Western Washington University redshirt freshman guard Gracie Castaneda scored a game-high 25 points to lead the Vikings to an 86-57 victory over Corban University Sunday afternoon in a preseason exhibition game on WECU Court at Carver Gym.
Trailing 21-16 after the first quarter, the Vikings regrouped with a 31-point second quarter, and out-scored Corban 70-36 over the final three periods of the game.
Overall the Vikings shot 57.6% (34-for-59), including 10-for-13 (76.9%) accuracy from 3-point range, and were 8-for-9 from the free throw line.
Castaneda (Arlington, WA) scored 19 of her game-high 25 points in the second quarter, and finished the game 9-for-14 from the field. She was 3-for-3 from 3-point range, connecting on all of her long distance attempts over a two-minute stretch in the second quarter.
Senior forward Hannah Stipanovich (St. Louis, MO/Clayton/MSU Denver) added 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting and junior guard Amanda Lance (Buckley, WA/White River) was 5-for-6 from the field (3-for-3 3-pointers) in her 13-point effort.
Sophomore Anna Schwecke (Evergreen, CO/Clear Creek/Colorado-Colo. Springs) led the Vikings with 9 rebounds, and also scored 6 points (3-for-5 FG) and tied for the team high with 6 assists.
Senior guard Maci Bozett and sophomore forward Jordan Woodvine led Corban with 13 points apiece. Junior forward Emily Yost contributed 8 points and a team-high 8 rebounds for the Warriors. The NAIA school out of Salem, Ore., overall shot 38.2% from the field, and were 7-for-26 from 3-point range.
Corban took a 21-16 lead after the first quarter, ending the quarter going on a 12-3 run. But the Vikings stormed back with a 31-point second quarter to take an eight-point 47-39 lead into halftime.
Castaneda scored 19 first-half points, all coming in the second quarter, on 6-for-7 shooting. WWU was 5-for-6 from 3-point range and overall shot 68.8% (11-for-16) in the second quarter. Bozett (3-for-5 3-pointers) and Woodvine (3-for-8 FG) led Corban with 9 first-half points.
The Vikings continued their run to open the second half, ending the third quarter on a 15-2 run to take an 18-point lead at 69-51. Stipanovich led Western with 9 points on 4-for-6 shooting, as the team continued its hot shooting from the field going 10-for-13 (76.9%) in the third quarter.
The WWU defense held Corban to just 6 points in the final quarter, ending the game with a 17-6 advantage in the fourth quarter. Freshman Emma Duff (Tumwater, WA/Black Hills) scored all 8 of her points in the fourth quarter to lead the Vikings.
The Vikings officially open the 2017-18 regular season next weekend (Fri.-Sat., Nov. 10-11) at the West Region Crossover Classic in Fresno, Calif. WWI will open with tournament host Fresno Pacific on Friday (7:30 pm) and then take on Humboldt State on Saturday (5:30 pm).
WWU’s first official games on WECU Court at Carver Gym will be in the annual Lynda Goodrich Classic Nov. 24-25 hosting Valdosta State, Academy of Art and Saint Martin’s for the two-day tournament. WWU takes on Valdosta State (5 pm) on Nov. 24 before playing Academy of Art at 7:30 pm on Nov. 25.
The complete 2017-18 schedule can be viewed online at WWUVikings.com.
Note: All statistics and records from this game do not count towards the 2017-18 regular season standings and cumulative statistics.
The Preseason: WWU finished the preseason going 2-0, recording wins over Trinity Western (66-60) and Corban (86-57)…WWU shot 50.8% (61-for-120) from the field in the two games, with 50.0% accuracy from 3-point range (17-for-34)…Gracie Castaneda (19.0 ppg), Hannah Stipanovich (17.5 ppg) and Amanda Lance (12.0 ppg) led the Vikings averaging double-digits in the two exhibition games…Anna Schwecke was WWU’s top rebounder with 7.0 boards per game, including 3.0 offensive rebounds per game.
