ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The No. 2 seed Western Washington University women's basketball team had its season come to a close Saturday falling to No. 3 seed Cal Poly Pomona 57-54 in the NCAA Division II Championships West Regional Semifinal in Nicholson Arena.

 

The Vikings (25-8) led by as many as 13 points in the game and had a 47-43 lead heading into the final quarter but were limited to 1-for-16 shooting in the fourth quarter to drop the contest in the three-point game. Cal Poly Pomona out-scored the Vikings 31-24 in the second half to improve to 28-4 on the season and advance to Monday's 7 pm regional final in Ellensburg where it will face No. 1 seed and regional host Central Washington.

 

GNAC regular-season champion WWU built a 30-17 lead with three minutes remaining in the first half, but the CCAA regular-season champion Broncos made a crucial 9-0 run prior to halftime to cut the halftime deficit to four points (30-26). CPP opened the fourth quarter on a 9-1 run, fueling a 14-7 advantage in points over the final 10 minutes.

 

Trailing by six points with just over one minute remaining in the game, junior guard Joy Haltom connected on a three-pointer for the Vikings first field goal of the quarter. Junior guard Demi Dykstra followed with a steal and a three-point play to cut the deficit to one point at 55-54. The Broncos secured an offensive rebound off a missed shot and hit a pair of free throws after the Vikings were forced to foul in the final seconds. Western had two looks at the potential game-tying three-pointer, but was not able to extend the game to overtime.

 

Senior forward Olivia Hodges finished with game-highs in points (15) and rebounds (15), recording her 25th double-double of the season. Hodges fell one double-double short of the GNAC single-season record, completing the 2025-26 season averaging 15.8 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. She broke the WWU single-season record with 439 rebounds, rebounds per game and double-doubles.

 

Haltom completed a solid regional scoring 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting and junior guard Libby Stump had 10 points and five assists. WWU shot 31.1-percent for the game (19-for-61), the fifth-lowest shooting percentage in a game during the 2025-26 season.

 

Madison Eade led Cal Poly Pomona with 13 points, six rebounds and four assists, with Mydrea Moore adding 11 points and eight rebounds. CPP was 23-for-27 from the free throw line – including 18-for-21 in the second half – while being send to the free throw line nine more times than WWU. The Broncos also held a 14-2 advantage in blocked shots.

 

 

 

Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and Cal Poly Pomona:

 

 

Here is a look at the Vikings final record breakdown for the 2025-26 season:

 

 

Here is a look at the West Regional bracket, with a link to the Field of 64 NCAA II Championships Bracket by clicking on the image.

Here are some handy links on how to follow the 2026 NCAA II Championships West Regional:

 

• Regional Website
• Free Webcast via NCAA Champs Pass
• Live Stats
• NCAA Bracket
• NCAA Statistics

 

The Vikings made their 21st NCAA Championships appearance in 27 possible seasons (since 1998-99) and fifth trip to the NCAA West Regional Tournament in the last six possible seasons. WWU has advanced to the postseason (conference, regional, NCAA) in 51 of 54 possible seasons of program history and has won three regional championships to advance to the Elite Eight in 2000 (Pine Bluff, Arkansas), 2013 (San Antonio, TX) and 2022 (Birmingham, AL). The Vikings own an all-time 22-20 record in NCAA tournament play, recording at least one win in 13 of 20 prior regional appearances (did not play in 2020 due to COVID). Below is a game-by-game listing of WWU in NCAA Tournament play with the regional host site listed next to the year:

 

1998-99 (Davis, CA): 

Defeated Seattle Pacific, 77-69 (OT) 

Lost to Montana State Billings, 70-48 

 

1999-2000 (Pomona, CA):

Defeated Alaska Anchorage, 78-59 

Defeated Cal Poly Pomona, 84-66 

Defeated Slippery Rock, 84-67 – Elite Eight

Lost to Northern Kentucky, 80-74 – Final Four 

 

2000-01 (Pomona, CA): 

Defeated Central Washington, 74-66 

Lost to Cal Poly Pomona, 91-85 

 

2001-02 (Pomona, CA):

Defeated Sonoma State, 71-60 

Lost to Cal Poly Pomona, 71-70 

 

2002-03 (Seattle, WA):

Lost to Northwest Nazarene, 83-79 

 

2003-04 (Seattle, WA):

Defeated Sonoma State, 85-71 

Lost to Seattle Pacific, 80-66 

 

2004-05 (Seattle, WA):

Defeated CSU Dominguez Hills, 82-74 (OT) 

Lost to Chico State, 85-75 

 

2005-06 (Bellingham, WA):

Defeated Northwest Nazarene, 66-54 

Lost to Seattle Pacific, 70-50 

 

2006-07 (La Jolla, CA):

Lost to UC San Diego, 78-45 

 

2008-09 (Seattle, WA):

Lost to Humboldt State, 74-64 

 

2009-10 (Seattle, WA):

Lost to Chico State, 79-68 

 

2010-11 (Pomona, CA):

Lost to Alaska Anchorage, 55-48 

 

2011-12 (La Jolla, CA):

Defeated Cal State Monterey Bay, 65-58 

Lost to UC San Diego, 81-66 

 

2012-13 (Bellingham, WA):

Defeated Academy of Art, 70-50 

Defeated Cal State Monterey Bay, 71-63 

Defeated Simon Fraser, 75-58 

Defeated Nova Southeastern, 80-76 (OT) – Elite Eight

Lost to Ashland, 66-54 – Final Four 

 

2013-14 (Pomona, CA):

Lost to Simon Fraser, 77-70

 

2016-17 (Anchorage, AK):

Defeated Cal State East Bay, 74-48

Lost to Cal Baptist, 80-68

 

2019-20 (Honolulu, HI):

vs. Alaska Anchorage, DNP (COVID-19)

 

2021-22 (Hayward, CA):

Defeated Alaska Anchorage, 76-64

Defeated Central Washington, 64-58

Defeated Cal State East Bay, 73-59 – West Regional Final

Defeated Valdosta State, 58-55 – Elite Eight

Defeated North Georgia, 74-68 – Final Four

Lost to Glenville State, 85-72 – National Championship Game

 

2022-23 (Carson, CA):

Lost to Azusa Pacific, 62-46

 

2023-24 (Azusa, CA):

Defeated Cal Poly Pomona, 66-61

Lost to Cal State San Marcos, 62-56

 

2025-26 (Ellensburg, WA):

Defeated Point Loma, 74-60

Lost to Cal Poly Pomona, 57-54

 

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2025-26 schedule and results:

 

 

Senior forward Olivia Hodges set the WWU single-season record with 25 double-doubles and is the current NCAA Division II national leader in the statistical category. Hodges is 3rd in GNAC single-season history trailing only the record established by former CWU All-American Samantha Bowman (26 in 2021-22 and 2022-23). Hodges finished the season with 10 consecutive double-doubles.