by BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington Vikings capitalized on a second-half run to pull away from the Western Oregon Wolves for a 73-61 win on Saturday at Carver Gym.
The Western Washington (9-5, 4-2 GNAC) bench produced 40 points to spread out the Vikings’ offense and erase a deficit that lasted a majority of the game. Mollie Olson tied for a game-high off the bench with 16 points, closely followed by the 15 points of fellow reserve Anna Schwecke.
Western Oregon (5-7, 2-4 GNAC) controlled the game for the first 30 minutes of play, not trailing in the contest until the closing moments of the third quarter. The Wolves led by as many as seven points in both the first and second quarters, bolstered by the 12 first-half points of junior Natalie DeLonge and eight from sophomore guard Keyonna Jones to take a 36-34 advantage into the break.
WOU controlled rebounding in the first half to help create their lead, out-rebounding the Vikings 21-13 to open the game and snagging seven offensive rebounds for extra opportunities.
“I thought we did a good job rebounding and getting to the foul line, but we needed to be more composed down the stretch,” said Western Oregon head coach Holli Howard-Carpenter. “That breakdown led to loss of quality looks at the basket.”
The Wolves shot 53.8 percent from the field in the second quarter and went 2-of-3 from 3-point range for their best shooting period of the night. Coming out of the locker room, however, WOU was unable to find an offensive rhythm, making just six field goals in the second half and being held without a 3-pointer.
After leading 45-40 with just over three minutes left in the third quarter, Western Oregon entered a drought they were unable to overcome. WWU rattled off 15 straight points over a four-minute period leading into the final quarter to take their first lead and quickly expanded that lead to 10 points. The Vikings never trailed by fewer than six points after that rally.
Western Washington improved their shooting percentage each quarter, capping the night with a 9-for-16 fourth for 56.3 percent. Schwecke’s 15 points came on a concise 7-of-11 shooting night. They also held a strong advantage underneath, outscoring the Wolves 42-24 in the paint.
DeLonge finished tied for a game-high with 16 points and eight rebounds, leading Western Oregon in scoring for the fourth straight game. She also swiped a career-high four steals, breaking her previous best also set against Western Washington.
Ali Nelke earned all eight of her rebounds Saturday on the offensive glass, adding on seven points while playing in all but three minutes of the game to increase her already lofty minutes per game average.
“Ali worked her tail off on the glass to get us extra opportunities,” added Howard-Carpenter. “We just needed to convert a few of them.”
Ronnie Harris (Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux) hit double figures in scoring for the first time this season, scoring 11 points in 30 minutes of work in her second straight start.
With the win, Western Washington has been able to defend home court in 11 straight games against the Wolves.
