BELLINGHAM, Wash – Western Washington University junior center Anna Schwecke hit the game-winning layup with 3.3 seconds remaining in the game to lead the Vikings to a 66-65 come-from-behind victory over Fresno Pacific Saturday evening on WECU Court in Carver Gym.
WWU’s first victory of the season wrapped up the 2018 West Region Crossover Classic, with WWU and Fresno Pacific each going 1-1, Humboldt State 2-0 and Seattle Pacific 0-2. Humboldt State beat SPU 79-77 on a pair of last-second free throws to start the exciting evening of basketball in Carver Gym.
Trailing 65-64 after a pair of Fresno Pacific free throws with 9 seconds remaining in the game, Schwecke (Evergreen, CO/Clear Creek) took a pass in the low post from sophomore forward Kelsey Rogers (Bothell, WA/Lynnwood) and executed the finish with left-handed layup to put the Vikings up 66-65 with 3.3 seconds remaining on the clock. FPU leading scorer Jessica Malazarte had her last-second jump shot rim out to secure the victory for the Vikings.
“I am really proud of how we made a nice run in the 4th quarter and finished the game with great execution on the pass from Kelsey (Rogers) and the shot by Anna (Schwecke),” said WWU head coach Carmen Dolfo. “I am happy for the team and proud of how Kelsey, Emma (Duff) and Lexie (Bland) stepped up tonight in key moments.”
WWU trailed by seven points 61-54 with 3:15 remaining in the contest, but went on a 7-0 run to tie the game at 61-61 with 1:50 remaining. Schwecke tied the game at 63-63 with a layup at the 1:07 mark and put the Vikings ahead 64-63 with a free throw with 15 seconds remaining.
Fresno Pacific junior guard Ashley Cross hit a pair of free throws after being fouled by Lexie Bland (Ellensburg, WA) with 9 seconds remaining in the game. After a WWU timeout and advancement of the ball, Rogers received the ball at the high post and fed the ball to Schwecke, who used a drop-step move and put the ball off the glass with a left-handed layup for the go-ahead bucket.
Rogers scored a team-high 12 points and added 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, leading a balanced WWU scoring attack that had four players in double-figure scoring. Junior guard Dani Iwami (Seal Beach, CA/Los Alamitos) and sophomore guard Emma Duff (Tumwater, WA/Black Hills) each had 11 points, with Duff recording her first career double-double with 10 rebounds. Iwami was 3-for-8 from 3-point range and recorded a game-high 6 assists. Schwecke added 10 points and 9 rebounds and freshman forward Katrina Gimmaka (Everson, WA/Nooksack Valley) had 8 points and 2 rebounds.
The Sunbirds were led by 14 points from Cross (4-for-13 FG, 6-for-7 FT) and 13 points from Malazarte (3-for-13 FG, 7-for-7 FT). FPU was 26-for-30 from the free throw line, doubling the attempts awarded to the Vikings at the charity stripe (11-for-15).
“We need to minimize the turnovers, but overall, we made some good strides from game one to game two, and we just need to keep working hard,” added Dolfo. “We have some tough games coming up, so we need to practice with a purpose and learn from this weekend.”
The Vikings return to action next weekend with the first road games of the year, facing UC San Diego on Friday (Nov. 16) and Azusa Pacific on Saturday (Nov. 17) at the Sodexo Tip-Off Classic hosted by Seattle Pacific University. Both of WWU’s games will tip-off at 1 pm in Royal Brougham Pavilion.
