NAMPA, Idaho – The Western Washington University women's basketball team overcame foul trouble and an uncharacteristic performance from the free throw line to earn a key GNAC road victory over Northwest Nazarene 67-64 Saturday inside the Johnson Center.

The Vikings broke a tie for 4th place in the standings with the Nighthawks improving to 14-8 overall and 8-5 in conference play to sit alone in 4th place in the standings. WWU avenged a 63-51 home loss to NNU in the first meeting between the two teams January 9 in Bellingham.

Western built a 31-24 halftime lead and improved to 11-0 this season when holding the lead at the break. NNU pulled even early in the second half and trailed by one twice late in the game, but WWU held on for the three-point victory.

The Vikings battled foul trouble all game with a season-high three players fouling out and were 15-for-28 from the free throw line (53.6%) after entering the game at 75.7-percent for the season.

WWU was led by 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting by sophomore guard Libby Stump, who came off the bench to play 30 minutes. The Vikings featured four players scoring in double-digits despite the foul trouble, with sophomore guard Demi Dykstra (14 points), junior forward Alyson Deaver (12 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks) and senior guard Maddy Grandbois (10 points, 3 assists). Dykstra made two key free throws in the final five seconds to put the Vikings up by three.

NNU (14-8, 8-5 GNAC) was led by a game-high 22 points by Kendall Clark on 7-for-14 shooting from the field and 8-for-12 from the free throw line.

The Vikings and Nighthawks combined for 47 personal fouls and 58 free throw attempts. WWU never trailed in the game after going down 2-0 on two free throws by NNU. 

Leading by one with five seconds left on the clock, sophomore guard Demi Dykstra drained a pair of free throws to extend WWU's lead to three points. The Vikings were 13-for-26 at the free throw line heading into that crucial moment, but Dykstra hit both free throws.

NNU came out of the halftime break scoring the first seven points to pull even at 31-31, but Western answered scoring six consecutive points to retake the lead and never trailed the remainder of the way. The Nighthawks nearly erased a 10-point 4th-quarter deficit pulling to within one point at 61-60 following a three-pointer by Kate Clark at the 1:17 mark. Despite a tough overall night at the free throw line, the Vikings clinched the game at the charity stripe hitting six free throws down the stretch including a pair by Demi Dykstra with five seconds remaining to seal the three-point victory.

The Vikings held a 31-24 lead at the half, with the seven-point cushion provided by a balanced offense that shot 44.4-percent and had five players with at least five points. Mason Oberg led the Vikings with seven points, followed by six each by Olivia Wikstrom and Libby Stump. WWU originally carried a nine-point lead into the half at 33-24, but the officials reviewed a made basket by Demi Dykstra that appeared to beat the shot clock buzzer, but the basket was taken off the scoreboard.

The Vikings (14-8, 9-4 GNAC) are back at home next week hosting the Alaska schools in GNAC play on WECU Court in Carver Gym. WWU plays Alaska Anchorage on Thursday for Women in Sports Celebration and continue the homestand hosting Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday for Mark Scholten Night, with both games scheduled for a 7 pm tip-off. 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 Northwest Nazarene:

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

WWU and NNU split the regular season series with the Vikings recording a three-point 67-64 win on Saturday and the Nighthawks winning 63-51 on January 9 in Carver Gym. WWU now leads the all-time series 37-18 with a 15-9 record in the Johnson Center.

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 three-point victory at NNU:

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 705, 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 1,137 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.