

The Vikings featured four players scoring in double-digits led by 14 points each by Grandbois and junior forward Alyson Deaver. Wikstrom recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 11 points and 14 rebounds and sophomore guard Libby Stump came off the bench to contribute 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in 26 minutes.

WWU shrugged off an off shooting night to record the victory, connecting on 22-of-64 shots (.344). The Vikings defense limited SFU to 55 points to tie for the 2nd-fewest this season. The Red Leafs (12-13, 5-11 GNAC) were hurt by shooting 1-for-22 from three point range. GNAC leading scorer Sophia Wisotzki scored a game-high 23 points.

WWU led 40-28 at the half, improving to 13-0 this season when holding a halftime lead…WWU closed out the home portion of the schedule with a 7-3 record in Carver Gym…Olivia Wikstrom tallied her team-leading seventh double-double of the season with 11 points and 14 rebounds…WWU limited SFU to .313 shooting for the game (21-for-67) and just 1-for-22 (.045) from three-point range.

Simon Fraser out-scored the Vikings 20-7 in the 3rd quarter to take a 48-47 lead heading into the final quarter and stretched its advantaged to six points at 54-48 with 6:52 remaining in the game. SFU used a 20-2 run across the 3rd and 4th quarters to build the six-point lead. WWU answered with an 8-0 run on three-pointers by Maddy Grandbois and Mason Oberg, and a pair of free throws by Alyson Deaver to pull back ahead and led the remainder of the way finishing the game on a 9-0 run. From the point where the Vikings trailed by six points, WWU out-scored SFU 17-1 over the final 6:18 jump-started by the Grandbois three-pointer.

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
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The Vikings (16-9, 11-5 GNAC) head on the road next week completing the regular season against Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Montana State Billings on Saturday. The GNAC will be announced the postseason schedule next Saturday following the completion of all games. 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 Simon Fraser:

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

WWU earned the season sweep over SFU also winning 78-69 on January 25 in Burnaby, BC. The Vikings lead the all-time series 58-38 with a 25-8 record since SFU joined the NCAA level in 2010-11. Western has won five of the last six in the series and extended the home winning streak over the Red Leafs to 17 in a row.

WWU celebrated seniors Maddy Grandbois and Olivia Wikstrom prior Saturday's game vs. SFU. Grandbois and Wikstrom, along with WWU student managers George Irwin and Grant Brewer, will be introduced to the Carver Gym crowd celebrating their final home game.

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 10-point win over Simon Fraser:

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 707, 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 1,139 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.