The No. 8 nationally-ranked Western Washington University women’s basketball team used an overpowering second half to pull away from a halftime tie in a 69-52 victory over Seattle Pacific University Saturday night on WECU Court in Carver Gym.
The Vikings improved to 21-3 overall and inched closer to winning back-to-back Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season titles at 15-2 in league play with one game remaining. WWU is in first place in the conference standings with second-place Montana State Billings falling to Simon Fraser 67-61 Saturday night.
WWU used a 15-2 run spanning the second and third quarters, pulling away from a 29-29 halftime tie by out-scoring the Falcons 40-23 in the second half to record the 17-point victory.
Western showcased its depth with all 10 active players scoring at least four points, with sophomore guard Riley Dykstra leading all players with 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting. Sophomore forward Truitt Reilly neared a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds and junior forward Brooke Walling tallied nine points, six rebounds and two assists. Senior guard Avery Dykstra added nine points and a team-high four assists.
WWU shot 59.5-percent in the game to increase the season shooting percentage to 48.7 to rank amongst the top five in NCAA Division II. The Vikings held a 30-25 advantage in rebounding and tied a season high with nine blocked shots.
Ashley Alter and Natalie Hoff led the Falcons with 11 points each, with Alter reaching the 1,000-point milestone for her career. SPU dropped to 13-11 overall and is tied for fourth place in the GNAC standings.
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