Western Washington University women’s basketball team throttled Northwest Nazarene University in a 73-41 home win on Thursday, Feb. 2.
Four Vikings finished with double-digit scoring in the lopsided contest. On the other side of the ball, Western’s defense didn’t allow a single Nighthawk player to eclipse the 10-point threshold.
The 41 points were the fewest the Vikings have given up against Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponents this year. The team’s defense proved dominant with securing boards, out-rebounding the shorter Nighthawk squad 46-18, 11 of which came on offense.
“We were really happy with our performance tonight, particularly defensively,” said Westen head coach Carmen Dolfo. “I think our defense, for us, really makes our offense go.”
Western’s Mollie Olson blocks a shot by Northwest Nazarene University’s Cami Knishka in the third quarter.
(Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
The Vikings controlled the game out of the gate, scoring first and never trailing after that.
Junior forward Brooke Walling — who finished with a game-high 12 points — lead the Vikings with six points in the first quarter, all of which came off blown coverage in the Nighthawk’s full-court press scheme.
All five Western starters found the basket to close out the first quarter up 20-12.
The second quarter featured a 12-0 Viking run to widen the gap even further. Western allowed only eight points in the quarter to head into halftime up 39-20.
Western’s Riley Dykstra sinks a three-point shot as fans react.
(Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
Coming out of halftime, the Vikings put on a near-duplicate display out-scoring the Nighthawks 18-9 via scoring plays from eight incredible Western players.
Western celebrated its third victory in a row after a 14-game win streak was snapped at the hands of Montana State University Billings on the road two weeks ago.
The Vikings went 3-1 during Western’s four-game road trip, setting a program-record 18 three-pointers against the University of Alaska Fairbanks on Jan. 26.
Western shot 8-for-15 from three against the Nighthawks in the victory. Dolfo said the Vikings’ offense often gets double-teamed due to their high-scoring posts. The position’s ability to kick the ball to shooters open on the perimeter has spelled success from beyond the arc.
Western’s Brooke Walling sinks two of her 12 points in the home game win.
(Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
Senior guard Mollie Olson finished with 10 points while shooting 2-2 from deep. Olson’s 10-point performance was matched by senior forward Katrina Gimmaka and senior center Carley Zaragoza to close out Western’s double-digit scorers.
“It was a great team win — it was very wholesome and the crowd was awesome,” Olson said.
Western continues to hold on to first place in the GNAC, advancing to 11-1 in conference play with the win. Montana State Billings holds second place just one game back.
The Vikings will host Central Washington University (16-5, 8-4 GNAC) at 7 p.m. Feb. 4.
